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A Royal Hakea - Not a Cabbage


A Royal Hakea - Not a Cabbage
Photo Information
Copyright: James Parker (Jamesp) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1351 W: 0 N: 5494] (16524)
Genre: Plants
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2006-04-15
Categories: Flowers
Camera: Canon EOS 1Ds MkII, Canon 24-70 mm f 2,8 L-USM
Exposure: f/5.0, 1/200 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2007-05-14 14:04
Viewed: 1005
Points: 30
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
This Royal Hakea was growing close to the park road and was about 1.5m tall. I chose this view, with backlight, because I liked the way the sun shone through the thick, leathery leaves.

Hakea victoria is a narrow, medium shrub up to 2.5 metres high by about a 1 metre spread. The stem-clasping leaves are stiff, concave, about 200 mm x 120 mm and variegated in a range of colours - cream, yellow, orange, red. As a result of this the overall appearance of the plant is both bizarre and spectacular. The leaves have prickly teeth around the margins. The inconspicuous flowers are cream/white and occur in the leaf axils. The flowers are followed by woody seed pods about 25mm long containing two winged seeds, the usual number for all Hakea species. The pods do not shed the seed until stimulated to do so by environmental conditions (eg after a bushfire).

This species has been in cultivation for many years but is mainly suited to areas of low summer humidity. In humid areas the foliage rarely develops the intense colouration which is the main reason to grow this plant. The species is tolerant of at least moderate frosts and the flowers are attractive to honey-eating birds. The species grows best in an open, very well drained, sunny position.

The Fitzgerald River National Park, a World Biosphere Reserve, is renowned for its spectacular scenery and diverse flora which is home to a number of threatened animals. The park surrounds the inlets of the Gairdner, Fitzgerald and Hamersley Rivers, between Bremer Bay and Hopetoun on the south coast about 180 kilometres north east of Albany.

More than 1,800 beautiful and bizarre species of flowering plants, lichens, mosses and fungi, have been recorded, representing nearly 20 per cent of the total number of plant species in Western Australia, in only a fraction of the state.
fartash, ramthakur, nglen, lovenature, gypsygirl58, SelenE, garyfudge, uleko, Evelynn has marked this note useful
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ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To deblink: HakeaJamesp 1 05-15 02:28
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Critiques [Translate]

Hello James
Very intersting subject to shoot,
Great POV and lighting,
Fantastic colors and DOF,Superb shot.

Good Luck,friend
Fartash

bonsoir
tres originale cette fleur bons détails couleurs bien nettes
bien vu merci
edith

  • Great 
  • ridvan Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 555 W: 0 N: 1134] (5196)
  • [2007-05-14 14:41]

selam james; nice shot of this plant,good presented , very nice BG and POV, well captured with nice colours TFS
regards
ridvan

I have seen this plant for the first time, James.
And it is a beautiful plant, indeed.
Very fine backlit capture with perfect details and colours.
TFS.

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2916 W: 34 N: 8651] (32250)
  • [2007-05-14 15:40]

Hi James. A very good shot of the Hakea.what a amazing plant. the lighting is spot on. great colours with good detail . A very nice POV. and DOF. well done. and thanks for showing us some unusal pictures. with great notes.
Nick

Hi James,
I have never seen or maybe noticed this Hakea before. It is hard to believe that it is a Hakea, though I am not questioning you. It looks very unusual. You captured a great image of it with the light coming from the back, nice one.
Cheers,
Debbie

Hi James. very nice shot. Very nice excercise with the colour, structure and focus. Interesting shot. Well done. tfs. Setv

A very interesting plant James.
I love to see a species of plant I've never seen or heard of before. This Royal Hakea has very unique and uncommon leaves. I like the way you use the backlight to bring out the colours and pattern on the leaves. Nicely done.
TFS Janice

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2007-05-14 23:31]

Hello James

A unique shrub,it has developed an interesting survival strategy.Well composed in the frame,with a very good POV and DOF.The colours despite the back lighting are very good.TFS

Rob

Hi James,
Wow what an unusual looking Hakea!! I love the way it is backlit, good sharpness and details and colours. Well done and TFS
Cheers Tina :-)

Hi James.
Wow. What a stunning plant. I don't recall ever seeing one. I love the colours the backlighting creates. well seen and well captured.
Regards, Steve.

  • Great 
  • SelenE Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2405 W: 63 N: 4227] (13822)
  • [2007-05-15 8:59]

Hi James,
You have managed the exposure control very well, details and colors are clearly seen in the shaded parts as well as the backlit parts. I liked the composition, and the colors. Well done and TFS
Selen

Hi James,

what a fascinating plant. I like your write up, very informative.

Good choice to shoot with the light from behind.

  •      
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2999 W: 162 N: 984] (2877)
  • [2007-05-15 13:42]

Hello James,
What a beautiful but very weird shrub! You've caught this in beautiful light showing the pattern and colours of the leaves very nicely indeed. Very sharp details too and a fine composition.
Many thanks, Ulla

This is really nice. Despite the few OE spots it really seems to work ok. Shapes, colors and light all work together to make a very nice image. Sharpness is good and I like the close crop and simple composition.

TFS
Evelynn : )

Hello James,
I like the way the sun is shining through this strange plant! This is very beautiful and those colors are stunning. I agree with you that this is quite an unusual vegetal. The shapes of its leaves are very special and so are those stunning color. You managed extremely well with exposure and I like this POV and composition very much. As usual, your notes are most instructive and this park seems to be a great place. They are so many beautiful regions to explore in this wide world! Thanks,
Claudine

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