We bought a new macro lens fro our trip to Europe so we could both experiment with taking close-ups of the exquisite flowers. Charles taught us a lot about macro photography but what I learned the most was that it takes great patience! Ordinarily I pride myself on having patience but when it comes to taking pictures, I am challenged. I found it frustrating to be surrounded by such beauty and unable to record it as well and as fast as I would like. It took time to set the tripod up just so, angle the camera, decide what part of the flower to focus on, focus manually, add a light source, compose the image, check the borders, and then hope there was no wind!These are some of our attempts. Many of these photos were taken at the Willem-Alexander Pavilion at the Keukenhof Gardens in Holland. Be sure to scroll down to the last picture-my favorite!