Gosh, it's been ages since I last took photos with my Nikon D750.

It's an older camera, I know! But honestly, the quality of the images still pleasantly surprises me. And yes, I don't get that with my Nikon P1000 bridge camera. A simple fact that I don't need to be secretive about. So why don't I always grab the D750? Quite simply, in everyday photography (which isn't so everyday anymore), it's much easier to grab the Nikon P1000 or even my phone. Much less hassle and easier to use. And since I've become more of a lazy photographer these days, the Nikon D750 stays in the photobag in the closet more often than I use it.

I Need To Start Doing Product Photography

But for the project my partner and I are starting, we need to take product photos soon. We're currently putting together a photo booth for that. You can buy one, but my goodness, the prices are ridiculous. So we decided to make it ourselves, and we're already well on our way. The enclosure (read: MDF) is solidly put together. Now we have to paint it white. Matte white, that is! After that, it's just a matter of installing the correct photo lighting we ordered; it still needs to arrive. And then it's a matter of the final fine-tuning, and once everything is sorted, I'll take a picture and post it. Of course, I've forgotten to take pictures of the production process so far. Anyway, that doesn't matter now... because the only thing I was talking about was getting my Nikon D750 out of the closet again after what felt like ages. If you're going to take product photos, you want them to be sharp! And as happy as I am with phone or Nikon P1000 photos for those daily snapshots, product photography is a whole different level. And you need different equipment for that. If you want to convince people with your product photos that you have something of value to offer, it really starts with a high-quality photo. And yes, that's where the Nikon D750 comes in, with its excellent quality and the 24-70 F2.8 lens I have with it.

Checking My Nikon D750

Since it's been ages since I've actually really been doing photography, I decided last weekend that I should pick up that camera again and take some photos of Skipper (which I posted in a blog post yesterday). But also of the garden. Because even though summer is clearly drawing to a close, there are still lovely things to photograph. Like the Hydrangea. Even with its half-faded flowers, I find it more than worth looking at. And our newest addition to the garden, the Pampas grass, is also very attractive. It's still a young plant, but even in this first year, the grass already bears its characteristic plumes. And it was precisely those plumes that we bought this grass.

Did You Know These Fun Facts?

Now, there are often interesting facts about plants if you look a little further than just what you see. And that's certainly the case with Hydrangeas and Pampas Grass. It would be too much for me to create a whole Hivepedia here about every little tidbit about all the plants. But there are certainly a few fun facts to share about both.

Hydrangea Facts

• In the language of flowers, Hydrangeas represent: Gratitude, Grace, and Beauty
• Because of the many small flowers within the large flower, they also symbolize: Love, Harmony, and Peace
• In China, the Hydrangea represents Sincerity and Honesty
• The Victorians, on the other hand, symbolized the Hydrangea with Coolness and Vanity
• Hydrangeas come in many colors, and each color has its own meaning. The blue (and most well-known) Hydrangea represents: Sincerity, Loyalty, and Respect. The white Hydrangea (our Hydrangea) represents Purity and Modesty. (Quite unusual for a plant that blooms profusely). Pink and red Hydrangeas represent Passion and Love. And then there's the yellow/green Hydrangea, which represents friendship and selfless love.
  
  

You can see that a Hydrangea can say a lot. But there are even more interesting things known. For example, the Hydrangea has been studied and used for medicinal purposes for centuries. Cherokee Indians and Colonists used the root for kidney problems and bladder stones. It also has a known diuretic effect, which helps waste products leave your body more quickly. In both Eastern and Western medicine, roots and rhizomes are used to support kidney and prostate function.

Pampas Grass

There aren't many interesting facts about Pampas Grass, but there is one rumor that's definitely worth sharing. In the United Kingdom, it was once said that people who had pampas grass in their front gardens were open to "swinging" (open relationships and partner swapping). Whether this was actually a code under the so-called "swinging" "ingers"? I'm afraid to say, but I can certainly imagine that anyone who's ever heard this must have grinned inwardly at the sight of the exuberant pampas grass plumes in so many front gardens. I doubt it's true... but it made me chuckle when I read it, and I immediately said to my partner... "Good thing we have pampas grass in our BACK garden." Lol.

Invasive Species?

Besides that funny fact, there's something else going on with pampas grass, because there's a chance that it will soon no longer be available at garden centers in Europe. It's considered an invasive species and a threat to European native flora. There's a good chance it will end up on a banned list. We'll have to wait and see, but if you live in Europe and want pampas grass for your garden, I would definitely follow the discussion.

Tell Us Your Plant Stories!

Well, what a blog post! From the Nikon D750 to the versatile hydrangea and The Invasive but Alluring Pampas Grass... Do you also have some lovely plants in your garden that always have more to say than you might initially think?

Time for me to wrap up this blog and go for a walk with Skipper!