One of the first photos I took with the Canon 50D when I first bought it last year, I love the soft red texture of this flower.
This was taken in the Midgegooroo National Park, in Roleystone.

ant exploring flower

Midgegooroo National Park, Roleystone, Western Australia
Canon EOS 50D, 100mm f/2.8 macro @100mm, 1/250 sec, f/5, ISO400

A few weeks ago, I went for a drive through Langford Park, in Jarrahdale. In between rain showers, I ventured out of the car for a few forays into the bush.
I found the colour and texture of the pine tree bark fascinating, so here's a few photos focussing on the pine bark.

Firstly, here's a photo showing the wide range of colours in the bark.

pine bark detail

Langford Park, Jarrahdale, Western Australia
Canon EOS 50D, 17-85mm IS @41mm, 1/15 sec, f/5.6, ISO320

Here's a couple of photos of some flowers, taken while in Albany a few weeks ago.

purple flower power

Albany, Western Australia
Canon EOS 50D, 70-200mm f/4L @200mm, 1/1600 sec, f/4, ISO200

I like the simplicity of the autumn leaf against the green grass in this photo, which was taken a few years ago at Matilda Bay.

lonely autumn leaf

Matilda Bay, Western Australia
Canon EOS 350D, 17-85mm IS @76mm, 1/125 sec, f/5.6, ISO400

Here's another photo from the backyard yesterday, this time of a common yellow-flowering weed called Taraxacum. In case you don't recognise the name, it's more commonly known as the Dandelion.

As with the Grevillea flower photo posted recently, this was also shot with the 70-200mm f/4L wide open, providing a narrow DOF and interesting bokeh.

yellow Taraxacum flower

(more commonly known as Dandelion)

back yard, Western Australia
Canon EOS 50D, 70-200mm f/4L @145mm, 1/640 sec, f/4, ISO100

In the past, when I go out in the back yard to take some photos of plants and flowers in the back yard, I normally grab my macro lens. However, this afternoon, I used the 70-200mm f/4L lens in the back yard, and was pretty happy with the results.

Even though the minimum distance of the 70-200 lens is about 1.3m, with the magnification of the lens, I could still get close enough to fill the frame. Shooting wide open blurred the background and provides pleasing bokeh.

Here's a shot of a Grevillea flower from the back yard.

Grevillea

back yard, Western Australia
Canon EOS 50D, 70-200mm f/4L @131mm, 1/320 sec, f/4, ISO100

While in Tasmania earlier this year, we visited Cradle Mountain, and walked around Dove Lake. The Tasmanian temperate rainforest is a damp place, with almost every surface covered in moss and greenery.
This photo was taken during the walk around Dove Lake in an area called the Ballroom Forest, and brings back great memories of the Tasmanian rainforest.

moss-covered tree

Cradle Mountain, Tasmania
Canon EOS 350D, 10-22mm @12mm, 1/25 sec, f/4, ISO400

I love the colours of autumn leaves.

autumn red

Cataract Gorge reserve, Launceston, Tasmania
Canon EOS 350D, 17-85mm IS @85mm, 1/60 sec, f/6.3, ISO200

The Tamar Islands Wetlands are just a short drive north of Launceston, and there's a 3km boardwalk leading from the carpark, across the river, and onto Tamar Island. There's plenty of flora and fauna to see, and the photo below shows the grass that lines the majority of the boardwalk.

grass detail

Tamar Island Wetlands, Launceston, Tasmania
Canon EOS 350D, 70-200mm f/4L @100mm, 1/320 sec, f/4, ISO100

Another photo taken with one of my favourite lenses, the Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens.

red gerbera petals

home, Western Australia
Canon EOS 350D, 100mm f/2.8 macro @100mm, 1/5 sec, f/11, ISO100