The seasonal year is peppered with icons. We measure the progress of the year via these seasonal events. Snowdrops are one of the first blooms to flower, appearing often in mid February.
So far this year I have not photographed them, we have several clumps in our garden but for some reason, this year, they are very diminutive. The difficulty with these recurring seasonal flowers is this: how do you produce something that’s a little different?
The answer may be to use a different lens: go long for example. And this is what I did with the images you see today. All were shot (in previous years) with a 500mm Mirror Lens.
Click on any image to see a high quality enlargement.
Use a lens as long as this (film equiv of 750mm on a DX body) and you will get something different. Added to which a Mirror lens produces unusual donut-shaped Bokeh as a result of its optical configuration.
Want to know more? Then do take a look at one of my earlier post about Mirror Lenses with images. Or to view another post of previous mirror imaging click here.
LensScaper 
Great advice Andy. The bokeh is amazing with the 500mm but there is something to be said about the results of the mirror lens.
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I think in general it’s hard to find a new approach to photographing flowers. Mostly we see heads on “portraits”. Changing the lens is a great idea – or just doing something different. I really like the result of using your 500 mm. My favourite of the two are the first one. I like the lone snowdrop standing up from the others.
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Thanks Otto – my favourite too. Switching to a lens I rarely use is always guaranteed to boost creativity – it unlocks a different view of the world. The Mirror is certainly different!
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Many thanks Len.
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Love these. You beat me to it this year. The local snowdrops got drenched and looking a bit sorry for themselves. These are stunning examples.
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Thanks very much for your comment. Our Snowdrops are late compared to many, and very small this year. I don’t understand why. These images are four years old when they were a lot better
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Great shots Andy…maybe Spring is on it’s way?
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Thanks James. Warming up for the weekend, I read. Spring is not far away. Hurrah!
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These are absolutely exquisite Andy. I love what this lens does for you.
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Less than £400 for a good used second hand lens, weighs the same as the camera body, compact. Has a fixed F8 aperture, manual focus (except the Sony version). There’s an awful lot to like about a Mirror. You do need a tripod – that’s the element I don’t like, I rarely cart one of those around with me. But the results can be so atmospheric.
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You’ve captured these little Spring flowers.. beautifully as ‘Symbols of Hope’ Andy .
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Snowdrops are special – true harbingers of Spring. Thanks for your comment, Poppy.
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Wish they would grow in my garden, but no. Beautiful photos.
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We inherited these. I tried breaking a big clump and re-planting them elsewhere in the garden. It didn’t work – they all died
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