Do you suffer from a stigma?

More macro practice. On 27th I blipped a view of one bloom of the bunch of exotic Lilies given to us for our Anniversary. Clearly visible is the Stigma, the sticky bit at the top of the pistil, where pollen is trapped for reproduction.

Today my 7D camera was wearing its close macro lens, and I tried at 1x life-size and 3x. Very happy with both, although extremely tricky to get a steady shot. I used my old and sturdy video tripod with a rail attached. The lens I have is peculiar. You turn the 'focusing ring' not to change focus but to change magnification. Having got an approximate focus, I then edged the whole camera forwards and backwards along the track until it was at the right distance from the subject to reveal it 'in focus'. The 3x was interesting, but the 1x was a better picture. The front of the lens was 5 cm from the subject. ISO 100, 65mm f4.5 at .08 secs, using timer and mirror lock up. First time I've tried at more than life-size. Impressed! Great fun! I'm going here again… Incidentally, the out-of-focus coloured background comes from the petals of the flower.