Two for the price of one

 

This photo was taken in the National Botanical Garden at Kilmacurragh, Co. Wicklow on the 1st of July.  The gardens are Kilmacurragh lie in an estated developed by Thomas Acton along with David Moore (and his son) during the 19th Century and contain a huge range of botanical specimens that thrived with the soil there.  It is very different to the gardens in Glasnevin.  The gardens at Kilmacurragh are open all year round (except for Christmas Day) and are free to enter and explore.  There is a cafe on site which is nice to stop for a cuppa or a bite to eat.  

This photo of the poppy with two insects was taken with my Canon R5 and my 100-400 EF lens and 1.4 extender.  I set a shutter speed of 1/2000 sec. as it was very blustery.  The aperture was set at f7.1 and auto ISO resulted in an ISO of 400.  I under exposed by -0.7 because of the highlights at the centre of the poppy.  The photo was edited in Adobe Lightroom where I dulled down the background to make the poppy stand out and I also brought down the strong highlights in the centre of the poppy.  

other images from the day to give an idea of the variety on offer in July

For more info on the gardens https://www.botanicgardens.ie/kilmacurragh/