Qurator's Photo Quest - cucumbers?!

This post goes for Qurator's Photo Quest. This week prompt was: "Cucumbers" - and before that there already was a quest for Pickled Cucumbers in the poetry. Thats bizarre and makes me think, someone in Q team became obsessed with cucumbers.. or even become crazy about them. I cant imagine or predict the shape of this obsession. Probably, there will be more quests to feed up this healthy passion. I feel it necessary to take this moment to make a public statement: I have nothing against cucumbers, on the contrary! I love cucumbers in any form (except of dried), I have always loved cucumbers and always will! Especially I love pickled cucumbers, in a situation when there is a bottle of vodka on the table...

Пользуясь моментом, считаю необходимым сделать публичное заявление: я не имею ничего против огурцов, даже наоборот! Я люблю огурцы в любом виде (кроме вяленого и сушеного), всегда любил огурцы и буду любить! Особенно я буду любить соленые и маринованные огурцы, когда на столе стоит бутылка водки...

location:	St.Petersburg, Russia	July 2020	natural lighting
camera/lens:	Canon 350D	Tamron 60mm	raw-conv
f/8	t 1/125	ISO 800	---

Actually, I am not proud with these pictures too much. In the summer my 5D camera was broken and I had to use 350D - a cropped camera with a tiny viewfinder, and... ok, ok: lets say it has less capabilities, and thats it. My neightbour has a greenery for tomatoes and cucumbers, and now I feel especially grateful, cause now I have something to provide for the contest, at all!

I visited her greenhouse only once. Well, I enjoyed that experience - but the camera did not!! The hazy over-moistured misty atmosphere was absolutely not the best option for taking macros (what I was after). But I managed to take a few shots, starting from tomatoes (here is a secret information: tomatoes I prefer more then cucumbers. I hope it will not cast a shade on my contest participance?..)

So, it all was very intresting, but the camera wasnt about to focus properly on the objects. I could not see well in the viewfinder (350D cam has a tiny one) - and without any manual options, it didnt work either. For example, there were tiny snails there, I took one shot, blindly, and decided to skip it. I thought maybe I will come later, having the morning sun lighting - but it never happened, heh. And I left with those pictures that I forgot on the CF card inside of 350D camera.

This amazing macro-composition, this spiralled 'antenna' is a tool that nature invented and gave to many plants, including the cucumber. Yes, the cucumber has grabbing arms, and not just two, but many more. They tenaciously grasp everything nearby and help it stay close to the sun.

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