Category Archives: DOF

Standout in a Crowd

Posted by Mike on

Standout in a Crowd
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/200s, 32mm, f4, ISO 800

I’m fortunate enough to live out in the country. I can walk out the back door and explore the field for hidden (or not so hidden) treasures. Generally I know it is time to go exploring when I see the field light up as the sun sets. It gets a nice warm glow just before the sun dips below the trees. Other days I just go crawling around looking for opportunities among the wildflowers and grass. This picture was one of those opportunities…

Floral Macros

Posted by Mike on

I wasn’t sure today was going to produce any new pictures for me.  I had plans to get up early in search of the path around the Utica Marsh but a look out the window at 4:30am changed my mind.  The overcast sky did not look promising so I rolled over and went back to sleep.

The day eventually turned out beautiful but the list of chores was taunting me.  I attended to as many as I could even managing to take a dip in the pool (all in the guise of cleaning it).  Considering tomorrow was back to work for me I thought I would take it easy tonight even though the sunset was producing some wonderful light.

I was exploring Flickr earlier in the evening and joined a group called ‘Floral Landscapes’ which appeared to fit with some of my pictures lately.  I decided to change tactic and save the day!  I switched lenses to my Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0 macro lens and went searching around the yard for flowers I could use for this new group.

My first stop was the flower pots outside the garage.  My wife and daughter had planted them a few weeks ago and the sun was lighting the pansies up which I couldn’t resist.  There was also a cool spider sitting in his web, but that picture is for another day.

The Light Within
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/400s, 70 mm, f/4, ISO 200

I live out in the country with pasture on three sides of my little acre lot.  I generally can find some kind of wild flowers growing next to the fence.  The horse and cows don’t seem to mind me hopping over to grab a few pictures in the field if there is nothing right next to the fence.  Luckily tonight I was able to stay within the yard.

I’m not sure what variety of flower this one is but they seem to thrive right next to my yard.  I usually only have to contend with the barbed wire fence to get a good picture.  I was able to capture this one before it closed for the night.

Hint of Purple
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/200s, 70 mm, f/4, ISO 400

We have a group of hosta plants that line one side of the garage.  Every year I need to break up the clumps and I transplant them to the bank on the edge of my yard.  The plants next to the garage are just starting to bloom but there are a few over on the bank which are further along.  This blossom had already started to close for the night but I was able to lay on the ground and capture the inside.

Blushing Hosta Bloom
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/2000s, 62 mm, f/4, ISO 400

At this point the bugs started to attack!  I attempted to flee across the road to the neighbors flower garden but it was only a temporary reprieve.  I did manage to capture one nice picture before I made my hasty retreat into the house.  I have no clue what type of flower this is but I loved the look of it.  I will say I still struggle to capture flowers with a lot of deep red in them and this one was no exception.

The Crown
Nikon D5100, Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.0, 1/60s, 58 mm, f/5.6, ISO 400

That was my adventure for the day.  All was not lost and I have a new outlet for these floral macros I have been capturing lately.  It also re-affirms to me that I don’t always have to travel far to capture some pictures. There are plenty of subjects close at hand if I take the time to look.

Day 85

Posted by Mike on

I was determined not to miss the morning sun today.  We ended up getting a dusting of snow last night after the freezing rain stopped.  There really wasn’t enough to worry about but I view it as exercise so I shoveled the driveway.  Actually I pushed the snow from one side to the other with my 4 foot pusher shovel.  Hey, I was out at 7am walking back and forth which is exercise, right?

The sky was full of clouds when I started but as I finished up you could see the sun start to work its way through.  My plan was working.  I grabbed the camera and went for a short walk.  I managed to get quite a few nice pictures and even captured a bracketed set to show off the colors in the sky.  The picture I liked for my project was a macro of the property marker on the corner of our yard.  It is just a rusted piece of rebar but I like the texture and color against the sky.

We are heading down to my wife’s family farm today to visit with her sister and meet her brother to exchange a few things for our nephew.  I usually have a good time down there with my camera so I’m looking forward to a nice day.  I just hope the weather holds.

Day 82

Posted by Mike on

I was still on a macro/bokeh vibe for today and I knew exactly what I wanted to photograph.  Yesterday as I was walking around the yard I grabbed a few pictures of some tiny red berries.  I liked their color but the angle and composition of the pictures I had were not what I wanted.  I got home a little later than I anticipated and walked straight out to the back yard to get my picture(s).

The wind was blowing just a little more than I would have liked but I managed to get the top down view of the berries that I wanted.  The background winter grass was a better color than the white snow, trees and grey sky I used yesterday.  I was able to play more with the depth of field on the top down view which suited what I envisioned.

Just for comparison here is the picture from yesterday that got me interested in the berries but just didn’t work for me.  To be fair I haven’t processed this picture yet.