58/365 Along the iris spectrum

You get double the iris fun today. I couldn't narrow my selections down to just one for this post.

I like that these have an energy on different ends of the spectrum. This first iris's dark, dramatic colors are immediately eye catching. The petals sparkled in the sunshine and looked like rich velvet.

Then at the other end of that energy spectrum, you have this gentle lavender iris. I like the ethereal quality of this photo and the way the petal cascades downward in smooth ripples.

I used fill flash with the second photo, but the first was perfectly spotlighted in the late sunshine. I'll be sorry to see these irises fade away into the summertime. They make great subjects.

Camera: Canon 40D with 60mm macro lens at about 8:00 p.m.
First photo: 1/125s, f/4 at ISO 200
Second photo: 1/125s, f/2.8 at ISO 250 with fill flash