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What first caught my eye was the smooth, almost seductive, flowing lines formed by the overlapping leaves. Contrasting those gentle curves are some formidable spikes. Like many members of the cactus and succulent families, it’s a bit like beauty and the beast. They give you a not so subtle reminder to look but not touch.

This is another image from the trip to the Bancroft botanical gardens that I mentioned in my last post. Although I managed without a tripod for that shot, one really would have come in handy with this [wikipop]variegated agave[/wikipop]. I would have loved to be able spend some time in front of this scene with my tripod. The composition choices seemed nearly endless but I was at the mercy of the camera in regard to depth of field choices. Because I was hand-holding I had to be aware of my shutter speed to prevent a soft image due to camera shake. Normally, shutter speed isn’t something I even worry about.

Cheers