Image Location : This image is of crocuses, a sign of the approaching spring.
We discovered them yesterday during our visit to Osborne House, an English Heritage property in East Cowes on the Isle of Wight.

“It is impossible to imagine a prettier spot" said Queen Victoria of Osborne House, her family’s royal country retreat on the island with sweeping views overlooking the Solent. By all accounts the estate is where Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their children spent many happy days as a family.

We found these delicate crocuses near Swiss Cottage, the garden and play area that Prince Albert and his gardener built for the children. It was a reminder to him of his own childhood amusements growing up in Germany. Even the daffodils were starting to make an appearance, but it was the crocuses that most caught my eye.

This image was captured midday, using a Panasonic Lumix GX8 with a Lumix DG 100 - 400mm F/4.0 – 6.3 lens set to 400mm (equivalent to 800mm on a full frame camera). The camera was hand held, supported on my elbows and autofocused on the crocuses while lying on my stomach. The camera was set to Aperture priority f/8 giving a 1/500th of a second exposure at ISO 400 with daylight white balance. The RAW processing and final adjustments were all done in Photoshop CC.