Flowers are the jewels of spring. Colours arise everywhere, even in the most unsuspecting places. At the end of March I could spend a few hours between my home county and Maremma and keep exercising with flowers and the Meyer-Optik Görlitz Trioplan.

Ramo di ciliegio in fiore (Prunus avium).

Sony α6000 + Meyer-Optik Görlitz Trioplan 100mm ƒ/2.8 @ 100 mm, 1/320 sec @ ƒ/2.8, +1.30 EV, ISO 100, hand-held, white light shade.

Even plants such as rosemary and sage, which you don't normally associate with flowers, are capable of surprises in this season.

Rosmarino fiorito (Rosmarinus officinalis).

Sony α6000 + Meyer-Optik Görlitz Trioplan 100mm ƒ/2.8 @ 100 mm, 1/100 sec @ ƒ/2.8, +0.70 EV, ISO 100, tripod.

Rosmarino fiorito (Rosmarinus officinalis).

Sony α6000 + Meyer-Optik Görlitz Trioplan 100mm ƒ/2.8 @ 100 mm, 1/60 sec @ ƒ/2.8, +1.00 EV, ISO 100, tripod.

Salvia selvatica (Salvia pratensis).

Sony α6000 + Meyer-Optik Görlitz Trioplan 100mm ƒ/2.8 @ 100 mm, 1/500 sec @ ƒ/2.8, +2.00 EV, ISO 100, hand-held.

Salvia selvatica (Salvia pratensis).

Sony α6000 + Meyer-Optik Görlitz Trioplan 100mm ƒ/2.8 @ 100 mm, 1/250 sec @ ƒ/2.8, +2.30 EV, ISO 100, hand-held.

Greater periwinkle (Vinca major) is a little precious jewel that I sometimes find in hedges or dry stone walls, floating between shadow and sun light.

Pervinca maggiore (Vinca major).

Sony α6000 + Meyer-Optik Görlitz Trioplan 100mm ƒ/2.8 @ 100 mm, 1/160 sec @ ƒ/2.8, +0.70 EV, ISO 100, tripod.

Lungwort (Pulmunaria officinalis) has been another major surprise. Flowers are small, but so beautiful and even bi-coloured in many cases. For them I've tried the Trioplan with a rather long extension tube (32mm). Focusing is not easy - the depth of field is very shallow in these conditions - and the tripod was definitely required. Also, with such a long extension tube and a short working distance, focusing is better performed by slightly moving back and forth rather than with the focusing ring. I don't own a macro slider rail, but so far slightly loosening the tripod head clamp, so I can move the camera plate, has proved to work.

Polmonaria maggiore (Pulmunaria officinalis).

Sony α6000 + Meyer-Optik Görlitz Trioplan 100mm ƒ/2.8 @ 100 mm, 1/50 sec @ ƒ/2.8, +1.00 EV, ISO 100, 32mm extension tube, tripod.

Polmonaria maggiore (Pulmunaria officinalis).

Sony α6000 + Meyer-Optik Görlitz Trioplan 100mm ƒ/2.8 @ 100 mm, 1/40 sec @ ƒ/2.8, +1.00 EV, ISO 100, 16mm extension tube, tripod.