Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2015/01/ferns.html
Showing posts with label plants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label plants. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Ferns
This was just a very quick, spur of the moment "project", not like shooting perfectly formed flowers at their peak. Rather, I was intrigued by the shapes and contrasting textures of these ferns (and in the case of the second photo, the color contrast provided by an interloper of sorts). I'm a sucker for backlighting! These were shot at 400 mm (with a Canon 100-400 L IS II, wide open at f/5.6).
Monday, January 5, 2015
Here come the flowers of winter
Some winter-blooming flowers are beginning to bud. Here's a Hellebore that I think will be similar to these Lenten roses if it survives the coming frosts.
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2015/01/here-come-flowers-of-winter.html
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Camera size matters
If you're not in the mood for even a non-technical how-and-why discussion, just skip over the next two paragraphs and look at the pictures. I won't mind
There are optical properties which are inherent to the physical dimensions of a camera's sensor, because the lens focal length that is needed to give a particular field of view will depend upon the size of that sensor. Today, I'm not going to delve into the details (there are discussions and examples on my web site), but one property that was a factor in photos I made today (and the reason I used the equipment I did) is that a long focal length lens can blur a background more than a short focal length. A very small camera might be advertised to "zoom to an equivalent focal length of 400mm", but that is actually a fiction. The angle of view (what is included in your picture) may be exactly the same as what would be included had the photo been shot with a 400mm lens on a "big" camera (a full-frame DSLR, e.g.), but the actual focal length will be much shorter, and even with compensation in the form of changing lens apertures, there will be no way to equalize the look of the backgrounds in many distance/perspective situations.
So, to photograph these berries and turn the grass and weeds right behind them into diffuse areas of color, I used a 100-400mm, at the long end, on a full-frame camera, with the addition of a 1.4X extender to increase the focal length to 560mm. Computer monitors vary greatly in their pixel density, so the displayed size of an image is not fixed, but if you're seeing this first image as about 4x5 inches, then you're seeing the berries a bit more than twice life size.
Even at f/11, the depth of field is so shallow that only one berry in this cluster is in focus.
Here's an iPhone snap showing the camera setup for that second photo. From this vantage you can't even really see the berries, but they are there, right where the lens is pointed. The black rings attached to the front of the camera body are extension tubes, to allow the whole rig to focus closer. Next is the 1.4X multiplier, or tele-converter (or "extender" in Canon speak), which looks like part of the lens unless you know what to look for. Yes, the tripod is purposely skewed, with the downhill leg longer than the others, and the center column tilted to get the head a little closer to the ground.
Here is the image just recorded, with the camera still in position. Notice how the plants in the background, although out of focus because I focused the iPhone on the Canon's back, are still distinct, especially compared to the berry photo.
There are optical properties which are inherent to the physical dimensions of a camera's sensor, because the lens focal length that is needed to give a particular field of view will depend upon the size of that sensor. Today, I'm not going to delve into the details (there are discussions and examples on my web site), but one property that was a factor in photos I made today (and the reason I used the equipment I did) is that a long focal length lens can blur a background more than a short focal length. A very small camera might be advertised to "zoom to an equivalent focal length of 400mm", but that is actually a fiction. The angle of view (what is included in your picture) may be exactly the same as what would be included had the photo been shot with a 400mm lens on a "big" camera (a full-frame DSLR, e.g.), but the actual focal length will be much shorter, and even with compensation in the form of changing lens apertures, there will be no way to equalize the look of the backgrounds in many distance/perspective situations.
So, to photograph these berries and turn the grass and weeds right behind them into diffuse areas of color, I used a 100-400mm, at the long end, on a full-frame camera, with the addition of a 1.4X extender to increase the focal length to 560mm. Computer monitors vary greatly in their pixel density, so the displayed size of an image is not fixed, but if you're seeing this first image as about 4x5 inches, then you're seeing the berries a bit more than twice life size.
Even at f/11, the depth of field is so shallow that only one berry in this cluster is in focus.
Here's an iPhone snap showing the camera setup for that second photo. From this vantage you can't even really see the berries, but they are there, right where the lens is pointed. The black rings attached to the front of the camera body are extension tubes, to allow the whole rig to focus closer. Next is the 1.4X multiplier, or tele-converter (or "extender" in Canon speak), which looks like part of the lens unless you know what to look for. Yes, the tripod is purposely skewed, with the downhill leg longer than the others, and the center column tilted to get the head a little closer to the ground.
Here is the image just recorded, with the camera still in position. Notice how the plants in the background, although out of focus because I focused the iPhone on the Canon's back, are still distinct, especially compared to the berry photo.
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2014/12/camera-size-matters.html
Friday, July 4, 2014
Rosemary
The light on this scene only lasted a few minutes. I jumped out of my car, grabbed a camera and mounted the lens that I thought would do justice to the subject. Got the shot, and then the sun was blocked by trees.
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2014/07/rosemary.html
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Plants and Equines in overhead sun
Monday afternoon was, photographically, a kind of exercise in finding subjects that worked in "boring" overhead sunlight. Not a good time for (human) portraits in natural light, but not bad for everything. I found some wildflowers and plants that did well with the contrasty sun.
This clutch of trees leans so heavily with the lack of support from the swampy ground that I find it visually amazing that they still stand.
I emphasized the creases in this horse's skin by zooming as close as I could and using a high contrast development to amplify what the sun had shown me. I hope he doesn't follow this blog!
Here's a chance to examine dentition.
It's interesting how their musculature is defined when they twist and turn.
Is that a swift? With my left eye I saw a blur approaching (I often keep both eyes open when shooting, because of situations like this), and snapped while it was in the frame. Because of focal length and aperture, it's a blur in the photo too; couldn't be helped.
The flies were swarming brutally, and made me feel sorry for the horses. You can even see some of them in these web-sized images, mostly against plain backgrounds like the sky. No, that is not dust on the sensor!
My, what whiskers!
This was one of the largest dandelions gone to seed that I've ever seen. It dwarfed the clover.
This clutch of trees leans so heavily with the lack of support from the swampy ground that I find it visually amazing that they still stand.
Here's a chance to examine dentition.
It's interesting how their musculature is defined when they twist and turn.
Is that a swift? With my left eye I saw a blur approaching (I often keep both eyes open when shooting, because of situations like this), and snapped while it was in the frame. Because of focal length and aperture, it's a blur in the photo too; couldn't be helped.
The flies were swarming brutally, and made me feel sorry for the horses. You can even see some of them in these web-sized images, mostly against plain backgrounds like the sky. No, that is not dust on the sensor!
My, what whiskers!
This was one of the largest dandelions gone to seed that I've ever seen. It dwarfed the clover.
[All photos with Canon EF 100-400 L IS]
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2014/06/plants-and-equines-in-overhead-sun.html
Sunday, August 4, 2013
More from the water gardens
I returned to editing yesterday's batch of photos from Water and Garden Creations, and realized that in my eagerness to post the punchy, eye-catching shots I had skipped some of the elegant, slightly understated, simple flower compositions. These were some of my first shots of the morning, when the light was particularly soft.
Even while concentrating on flowers, I can't resist the urge to capture an insect in the scene, even a common house fly. Maybe it's the influence of the classical painting tradition of including an unsought visitor in an otherwise pristine still life of fruit and game.
I suppose this next one would qualify as "punchy" - there was so much contrast that it was easy to allow the background to go black when I exposed for my subject. I will always think of these as "shower head plants", I'm afraid.
And a return to tranquility...
Another addition - a pair of accidental catches. As I shot the bee moving around the flower, a blue dragonfly came in for a fly-by. I wish I could have caught it fully in the frame, but it rose to avoid the traffic and didn't appear at all in subsequent shots. It's still a fun sequence to me, so have a look:
As always, if you see anything that you would like to have in print, please drop me a line:
Even while concentrating on flowers, I can't resist the urge to capture an insect in the scene, even a common house fly. Maybe it's the influence of the classical painting tradition of including an unsought visitor in an otherwise pristine still life of fruit and game.
I suppose this next one would qualify as "punchy" - there was so much contrast that it was easy to allow the background to go black when I exposed for my subject. I will always think of these as "shower head plants", I'm afraid.
And a return to tranquility...
Another addition - a pair of accidental catches. As I shot the bee moving around the flower, a blue dragonfly came in for a fly-by. I wish I could have caught it fully in the frame, but it rose to avoid the traffic and didn't appear at all in subsequent shots. It's still a fun sequence to me, so have a look:
As always, if you see anything that you would like to have in print, please drop me a line:
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2013/08/more-from-water-gardens.html
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
April showers bring May flowers, even indoors
Black and white seemed best for this one. There's not much color interest anyway, and going monochromatic allowed me to focus attention on subtleties of shape and texture.
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2013/05/april-showers-bring-may-flowers-even.html
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Keeping plants alive through freezing nights
This is not intended as an informational article about gardening, a subject that is far from my limited areas of knowledge! My wife has had success nursing some vulnerable plants through winter frost and occasional extreme temperatures. Covering them with old bed sheets before the temp drops too much below freezing seems to help a lot.
This morning, when I helped remove the sheets as the sun climbed and the temp rose, we were both pleasantly surprised at how well some budding flowers were doing, considering that we had dropped to -7º C (18 or 19º F) overnight. Some blooms had fully opened, but the ones that I found most photogenic were these buds, preparing to display. The light was helpful for a little while. I found that my tripod wouldn't let me position the macro lens where I wanted it, so these shots were all done hand-held, bracing my arms and elbows wherever I could - including sometimes on the side of a tripod leg, and sometimes on a hard, cold concrete driveway - and getting some assist from the IS (image stabilization) feature of the lens (Canon 100/2.8 L IS macro).
This morning, when I helped remove the sheets as the sun climbed and the temp rose, we were both pleasantly surprised at how well some budding flowers were doing, considering that we had dropped to -7º C (18 or 19º F) overnight. Some blooms had fully opened, but the ones that I found most photogenic were these buds, preparing to display. The light was helpful for a little while. I found that my tripod wouldn't let me position the macro lens where I wanted it, so these shots were all done hand-held, bracing my arms and elbows wherever I could - including sometimes on the side of a tripod leg, and sometimes on a hard, cold concrete driveway - and getting some assist from the IS (image stabilization) feature of the lens (Canon 100/2.8 L IS macro).
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2013/02/keeping-plants-alive-through-freezing.html
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
A quick photo-walk through "downtown" New Bern, NC
Yesterday afternoon, after settling into a hotel near the waterfront in New Bern, North Carolina (mouth of the Neuse River), I went out for a little walk to see how many interesting things I could find to photograph in a short while. The sky was dull and colorless, but in other respects the conditions were lovely. I felt that the light would be good for many subjects other than broad landscapes or riverscapes. Sometimes I like to settle into a subject, immerse myself in it and explore all the possibilities I can think of. This was not such an occasion!
The first attraction I encountered was a grouping of flowers planted on the "river walk".
Here is the context:
Just a few steps away, I noticed this tiny butterfly, wingspan about 25 mm (no more than an inch). I wished I had a macro lens with me, as it wasn't in a great hurry to fly away and would probably have allowed to approach closer than I could focus with the rig I had. This shot was made with a 24-105 zoom at maximum magnification.
As I examined this flower, a beautiful fly landed, with just the right color contrast!
There was no significant color in the water, so I tried this black and white graphical approach:
I found this family of friendly bear cubs, and set off in search of other sculpted bears, which abound in New Bern.
The nearness of the coastline keeps the climate moderate in fall, and apparently flowers of many kinds do well later than they do in Raleigh.
What a great self-satisfied expression on this fellow!
City Hall is a charming and interesting building, with two bears above the entrance.
Before I could approach for a good look, though, I had to pause for this guy in the style of a cigar store totem.
A patriotic bruin now sits at the foot of the steps, while the guards above bare their teeth and stick out their tongues.
Baron Christopher De Graffenried, who founded New Bern, NC in 1710. He was born, as you might perhaps have guessed, in Bern Switzerland. Quite a peruke on his noggin!
Spanish moss in the churchyard! We are in what state, North Carolina? I wish there had been a blue sky to contrast with the golden weather vane.
I didn't have a long lens for "real" bird photography, but this scene was fun for me.
Dedicated to the men and women of the U.S. Navy, Sailor Bear is natty.
A portion of a street mural, used for a kind of "found object" abstract image.
And another attempt to find interesting shapes and textures in plain view.
As I headed back to the hotel, I was greeted by one more example of public art!
The first attraction I encountered was a grouping of flowers planted on the "river walk".
Here is the context:
Just a few steps away, I noticed this tiny butterfly, wingspan about 25 mm (no more than an inch). I wished I had a macro lens with me, as it wasn't in a great hurry to fly away and would probably have allowed to approach closer than I could focus with the rig I had. This shot was made with a 24-105 zoom at maximum magnification.
As I examined this flower, a beautiful fly landed, with just the right color contrast!
I found this family of friendly bear cubs, and set off in search of other sculpted bears, which abound in New Bern.
The nearness of the coastline keeps the climate moderate in fall, and apparently flowers of many kinds do well later than they do in Raleigh.
What a great self-satisfied expression on this fellow!
City Hall is a charming and interesting building, with two bears above the entrance.
Before I could approach for a good look, though, I had to pause for this guy in the style of a cigar store totem.
A patriotic bruin now sits at the foot of the steps, while the guards above bare their teeth and stick out their tongues.
Spanish moss in the churchyard! We are in what state, North Carolina? I wish there had been a blue sky to contrast with the golden weather vane.
I didn't have a long lens for "real" bird photography, but this scene was fun for me.
Dedicated to the men and women of the U.S. Navy, Sailor Bear is natty.
A portion of a street mural, used for a kind of "found object" abstract image.
And another attempt to find interesting shapes and textures in plain view.
As I headed back to the hotel, I was greeted by one more example of public art!
Permalink: http://jilcp.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-quick-photo-walk-through-downtown-new.html
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