Dive On In

The camera club are lucky enough to be the official photographers for GARDENING SCOTLAND.

I chose to go today which is 'set up' day with judging also going on and the BBC filming for the TV programme Beechgrove Garden.
In fact we seemed to be tripping over each other all day - how they get a programme put together I have no idea when it takes them 30-45minutes to do a 30 second piece I have no idea (I know this because the cherry picker operator offered to take my friends camera up to get a shot of the drystone wallers display while it was filmed ....... and that is how long her camera was up there)

It was rather overcast in the morning - not bad for some plant pictures but a bit drab for others and the lighting in the main hall was hellish.

So it was outside to see what could be got from the people setting up.

TrikinDave would have been proud of me - I spent ages talking to the Scottish Beekeepers Association.
I had no idea that apiary was more of a science than a 'hobby' and I learnt loads about bees, their habits (who knew they were like homing pideons and has well defined flightpaths!).

The guy setting up the garden model railway stand was too modest for his own good too.

And as for the folks on the Natural Scotland display ............. they were just so friendly (and generous - my car ended up stinking thanks to the big pot of wild garlic they gave to my friend/passenger).

Outdoor clothing was a steal, but if I had come home with any more jackets, boots, waterproofs etc SWMBO would have killed me.

As the day wore on the weather (and lighting) got better and better and the stalls in the main hall with their magnificent displays took shape.

I only took about 240 shots during the day but I think I have got quite a few that the Gardening Scotland folk will like.
I know I have quite a few that I really like.

But late afternoon one of the club members said that he was 'all flowered out' and had lost his mojo.

We were standing in front of a stand of cala lillies that ranged from pure white to almost jet black at the time so I told him to stop thinking of them as a stall of flowers and think of them as a series of individual photographic challenges - how he could get a completely different kind of shot from each one.
Within a few minutes he had his mojo back and was cursing me because he was now seeing things completely differently and felt he would be there for hours.

Well, after 8 hours I was heading for home.
I could have stayed longer -- I could have taken the option to go back over the next 3 days (and would still have not shot everything) -- but I will leave that to some of the others (one or two who will be there at 7am to shoot everything all finished before the crowds arrive).
The forecast is good and anyone who goes to the show at Ingliston (and I think there are special buses there from town) will have a good time.

I have converted hardly any of my shots to jpeg so far - but those I have are HERE.
If you look, I hope you enjoy.





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