I have tried to photograph the purple thistle many many times as I am a big fan of Scotland and this plant is the national flower of Scotland. However, this part of the world, like much of the British Isles, is a little too windy for such macro / close up photography. The above photo is my best attempt at photographing a thistle and it was taken on a surprisingly calm day last summer. I think to get better than this I really need to take the plant inside to have much more control over movement and light.