Canon EOS 7D EF 50mm f/1.4 at f/3.5 1/200 ISO 100 I found these wonderful rhododendron flowers on a garden tour in Nanaimo.The feeling that passes between a man and a woman who have lived a lifetime together is a wonderful thing. There is a comfort in the silences that speaks to years of being able to anticipate the other's thoughts and feelings. There is an understanding in the the half spoken sentences and unuttered remembrances that is far stronger than the passionate eloquence of young love. There is a whole life etched in the silent lines that surround the crinkled eyes as they share a half told 32 year old joke. My wife and I met this couple on a garden tour this past spring; they were vibrant and alive and in their 80's and they had the most wonderful garden. These rhododendrons were in their garden.

The photo is pretty simple, I knew I was looking for a way to frame the flowers to one edge leaving the remainder of the frame to drift out of focus. I knew that I had to leave enough depth of field to keep the whole flower in focus, but I did not want any detail in the background so I stopped down to f/3.5 and that produced the effect I was looking for. I was really glad that I had my fast 50mm as it is the sharpest lens I own and that shows in the petals.

-Russell Berg