Category Archives: floral

About Time

Posted by Mike on

Midday, Floral, Macro

I See You
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S, 1/250s, f/5, ISO 100

It has been way too long since my last post on this blog. To say I’ve been busy is a little understated. Things have changed.

The first week in August I accepted an offer on a new job in Columbus, Georgia. It is basically a transfer between to companies within the same larger organization. I moved from Collins Aerospace to Pratt & Whitney. I’m still a Quality Engineer doing the same type of work, but I finally was able to move to a warmer climate.

I’ve lived in New York my whole life and have spent the last 33+ years in the Utica/Rome area. As much as I have enjoyed living in that area, I have grown tired of being cold in the winter. I sold the house four years ago with the intent of moving south but became complacent with the new experience of apartment living. If I didn’t move now, I don’t think I ever would have made this change.

My trip to Florida in early September morphed into a trip to my daughter’s north of Atlanta to drop off a car load of stuff I didn’t want the movers handling. I also used that trip to look for an apartment. The stuff I needed to coordinate and figure out to lease a new place had me cancel my trip to Disney, drive back home and get everything sorted out for the move.

The movers came on September 25th to pack up my apartment and the next day I hit the road with the cats toward our new home. Hurricane Helene interrupted that trip and we ended up staying an extra day in Roanoke, Virginia until it was possible to travel again. We moved in on Saturday, September 28th.

Of course, my stuff didn’t show up until October 7th and I have been spending the past week unpacking the boxes. Yesterday I went to my daughter’s apartment (about 2 hours north) to pick up my stuff which included all my photography equipment. Now I’m looking for locations around me to explore with my lens.

So far, I’m loving it! My apartment is in a nice location north of the city. I’m about 3 hours to the Florida coast along the pan-handle and a little over 6 hours to Walt Disney World. This is going to work out well…

Memories of You

Posted by Mike on

Wordless Wednesday

Memories of You
Nikon Z6 II, Lensbaby Composer Pro II with Soft Focus II, 1/640s, 50mm, f/2.8, ISO 100

Sol Searching

Posted by Mike on

Silent Sunday
Midday, Floral, Macro, Soft Focus

Sol Searching
Nikon Z6 II, Lensbaby Composer Pro II with Soft Focus II, 1/3200s, 50mm, f/2.8, ISO 100

New Opportunities

Posted by Mike on

Floral, Macro, Landscape, etc…

My original intent for Saturday was to drive to Ithaca, NY and explore some of my favorite state parks. That plan changed when I woke up and saw the email from FedEx indicating my package, originally scheduled for delivery on Monday, would be arriving between 10:20am and 1:20pm. This would be the new lens kit I mentioned the other day. I couldn’t have it sitting on the front stoop, baking in the sun waiting for me to return… so, I stayed and worked on the garage cleaning I have been avoiding.

I have been checking out the Lensbaby website for a few months, playing my normal head game of should I or shouldn’t I. Do I really want the new lens. Do I need a new lens. Which lens is the best “bang for the buck”. All my normal crap leading up to my eventual purchase. Still haven’t learned how to stay out of my own head. And then, boom! There is a sale! For those interested, here is a link to the kit I purchased: Soft Focus II Optic Swap Macro Kit.

Late in the afternoon, as the temps started to drop, I went over to the Sculpture Garden to play with my new toy. There were some flowers calling my name…

Solitude
Nikon Z6 II, Lensbaby Composer Pro II with Sweet 50, 1/1000s, 50mm, ISO 100

The first lens I tried was the Sweet 50, which as the name implies is a 50mm lens with an adjustable center focus area and a surrounding blur. This is a manual focus system and the slight breeze did challenge me with attaining good focus in the sweet spot.

Crowded
Nikon Z6 II, Lensbaby Composer Pro II with Sweet 50, 1/400s, 50mm, ISO 100

I wasn’t getting the images I wanted. The focus length is around fifteen inches which wasn’t allowing my to get the close-ups I desired. The lens adjusts the “depth and size” of the center focus by adjusting the aperture. As you can see above, the f/8 setting let me have more of the subject in focus but left the remaining area visible. The image looks cluttered.

What am I missing?

These don’t look like the examples.

Do I need to return this kit?

The macro filters! Totally forgot about those. The kit has three filters to allow macro shots, actually to shorten the focal distance. Time to walk back to the car.

Much better! I started with the 4X filter. You can stack them to decrease the distance even more. As you stack the filters you reduce the amount of articulation the lens can perform. The movement allows the sweet spot to be moved around and changes the blur effect as well.

See Me
Nikon Z6 II, Lensbaby Composer Pro II with Sweet 50, 1/1250s, 50mm, ISO 100

I had been playing among the flowers for over an hour. My stomach was complaining as it was nearing 7pm and way past supper time. I made a command decision to stop at my favorite place for a sandwich and a cold one. So worth it…

After refilling the fuel tank I wanted to try out the other lens in the kit, the Soft Focus II. This lens is also 50mm and as the name implies an adjustable soft focus effect. You can play with the aperture again to achieve the amount of focus you want. The image will have an underlying sharpness with the softness layered over it.

I had already played with the flowers. The sunset was looking good. Yep, you guessed it, Delta Lake State Park was my destination to end the day. The sun was slipping away so I stayed on the beach and played. I think there will be opportunities with this lens as well…

Endless Dreams
Nikon Z6 II, Lensbaby Composer Pro II with Soft Focus II, 1/500s, 50mm, ISO 100

Just Bee

Posted by Mike on

Squared – SQ190
Midday, Floral, Macro

I normally do not seek out insects as subjects for my macro lens, but I’m not passing up an opportunity. As I was chasing the butterflies, there was a determined bumblebee to get his fair share. I would have loved a better view of his wings, but I’ll take what I was able to capture.

Just Bee
Nikon Z6 II, Nikkor Z MC 105mm f/2.8 VR S, 1/640s, f/3.2, ISO 100