Blue Iris

The iris is such a photogenic flower that it's difficult to take a bad photo. It sports such wonderful patterns and sculptural shapes. It takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow which refers to the wide variety of colours found among the many species. The cluster of flowers on its stem is fan-shaped and contains one or more symmetrical six-lobed flowers. The three drooping sepals are referred to as "falls", and are clearly shown in this blip.

It was a beautiful still morning and I took this against the backdrop of cloud with the low early sun breaking through. By adjusting the curves (something that Blipfoto covers in its tutorials - see left-hand menu) I was able to bring out the backlit pattern of veins and also cloud detail in the sky.

The image also lent itself to a little Photoshop treatment with an artistic paint daubs filter. I don't think I'll be able to keep away from these gorgeous blooms. There are so many interesting angles and photo techniques to exploit.