Posts Tagged canon 100 f/2.8
Succulent flowers
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on July 15, 2010
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This weeks image is courtesy of another trip through my archives. I’m frequently guilty of picking one or two images, that I like, from a particular shoot and then forgetting to look at the rest. I made this photograph almost exactly 2 years ago but hadn’t processed it until a couple of days ago.
These tiny yellow, echeveria (sp), flowers are a departure from my normal photographic approach. I made this image at the NorCal Cactus and Succulent show at Golden Gate Park, in San Francisco. While there is a whole room devoted to judging of individual plants, most of the hustle and bustle is in the sale area. Vendors from all over the California set up on tables to sell their prickly wares. It’s a great opportunity for macro photography but it’s not without caveats. With the aisles between tables packed with shoppers, a tripod would be a considerable tripping hazard.
Knowing that I was going to have to work without my camera support I grabbed another piece of gear I seldom use, my MR-14EX ring flash. Perfect for macro shooting, a ring flash mounts on the front of your lens; in this case my 100 f/2.8 macro. It has flash tubes on each side of the lens allowing for very even illumination of your subject. In addition to helping freeze my own motion, the flash allowed me to isolate the flowers from the very cluttered background. While I shoot almost exclusively with natural light, for this shot the flash saved the day.
Cheers
Spring has sprung
Posted by backup in Photography on March 18, 2010
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Here in California, it’s finally starting to feel like spring. The days are warming and the wildflowers are starting to bloom. One of my favorites is the poppy. Witness a hillside, painted in orange, and you’ll have no problem understanding why it’s our State flower.
Vigorous re-seeders, once started in an area they spread like, wait for it, wildflowers. Last fall I started carrying a package of poppy seeds in my jacket pocket. Ever day, while walking to lunch, I’d sprinkle a few along the side walk. It’s been fun, this spring, looking to see where they’ve popped up. Once the weather warms they’ll wither and die, planting next year’s crop. For the time being they’re “my” poppies to enjoy on my walk.
This little patch of flowers was, of all places, next to a local bowling alley. There is a large, undeveloped, field that yields quite a crop every year. After driving by almost daily, one morning I finally stopped, put on my macro lens and crawled out into the field. I look forward to shooting them every year, wherever I can find them.
I’m looking forward to the next workshop, in just over a week, where we’ll be shooting all sorts of wildflowers in the Merced River canyon, just outside the Western entrance of Yosemite. There’s still room if you’d like to join us.
Cheers
Tiny Landscapes
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on January 19, 2010
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There’s something very therapeutic about macro photography. When you shrink your view of the world to that of a tiny object it’s almost reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland. It’s very easy to get lost in the land of giants created by the lens.
A few years a go we had to remove a beautiful Ash tree in our yard. We were sad to see it go but it was beginning to damage our home’s foundation so we had little choice. The tree company ground up all of the surface roots but left a ton of organic material in the ground. Every time it rains we get some new fungus growing up through the lawn. The dog vomit slime mold is especially nice.
This little patch of mushrooms appeared about a week ago. To make this image, I used my ground tripod, Canon 7D and my 100 macro lens. I’m pretty sure my neighbors thought I was nuts, crawling around the yard.
Cheers
Flower Macro
Posted by Doug Otto in Photography on April 30, 2009
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I really enjoy macro photography but rarely practice it “in the field.” Often when I’m out doing a shoot I don’t even bring the macro lens along. Really it just comes down to what I’m able to comfortably carry. The 100 macro is just “one lens to many” to fit into my routine. The result is that most of my macro shooting is done at home, in a studio type setting.
This image was no different. I went out into the yard looking for subjects. I found this flower as well as a few other items and set up my “studio.” The studio consists of a Wimberley Plamp, a small compact fluorescent light (CFL) and a back drop; in this case a dish towel. I find that with macro work you need to work the scene just as you would when shooting a landscape. I rarely find a pleasing composition on my first exposure. It takes moving the camera, the object and the focal plane to extract that one shot that grabs your eye. Read the rest of this entry »
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