White Rose and Red Rose

Tags

d90, floral, flowers, macro, macro photography, nikon, nikon d90, nikon dslr, red rose, white flower, white rose

I found a friend for the red rose of the other day, and decided to take some pictures of them together. I thought they contrasted nicely. Again, in comparing them with and without “dew”, I found they stood out much better after having been misted nicely. As you can see, the red rose suffered no harm from its first misting two days earlier.

I welcome your questions and comments and look forward to hearing from you about what you think.

Is there anything else you’d like to see me try, photography-wise? Let me know. If it’s a reasonable request, I’ll see what I can do.

A Rose Is A Rose Is A Rose…As Well They Should Be…

Tags

d90, floral, flowers, Hollywood, Hollywood Forever, los angeles, macro, macro photography, nikon, nikon d90, nikon dslr, pink flower, rose, Santa Monica, yellow rose

I had some fun at Hollywood Forever cemetery with a cluster of flower pots that were gathered outside the Cathedral Mausoleum.  I’d gotten a new Nikkor 50mm 1.8D AF prime lens, and wanted to play with the excellent bokeh this lens offers a photographer.  I’ve been using a Nikkor 18-105mm VR AF lens for my almost-macro photography, and had been wanting something more appropriate for those kinds of shots.  I’m certainly not disappointed.

I captured the shot of this second rose in the same cluster of flowers.  As you can see, these were live pots of flowers, rather than the cut variety.  There’s always a very definite different between live and cut specimens.  I’m glad that I was able to permanently capture the beauty of these miniature Suns.

To finish off this set, this last photo is from a bush on the grounds of the cemetery.  The flowers are white, but it’s worth noting that the buds are kissed with a pale pink blush before they open into lovely white blooms.  I took several shots of various roses in this particular bush, but this was the only result I really liked.

I keep telling people that you can take over a thousand shots and will often be lucky to get even a few that are worth being proud enough to share with others.  I’ve taken to sitting some of them down to show them the truth of that statement.

10-21-2010 More Color From Legoland

Tags

d90, flowers, macro, macro photography, nikon, nikon d90, nikon dslr, pink flower

A second example of the floral treats that pepper Legoland.  The contrast of the green leaves against the bright flower makes it pop even further.

All the flowers around Legoland were drinking up the moisture in the air from the extended rainy/damp period we’ve been having in otherwise sunny Southern California, and the leaves of the various plants had been washed clean by the rainfall.

Exposure Time: 0.02s (1/50)
Aperture: f/4.8
ISO: 200
Focal Length: 42mm (63mm in 35mm)

10-21-2010 Legoland’s Not Just About Toys

Tags

flower, flowers, hibiscus, Legoland, macro, macro photography, nikon, nikon d90, nikon dslr, pink flower, rain, rainy day, snail

We went on a trip to Legoland today to enjoy the sights, and imagine my delighted surprise when I discovered a floral extravaganza therein.

This vividly colored hibiscus was a splash of color on an otherwise gray day.

It was only when I was developing the shot that I discovered the little visitor on the leaf to the left of the bloom.  I thought about excising him, but then decided that I’d leave him there.

Exposure Time: 0.0125s (1/80)
Aperture: f/5
ISO: 200
Focal Length: 50mm (75mm in 35mm)

Busy Bee

Tags

bee, bee macro, bug, d90, downtown, floral, flowers, insect, los angeles, macro, macro photography, nikon, nikon d90, nikon dslr, white flower

This guy was minding his own business as I practically chased him all over a flower bed.  I should count myself lucky he didn’t get seriously annoyed with me.

Insects fascinate me — even the so-called creepy crawly ones.  While this makes my Mother look at me like I’m the Creature From the Black Lagoon, it’s made it much easier for me to take shots like this one.

Exposure Time: 0.0025s (1/400)
Aperture: f/10
ISO: 200
Focal Length: 18mm (27mm in 35mm)

Same White Hibiscus, Different Angle

Tags

d90, floral, flowers, los angeles, nikon, nikon d90, nikon dslr, w hollywood, weho, west hollywood

This is the same flower from which I got the shot of the pistil and pollen below.

As you can see, the light rain from earlier in the day was so heavy on the delicate upper petal that it fell forward.

The day was hazy and overcast, so the flower shouldn’t have too much lasting damage from getting wet.

Exposure Time: 0.005s (1/200)
Aperture: f/5.6
ISO: 200
Focal Length: 105mm (157mm in 35mm)

The Center of a White Hibiscus

Tags

d90, floral, flowers, los angeles, w hollywood, weho, west hollywood

A friend and I went on another walk around West Hollywood today, shortly after a light rainfall.

I didn’t realize I’d gotten such a clear shot of the center of this flower until I was processing them after I returned home.

You can see the pollen that has gotten stuck to the sticky part of the flower’s pistil.

I didn’t use any magnification or macro lenses to get this shot.

Exposure Time: 0.005s (1/200)
Aperture: f/5.6
ISO: 200
Focal Length: 105mm (157mm in 35mm)