There's several free photo hosting sites out there. I personally like photobucket.com. Once you get the hang of it, it's pretty quick and easy to post photos.

We must see them! Sign up with photobucket.com and just upload your pictures to your acct. Copy and paste the html code in your post.

Okay... I had an old photobucket album that I forgot the password and username. I went to photobucket and retrieved both!

A small percentage of all the flowers have the doubles. Though I see a bunch of new ones that have the inner circle at the top. The flower becomes mature before the upper circle comes out. So on some flowers the lower petals are on their way out when the upper ones come out in full. I am happy to get some that look like the photos I saw in the catalog!

Here is one from afar:

{{gwi:247849}}

A closer view:

{{gwi:247850}}

{{gwi:247851}}

{{gwi:247852}}

A top view:

{{gwi:247853}}

Some more:

{{gwi:247854}}

{{gwi:247855}}

Here you can see the mature flower with the new petals forming at the top. It will be a few days before they are out and full:

{{gwi:247856}}

Those are really nice! Especially when taken by the 30D. A clue (the shallow dof) and overall "look" on that first photo made me wonder there. What lens?

Thanks aliska12000. I am guessing you have some sort of exif viewer?

I have the EF 24-70 2.8L lens. They were really just quick snaps, I should have opened the lens a little bit to increase the DOF a bit. You are right about the narrow DOF! At times it can be too shallow.

Ken

Very nice, I guess there's still hope for mine, that is if it really is Double Decker and not something else. This is it's second year but no double deck yet. I guess the name of the game is patience.

Annette

eigdeh, I thought it might be that lens. That's what I keep on my camera most of the time, the ancient 20D. Today I took a couple at f4 and got pretty much the dof I wanted. Usually I stop down more but couldn't give you a good reason why. I laid out a hose to expand my back strip and make it more curved, so to get the best view of it, I have to shoot through the screen on the window. Plus I forgot it had it set to f5? where usually I go f8 for landscape shots. The darn photo turned out ok, couldn't even tell it was through a screen and most of it but a close apple branch was in focus. Go figure.

I bought that lens for the 2.8 so I can shoot indoors without the flash but it works great in all sorts of situations except for zoom.

Actually I wasn't being critical of the dof. I like the bokeh effect in the foreground on the first one.

Yes, I have the exif viewer as an addon to Firefox but I really like the one better that was an addon to IE but quit using IE except now and then. A lot of photos have the exif stripped off, and I don't always look for it, but your photos had Canon dslr stamped on them lol.

Yours were in bright sun. I always use -2/3 exposure compensation with that and shoot RAW so I get some leeway.

I'm waiting to see what they come up with on the 60D. Wait for new camera models, wait for flowers to bloom right, wait to find out the color wasn't like the catalog photo. I thought double decker would bloom that way the first year.

I sowed DD about 5 years ago, and they have YET to double for me. I'm guessing they perhaps weren't DD seed after all. Phooey.

Yours are lovely.

Hi Aliska12000! Definately sounds like you know your stuff!

I know you were not being critical of the DOF, I got the opposite meaning from your post. I am being critical of my own shot in that I like to have the entire subject in focus with a nice blurred background.

I don't think that 20d is that much different than my 30d, besides LCD screen size and a few other minor things it is the same. It is good you are waiting to see what the camera upgrades are! I used to visit dpreview all the time and most people there buy every camera that comes out! I don't see the point. I don't have plans on changing camera's anytime soon, but that is my personality. I buy good stuff with the intention of keeping it, even with electronics which is hard to do.

mmqchdygg, do the coneflowers that you have at least have the extra petals at the base? Honestly, I did not know that seeds from DD's would give you double deckers. I thought seeds from hybrids usually go back to the original plant. I could be wrong though.

Ken

eigdeh, maybe I shouldn't have taken it OT and gotten into camera talk but it's an issue for me posting GW, trying to improve my skills and knowledge. Photography and gardening go hand in hand with me.

I know whereof you speak with the constant upgrades. I'm like you, have had mine since May 2005, watched for 2 years before jumping in, am darn thankful for what I have. The bigger lcd would be a really nice but won't spend just for that.

Guess I just needed to chat with a fellow traveller as I haven't talked photography for awhile now. Just when I think I am making progress ("know my stuff"), I realize I will never really master it all, and it is not the limitations of the equipment which can be overcome or creatively compensated for, but me.

Your coneflowers were worth waiting for, wish vendors would be more up front with us about some of the new introductions, but they can't be omniscient. When I first saw those double ones, I was so taken with them but waited because sun is at a premium around here, and I have to grow plants accordingly. I'm thinking of moving into more perennials and fewer roses. Once you cull out the ones that don't work so well, they are more reliable, less care and more gratifying, generally speaking.

I don't mind talking photography!

I used to be into it more than I am these days. A few years ago I had a pbase gallery which is still up, but I have not paid my annual fee for a while, so I cannot post photos unless I pay up. As a matter of fact, I am expecting to sign on one day and find the gallery deleted due to inactivity.

Here is the link to the gallery:

http://www.pbase.com/ken_5

Nothing really special, just a bunch of snaps really. I do have a lot of insect shots in my older Nikon 5000 gallery.

I am looking forward to next years dd's. They were pretty upfront on the tag that came with the plants that they would not double in the first year.

Am I the only one that got some that truly doubled?

Oh... be sure to view the photos at original size, otherwise the quality degrades a bit. The option is below the photo.

Ken

Ken, those are stunning. I think you know your stuff and have tried things I haven't done yet like blurred water and insects, so colorful. I figured out how to work the timed slideshow which I always like.

A couple that stand out although there were just too many good ones were the colonial home, the goldfish, that stone fireplace, the colorful insects one especially irridescent rainbow effect (new age bug lol), don't know what it was, and the circle of flags.

You really nailed the exposure perfectly which can make or break you. I think I looked at all of them. Loved your kid's shots.

Back on topic, I ordered double decker today from Bluestone but not echinacea. It was Monarda Raspberry Wine :-). I really had to restrain myself this time because I've spent more than I think I should have for one season and not enough to show for it. But I really wanted to get the last ones in before winter. Got some tulip bulbs and some stargazer lily bulbs for the little girl down the street. It was easier to just buy bulbs rather than tear into mine and/or try seeds.

Here are the shots I missed because I didn't have my camera handy and didn't have my long lens on for the birds. A hummingbird moth, a goldfinch and cardinal, have yet to get a good cardinal shot. Here are just a sample of mine, I host my own stuff, and these were a few of my favs, but I haven't gotten out much the last couple of years. The one of Hillary is my granddaughter's; she handed her camera to somebody and came home with that.

Some of mine were with the Olympus C4000Z which I cannot find, served me well, and my Canon 20D, some with my 100-400 lens which I love also the 70-200 2.8. Most of those are pretty old now. I also have the Sigma 105 and got a few good shots from it, but it is tricky and extremely shallow dof, have to start at about f10 for closeups, wish I'd gotten the Canon 100mm but saved some and am not really big into macros right now.

Here is a link that might be useful: Click on link for a few of my photos in slideshow format (not too many to plow through)

Thanks for taking the time to look at my gallery and for commenting aliska12000! The water shots are fun to try. A tripod is a must, though I did not have one for that DC shot. I just braced myself really well and used a high iso.

I like your shots a lot! Beautiful colors, exposure and crops! And I know I have seen your granddaughters shot of "Hillary with Sarah" somewhere before. Either you posted it years ago on the gardenweb or I saw it in some gallery in my internet travels a while ago.

How did you get that Owl to be so trusting of you guys? Is he still so friendly?

I have rasberry wine monarda. It sure grows out fast! Good thing is that it is easy to pull it out where it is not welcome and it is easy to move. I cannot believe how fast it spread out for me! Be careful.

I did get a very small amount that did doubled, but I was not expecting it to. Did you buy one that states they double? Years ago I posted a photo of one of mine that doubled here on the gardenweb and it was still in my photobucket gallery. Here it is:

{{gwi:241901}}

Ken

The praise was sincere, and you know I've seen some spectacular photos on dpreview, pro quality or better. I have a nice tripod and even got a neutral density filter, but don't think we have any falling water around here except at the kids' zoo :-(. So I've had to put that desire on hold, maybe a spillway on a dam or something around here.

Thank you, they are among my best but I think yours have an edge in IQ and technique, doesn't bother me. I think you might have seen the Hillary photo on dpreview. I posted it because they do that when they get a shot of somebody high profile. I tried to keep it neutral and will continue to do so.

That owl was the sweetest little guy/gal. They bond to you and grow to trust you, be we aren't allowed to feed them. That one clawed my arm (not bad) setting up that shot. I was down on my stomach to get it, am sure I used the 24-70. I just grew to love those babies, but they soon disappear and you never know if they made it or not.

At the link, there is a photo by gazania of her RW monarda. Sure hope mine doesn't get that tall. The reason it has to be monarda is that it is very damp there, over a french drain I had to dig to drain pooled water. The white I got last year, I found out what you mean, it spreads fast, but it's nasty mildew. So I decided to try this, 3 plants from BS, only need one but am going to try it on a problem corner of the garage where I can't get anything to grow and replace the white. I'll just yank what I don't want; it pulls easily enough if the soil is damp.

It looked double in the photo at BS so I asked about it on the useful link thread. Some are and some aren't. I'd prefer single actually, and when it comes down to DD coneflower or that thing you posted (good shot), the coneflower wins hands down.

Have a lot of time today because it's raining. Got most of the lawn spread with Grubex, so I feel like I've accomplished something, never attempted that before. I ran out before I got everything but hit the worst spots and did the best I could except skipped one terrace and out back. $37.xx at HD, so I really don't want to buy another bag this year. Made do with an inferior spreader that is hard to control and a hand one that doesn't dispense evenly, have to guess. Better than doing nothing, and at least I didn't have to worry about watering it in because of the rain, managed to do it between downpours. Have been worried about that, getting it down and wasting it because no rain. No way can I water it in well with the hose. It's not going to eliminate the JB problem but makes me feel like I've done all I can, and lots fly in from elsewhere, but I'm sure they start looking for a food source closest to where they hatch. Enough of that.

Haven't checked dpreview for awhile. Just as well for now. Will get back into it come fall. I thought I'd upgrade but think I'll wait until next year; I'm still doing ok with the 20D for now. Is the metering better on the 30D? It has spot. I always use pattern and exposure comp negative, only positive for snow, amazing. Never really liked center weighted or partial and one is my biggest faults is I get in a hurry and forget to change the settings back to where I like to start.

Another talkative post :-(

Here is a link that might be useful: gazania's RW monarda in thread, she wasn't the OP

I can't really comment about the metering between the two camera's as I never used a 20d. I know that when the 10d came out I decided against it because it did not have spot metering and I used spot most often on my Nikon CP5000. The spot on the 30d is not where as small as the spot on the 5000 and I read that before I bought the camera. One learns to find new ways to get things done.

Of course the 40 and 50d have an even bigger lcd than the 30d, and the 50d has a higher resolution. Still when the 30d came out ppl did state that they liked the colors better on the 20d's LCD.

The thing that drives me crazy about the 30d, and I am sure it is the same with the 20d, is that you cannot read the info inside the eyepiece on a normally bright day. I wonder if they fixed that on the 40 and up.