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Macro and Nature
Photography - III
You can see the high resolution pictures by clicking on each thumbnail in the
table below. Please note that some of the files are really large
(even larger than 1 MB) so they may take a while to download. As always, your comments
are welcomed !
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Suillus granulatus
One of the great advantages of nature photography is that you learn a
lot of things. Before that, I didn't know which is the right time to
search for specific plants, animals or insects. This time I figured it
was the perfect time to search for mushrooms. Since this was the first
"mushroom - photo session" it is evident that I only spotted those
species that are hard to miss. After coming home and searching the net I
understood that I saw far more than I shot. There is always a next time.
Photo by George J. Reclos
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon D70
Lens: Tamron
SP AF 90 mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/60 sec - f/9, AP mode
Flash: SB800, auto/return light detected
(TTL/BL mode)
Image: JPEG processed in Photoshop
CS, unsharp mask filter and resized.
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Omphalolotus olearius
(O. illudens ?)
This is a less classic one but vividly colored. Looks delicious, too !
However it is poisonous and although not fatal it will give you a really
hard time. Once more, vivid colors are there to warn the predators.
While taking pictures of those mushrooms every care was taken to ensure
that there was no damage done to them. They were not uprooted to be
moved in a better position so, after removing some dead pine needles I
got the shots you see. This shot was taken at ground level.
Photo by George J. Reclos
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon D70
Lens: Tamron
SP AF 90 mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/60 sec - f/32, AP mode
Flash: SB800, auto/return light detected
(TTL/BL mode)
Image: JPEG processed in Photoshop
CS, unsharp mask filter and resized.
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Suillus granulatus
Strangely enough this mushroom was found cut in half. I didn't see any
signs of human presence around it and the grass leaves in front of it
indicate that the mushroom has stayed in this condition for some time
(at least the time it takes for the grass to grow to this size).
Nevertheless this was a really nice opportunity to take a look at the
inner construction of the mushroom.
Photo by George J. Reclos
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon D70
Lens: Tamron
SP AF 90 mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/60 sec - f/32, AP mode
Flash: SB800, auto/return light detected
(TTL/BL mode)
Image: JPEG processed in Photoshop
CS, unsharp mask filter and resized.
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Boletus edulis
This mushroom was initially mistaken for a snail shell since it was half
buried in the pine needle layer. It was during my second pass that it
was the top of a mushroom. Since it was not possible to lay down, I
tried to be as close to the ground as possible.
Photo by George J. Reclos
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon D70
Lens: Tamron
SP AF 90 mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/60 sec - f/9, AP mode
Flash: SB800, auto/return light detected
(TTL/BL mode)
Image: JPEG processed in Photoshop
CS, unsharp mask filter and resized.
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Eyes of
the hoverfly
Back in
July I saw this hoverfly in our garden. I wanted to experiment and see
how far I could go with the Tamron 180mm and my father's Nikon TC201.
This 360mm combination should be able to make 2:1 macro shots as the
focussing distance remains almost the same with a teleconvertor. I
selected f/11 on the Tamron, what resulted in f/22 with that TC.
Nevertheless the extremely thin DOF made this picture barely usable, so
the only remaining purpose became showing a 100% crop of the compound
eyes. As the TC201 doesn't communicate with the D70 and SB-800 I had to
set the flash to auto [A] and I dialed the aperture to f/22. I've set
the D70 to ISO200 for minimal noise (important for 100% crops) and 1/500
sec for reducing motion blur. All in all the picture came out
pretty dark, but this can't be a surprise with these shooting
parameters. Luckily Nikon editor handles RAW images pretty well, so
adding auto-contrast did not trigger excessive noise.
Photo
by Frank Panis
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon D70
Lens: Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro 1:1 with Nikon TC201
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed: 1/500sec
Flash: SB-800 in A mode on camera dialled to the right aperture, as the
TC201 is a manual TC and it doesn't meter with a D70
Image: RAW, converted in Nikon editor, sharpening low, auto-contrast,
saved in JPEG, denoised with Helicon and cropped + USM added in PS7 |
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Rudbeckia purpurea (now Echinacea purpurea), Common
name "Purple cone - flower"
As I was taking
this picture, dark dark clouds were building on the horizon and I was 20 minutes
from the car, so I was a little stressed (can't get the little guy wet!)
and therefore hurried back. Now I carry a plastic bag with me for just
such occasions. This shot was taken at Five Rivers, which a nature
reserve in New York State...there's something in bloom all summer, a
beautiful lake, lots of wild animals if you're patient, and wonderful
sunsets (I don't do sunrises!).
Photos
by Kenneth A. Pass
Shooting Data (top photo):
Camera:
Nikon D70
Lens: Zoom Nikkor
AF-S DX 18–70 mm f/3.5–4.5G IF ED @ 18 mm
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/160 sec - f/6.3, Auto mode
Flash: None
Image: RAW, converted in PS CS, sharpening low, auto-contrast,
saved in JPEG, USM added.
Shooting Data (bottom photo):
Camera:
Nikon D70
Lens: Zoom Nikkor
AF-S DX 18–70 mm f/3.5–4.5G IF ED @ 44 mm
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/160 sec - f/7.1, Auto mode
Flash: None
Image: RAW, converted in PS CS, sharpening low, auto-contrast,
saved in JPEG, USM added. |
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Five rivers (nature reserve in New York)
This place is
is open year round sunup to sundown and offers many
possibilities for nice nature photos. The ones exhibited here are the
result of a recent shooting session in August 2004. In this photo, the
key element is the wooden bridge which blends nicely in the surroundings
while still being the "center" of the picture.
Photo
by Kenneth A. Pass
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon D70
Lens: Zoom Nikkor
AF-S DX 18–70 mm f/3.5–4.5G IF ED @ 18 mm
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/125 sec - f/5.6, Auto mode
Flash: None
Image: RAW, converted in PS CS, sharpening low, auto-contrast,
saved in JPEG, USM added. |
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Pink spots on a green
canvas
Whenever I take a walk in the nearby mountain of Hymettus, I am always
surprised by the beautiful colors of the small flowers or fruits
produced by the bushes and trees found there. They always look like
drops of color in an otherwise pastel environment. This bush produces
these magnificent pink flowers in such numbers that they make the whole
bush look pink. They start to blossom in October and by December all the
flowers are gone. The shot was taken on a cloudy day and I am glad that
the use of flash didn't change the mood of the picture.
Photo by George J. Reclos
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon D70
Lens: Tamron
SP AF 90 mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/60 sec - f/32, AP mode
Flash: SB800, auto/return light detected
(TTL/BL mode)
Image: JPEG processed in Photoshop
CS, unsharp mask filter and resized.
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Coniferae ?
Those fruits have a dark red color and a shape and texture which reminds
me of members of the Coniferae family. Although I did my search for them
I was not able to identify the plant, which is no reason not to share
this photo with you. The fruits are hard and give the feeling of "wood"
when touched. The i-TTL mode of the SB800 did (again) an excellent job
in preserving the ambient light and feeling. i
Photo by George J. Reclos
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon D70
Lens: Tamron
SP AF 90 mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/60 sec - f/8, AP mode
Flash: SB800, auto/return light detected
(TTL/BL mode)
Image: JPEG processed in Photoshop
CS, unsharp mask filter and resized.
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Begonia semperflorens
(Common name: wax begonia; white cultivar)
These little flowers blossom in summer and last surprisingly long,
especially if you take the size of the plant into account. Those flowers
were shot in mid-autumn. The two-way
symmetry which characterizes this flower along with its satin-like
texture make it stand out. However, since the flowers are really small
and come next to each other it is quite difficult to isolate one in the
picture. Furthermore, its 3-D structure is not flat so you have to deal
with depth of field. In fact, the close working distance and the depth
of the flower shows you that there is only one way to take a descent
photo of this flower : use your minimum aperture and just hope and pray
that the wind doesn't blow. The flash unit - although absolutely
essential at f/32 - left a bit to be desired in this shot.
Photo by George J. Reclos
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon D70
Lens: Tamron
SP AF 90 mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/60 sec - f/32, AP mode
Flash: SB800, auto/return light detected
(TTL/BL mode)
Image: JPEG processed in Photoshop
CS, unsharp mask filter and resized.
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Callisternon speciosus
(common name: Bottle brush)
This plant produces one of the strangest combinations of flowers I have ever seen.
Originally from Australia it has adapted very well in the temperate
climate of Greece, grown to well over 1,8 meters and blossoms at least
three times every year. The flowers come in the form of a green sphere
which opens to reveal a flower consisting of 5-6 red hairs. Sine all the
flowers are next to each other, when they all open they look like a red
bottle brush. Using a flash unit from a close distance (in auto mode but
not "balanced") and a very small aperture created the impression of a
night shot. The flower combination, being rather large (approximately 10
cm long and 7 cm in diameter) poses no problem for a normal lens
although a macro is always preferred.
Photo by George J. Reclos
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon D70
Lens: Tamron
SP AF 90 mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/60 sec - f/22, AP mode
Flash: SB800, auto/return light detected
(TTL mode)
Image: JPEG processed in Photoshop
CS, unsharp mask filter and resized.
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Family:
Apidae; subfamily: Apinae; tribe: Bombini species: Bombus terestris (common name: Bumble bee)
Last summer I bought the Tamron
180mm macro lens, and I started experimenting with it. I kept
all those pictures in my archives, but forgot about them. While
I was busy reorganizing these archives I stumbled over this
macro photo. As I shoot all my photo's in RAW, I could apply all my
recent experience to edit those photos with the recently purchased Nikon
Capture editor 4.1. In my opinion, the coolest features
of this program are
the Unsharp Mask (USM), the changeable colour space and white balance. Curves
and the Hue adjustment for skin tones can enhance picture
quality even more. More about the picture now: In this photo I
wanted to achieve the highest possible shutter speed at ISO200
in case that the insect would fly away so I could freeze
any movement of its wings. This meant that I had to shoot wide open, but luckily
there was enough light available in August, so 1/1000s was no
real problem. This had as a consequence that the depth of field became
really shallow, but as I kept some distance from the bumblebee,
the final result proved to be a bit better than expected.
Photo by Frank
Panis
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon D70
Lens: Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed: 1/1000sec @ f/4
Flash: none
Image: RAW, converted in NC4.1.3, USM 100/3/0, AdobeRGB, New WB:
daylight-direct sunlight, then opened in PS7, resized and added USM
150/2/0 and saved in JPEG. Then the bumblebee was cropped for a more
detailed view.
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Ducks
(Anas platyrhynchos, Family: Anatidae;
common name: Mallard)
On a
warm and sunny January Wednesday afternoon when I was home alone, I
decided to go to the small nature park in our village. I already
went there in summer to shoot damselflies and I remembered that
there were quite a lot of ducks in the two ponds there. They were
indeed still there. I had my 180mm macro lens with me, as it's the
fastest sharp telephoto prime that I have (optically, f3.5 wide
open) The AF speed with the D70 is pathetically slow, but I gave it
a try though. I boosted the ISO to 400 what would result in faster
shutter speeds. I walked around the pond with the camera ready and
the subject framed and in focus. When I made another small
step movement towards the pond, the ducks in there felt threatened
and decided to fly away, so I took my picture. I realize that I was
very lucky to have a good sharp picture with this D70 + Tamron 180mm
macro lens. A pro camera like the D2H and an AF-S lens would have
much higher success rate. I used the same technique to approach the
second duck that walked on the pavement, so being prepared seemed to
work ...
Photos by Frank Panis
Shooting Data:
Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO400
Shutter speed: 1/1600sec f/3.5
Flash:none
Image: RAW, converted in Nikon Capture editor, WB adjusted, cropped,
openened with PS7, added USM and saved
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Frost
on a leaf
We're
in the winter season what could not pass unnoticed On devember 27 we
had fog and freezing temperatures, so everything outside had a small
layer of white frost. These leaves had the nicest ice crystals and
were a bit above the others, so I could use the sky as a backround
so there were no disturbing elements. I've set the D70 on aperture
priority, and used the SB-800 in TTL modus to freeze possible
motion.
Photo
by Frank Panis
Shooting Data:
Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed: 1/60sec f/16
Flash: SB-800 in TTL
Image: RAW, converted in Nikon Capture editor, sharpening normal, WB
adjusted, opened in PS7, cropped, sharpened and saved
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Mushroom symmetry
Beauty and harmony exist all around
us, if we take the time to look for it. This ordinary mushroom will make
a good dish when cooked but it can also make a very interesting picture
if one turns it upside down. I didn't even take the time to clean it
since the parts of soil add to this picture in my opinion. This is an
indoor shot of course taken on our kitchen table only minutes before
this mushroom was thrown in the pan. The flash had to be used in the
i-TTL mode since any other mode couldn't preserve the texture and subtle
colors of it. Naturally, a macro lens was the lens of choice.
Photo by George J. Reclos
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon D70
Lens: Tamron
SP AF 90 mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/60 sec - f/22, AP mode
Flash: SB800, auto/return light detected
(TTL mode)
Image: NEF file, processed in Photoshop
CS, unsharp mask filter, resized and saved as JPEG.
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Last Rosebud
This was the last rosebud for this season. A two color hybrid plant sent
out this last bud which actually never made it since, two days later,
frost killed it. The photo was taken in late afternoon with a very small
aperture and the use of flash unit which resulted in a "night" effect.
Photo by George J. Reclos
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon D70
Lens: Tamron
SP AF 90 mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/500 sec - f/22, AP mode
Flash: SB800, auto/return light detected
(TTL mode)
Image: NEF file, processed in Photoshop
CS, unsharp mask filter, resized and saved as JPEG.
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Busking turtles
Although I knew that there is a Zoological park near Athens, I had never
thought of visiting it, not until now. For your information, you can
visit their webpage at
Attica Zoological Park. I was really surprised by the number of
species they keep there as well as the fact that all the animals seem to
be in top notch condition. Needless to say, we (me and Johnny) shot more
than 4 GB of pictures during an 8 hour session (two visits, the second
one under the falling rain) and you are going to see most of them here.
To start with, right at the entrance, there is a pond with turtles,
which were basking under the sun. Sun is not very common in
January so the turtles used this opportunity to get some UV radiation
which they need for their well being. Some of them stayed close to the
papyrus plants and others just on the rocks.
Photo by George J. Reclos
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon D70
Lens: Tamron
SP AF 180 mm f/3.5 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO200
top photo:
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/250 sec - f/9.5, AP mode ; bottom photo:
1/180 sec - f/9.5, AP mode
Flash: None
Image: NEF file, processed in Photoshop
CS, unsharp mask filter, resized and saved as JPEG.
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Many thanks are due to Mr. Angelos Papadimitriou
for doing his best for the correct identification of the mushroom species and to
Mrs. Eva Stets for the correct identification of the birds
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