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| Flowers, including Local Wildflowers |
| Wildflowers on Sycamore Island (Potomac River) |
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Sycamore Island is a privately-owned island of the Potomac River in Montgomery County, Maryland.
In the spring it is literally covered from end to end with wildflowers, mostly Virginia Bluebells.
These images were made on a day with 40 mph wind guests, using the protection of an Emerson Box made from a translucent plastic tub with a hole cut for the lens.
The box also diffuses direct light, but there was none on this overcast day. |
| Wildflowers on Theodore Roosevelt Island |
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The open woods near the shoreline and the marshy areas of Roosevelt Island in Washington, DC, hold an abundance of wildflowers in the spring. |
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Vinca (Periwinkle)
#13279: Canon 1Ds, MP-E 65mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 100, f/16 for 1/13 sec, focus bracketing, afternoon sun through an Emerson Box plus gold/silver reflector (left side) |
Wild Cherry
#13333: Canon 1Ds, 70-200mm f/2.8 lens at 165mm with extension tubes, ISO 100,
f/4 for 1/100 sec, focus bracketing, manual fill flash at 1/128 power to brighten the subject relative to the background, overcast skies |
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My neighbors' yards in Arlington erupt each Spring with early flowering bulbs to magnificent cherries, azaleas and other cultivated flowers. |
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Pink Azaleas
Canon EOS-3, 70-200/4 lens, Kodak Gold ISO 200 |
Purple Hyacinth
#13299: Canon 1Ds, 70-200mm f/2.8 lens at 150mm, ISO 100, f/5.6 for 0.3 sec, focus bracketing,
setting sun, using an Emerson Box to block the springtime breeze and diffuse the front lighting,
and a black plastic bag over the back of the box to reduce the background lighting |
Grape Hyacinth in my yard.
These tiny flowers emerge early and seem to last a month.
#2827: Canon 10D, 70-200 f/4 lens at 150mm with 2X teleconverter and extension tubes, ISO 100, f/16 for 2 sec,
setting sun, using an Emerson Box. |
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Cone Flower (with Bee)
#17742: Canon 1Ds, Sigma 180mm f/3.5 lens, ISO 800, f/13 for 1/40 sec, focus bracketing, open shade |
Cone Flower
#17784: Canon 1Ds, MP-E 65mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 400,
f/11 for 0.6 sec, focus bracketing, setting sun light |
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Canon's MP-E 65mm lens magnifies from 1X to 5X.
At 5X magnification, it has practically zero depth of field and only an inch or so working distance.
The lens is capable and can be rewarding, but presents a challenge for any subject that isn't perfectly flat.
The short working distance can make lighting more difficult due to shadowing by the lens.
And when photographing live bugs, the proximity of the lens can make them nervous.
With focus layering, the MP-E 65mm can produce crystal clear photos of tiny three-dimensional subjects as we have never have seen them.
For example, the little white flowers (of Red, White and Blue below) are barely 1/8-inch tall.
Background flowers only a couple inches behind the focal plane become completely blurred in a pleasing wash of color. |
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Water Droplets as a Lens
#20092: Canon 1Ds, MP-E 65mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 100, f/16 for 0.3 sec, focus bracketing, Solux hot lights |
#19034: Canon 1Ds, MP-E 65mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 400, f/9 for 1/8 sec, focus bracketing, outdoors in sunlight. |
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