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Macro and Nature
Photography - VI
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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Great egret (Casmerodius
albus; Egretta alba)
On a sunny March morning I
decided to go to a nature reservation with my dad. He also
has a Nikon D70, but his telelens is the Sigma 50-500 HSM. I
use the Nikon 80-400 VR and I'm not going to favor one lens
over the other as both have their strengths and weaknesses.
We were lucky that day though as we saw a great egret
standing in the pool near the watch tower. When the egret
saw us climbing on the watch tower it flew away with a lot
of noise. The bird landed in the reed on the other side on
the pond so we only saw a glimpse of it from time to
time. We waited for a long time and nothing happened, but
then it suddendly took off again and flew to the other side
of the pond. The egret moved several times and even cought
some fish, so we were able to make a lot of nice pictures.
Some last remarks...400mm is
still too short, and shooting white birds in the sun is not
easy!!!
Photos by
Frank Panis
Shooting Data:
Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: AF VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm
f/4.5-5.6D ED
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed: 1/640sec to 1/1250s f/10
Flash:none
Image: RAW, converted in Nikon Capture editor,
cropped, changed color mode to mode II, set the sharpening
to none, added USM and saved it.
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Greylag Goose (Anser anser)
In April 2005 we went to the Belgian
coast for a long weekend with the kids. I enjoyed the holiday
very much, but the absolute highlight of this holiday was a
visit to the unique nature preservation "Het
Zwin". The expectation of photographing large flying birds
made me wildly enthusiastic, and once arrived there this
dream indeed came true! We first walked through the park and
then we climbed up the bank where we had a fantastic view over
the pools and the countless birds. Then I heard the call of 2
greylag geese flying towards us. I zoomed in on them and
focused. The D70 was able to keep tracking of them and right at
the moment that they were in the perfect position I was able
to take multiple shots of them. I added both the full picture
for the beautiful landscape and the crop as the detail on
the birds is also very nice.
Photo by Frank Panis
Shooting data:
Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: AF VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED at 220mm
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed: 1/2000sec @ f/5.3
Flash: none
Image: RAW, converted in Nikon Capture editor,
sharpening none, USM, Color mode changed to mode II, WB
adjusted, Cropped, resized and saved
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White
stork (Ciconia ciconia)
In
April 2005 we went to the Belgian coast for a long weekend with the
kids. I enjoyed the holiday very much, but the absolute highlight of
this holiday was a visit to the unique nature reservation "Het
Zwin".
The expectation of photographing large flying birds made me wildly
enthusiastic, and once arrived there this dream indeed came true! The
main attraction were the white storks that live in the park from March
until September and breed on the artificial nesting platforms. While we
were there the nests were built and repaired for the coming breeding
season. This meant that all these birds constantly flew between their
nest and the surrounding woods to collect branches and other
construction materials. This gave me an excellent opportunity to make
many shots of these large birds in various situations.
Photo
by Frank Panis
Shooting data:
Camera:
Nikon D70
photo1
Lens: AF VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED @220mm
Shutter
speed - 1/3200sec @ f/5.6
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Flash :
None
photo2
- Lens: AF VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED @230mm
Shutter
speed - 1/1250sec @ f/8.0
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Flash :
None
photo3
- Lens: TamronSP AF 180mm F/3.5 Di Macro 1:1
Shutter
speed - 1/5000sec @ f/3.5
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Flash :
None
photo4
- Lens:TamronSP AF 180mm F/3.5 Di Macro 1:1
Shutter
speed - 1/2000sec @ f/8.0
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Flash :
None
photo5 -
Lens: AF VR Zoom-Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6D ED @160mm
Shutter
speed - 1/2000sec @ f/8.0
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Flash :
None
Image:
RAW, converted in Nikon Capture editor, sharpening none, USM, Color mode
changed to mode II, WB adjusted, Cropped, resized and saved |
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Lefka Ori (White Mountains,
Crete island, Greece)
Spring in the island of Crete and, as you rush under the burning sun,
you see those mountains still covered with snow. No matter how little
time you have, you can still steal some moments to take a look around
you.
Photo
by Christine J. Hatzidakis
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon Coolpix 5700
Lens: fixed @ 6.6 mm (top photo), 7.4 mm (bottom)
Sensitivity: ISO100
Shutter speed: 1/455 (top photo), 1/694 (bottom)
Flash: None
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS, level adjustment, resized + USM added. |
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Yellow like the sun (Crete island, Greece)
Just
around a corner, climbing on a door, those bright yellow flowers made me
stop. Its spring time and the flowers were a shinning yellow color like
the sun with bright green, on the dull background of the door. I had
never seen this flower before. Since I couldn't take them with me, I
decided that I could take a photo and keep them in my memory
Photo
by Christine J. Hatzidakis
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon Coolpix 5700
Lens: fixed @ 12.7 mm
Sensitivity: ISO100
Shutter speed: 1127 sec
Flash: internal
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS, level adjustment, resized + USM added. |
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Upupa epops (Family: Upupidae;
common name: Hoopoe)
With
its long nose, the "earth" pastel colors and its peculiar way of flying
(almost like a butterfly) this is one cute little guy. Almost always on
the move, either flying or searching the ground for food, it seldom
takes a moment to relax. When it did, there I was with my camera (top
photo) although I also enjoyed taking pictures of him while on the
ground .
Since the bird preferred to search for
food under a bush I had to crawl on hands and knees in order to be
in level with it. I don't know what the other visitors of the park
thought when they saw me lying there but I got the photos and this
is what matters to me.
Photo
by George J. Reclos
Shooting Data (top photo):
Camera:
Nikon D2X
Lens: Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO100
Shutter speed: 1/125 sec, f/6.3, Aperture priority mode
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL mode
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS, levels adjusted, USM added and
resized.
Shooting Data (middle and bottom
photos):
Camera:
Nikon D70
Lens: Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed: 1/180 (middle) 1/250 sec (bottom), f/8, Aperture priority mode
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL mode
Image: RAW, converted in Photoshop CS, sharpening and contrast adjusted,
saved in JPEG, levels adjusted, cropped + USM added. Photos taken at the
Attica Zoological Park |
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Geopelia cuneata (Family: Columbiformes; common name: Diamond dove or
Little dove)
One of
the smallest pigeons in the world this small creature is also one of the
most beautiful representatives of the family. Since they are kept as a
colony it is very difficult to take a picture of them since they always
move around. According to Eva (our bird consultant) the bird in the
photo is a male since it has a wide red circle around its eye; the
females have a much narrower one. The relatively wide aperture called
for a very careful focusing. This is one of the few photos which were in
focus.
Photo
by George J. Reclos
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon D2X
Lens: Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO100
Shutter speed: 1/250 sec, f/6.3, Aperture priority mode
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL mode
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS, levels adjusted, USM added and
resized. Photo taken at the
Attica Zoological Park |
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Tocus deckeni (Family: Bucerotidae; common name:
Decken's Hornbill)
As shown by the feathers, this is a young bird. We were
walking around with Eva when I was caught by this motionless figure. I
took several photos of it, all of them with flash and it didn't move an
inch. Sometimes I wish all birds would pose for me in this way.
Photo
by George J. Reclos
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon D2X
Lens: Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO 100
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/250 sec - f/6.3, Aperture priority mode
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL mode
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS, levels adjusted, USM added and
resized. Photo taken at the
Attica Zoological Park |
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Bubo africanus (Spotted Eagle Owl)
Birds of pray are always impressive
and create different feelings to me. I would personally like to see them
free in the wild and not behind bars. This is true for most wildlife but
those birds in particular are the true kings of the air. Whenever I take
a shot of them I try to capture the confidence and pride of them, the
way they look at you as if you don't matter to them, like telling you
that they still rule. The huge orange eyes of this owl make a dramatic
contrast to its "earth" colors and the neutral background.
Photo
by George J. Reclos
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon D2X
Lens: Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO 100
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/90 (top) 1/100 (bottom) - f/6.3, Aperture
priority mode
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL mode
Images: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS, levels adjusted, USM added and
resized. Photo taken at the
Attica Zoological Park |
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Papaver rhoeas (Family:
Papaveraceae; common name: Poppy)
The
appearance of poppies in the fields signifies that spring is finally
here. Every year, those bright red flowers fill the fields of Greece
with red dots which create an eye-catching canvas. These poppies
appeared just 20 cm from the edge of the road while at the same time,
the ground next to it had a steep slope since it led to the beach. The
sun was not high in the sky so there was some blue in it, which I wanted
to capture in order to create a red-green-blue picture. I laid down on
the ground and closed the macro lens to f/22 to increase the depth of
field as much as possible while allowing the flash unit to synchronize
and fill in the flowers. I exposed for the sky, locked the exposure and
let the flash take care of the rest.
Photo
by George J. Reclos
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon D70
Lens: Tamron
SP AF 90 mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Shutter speed: 1/180 sec, f/22, Aperture priority mode
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL mode
Image: RAW, converted in Photoshop CS, sharpening and contrast adjusted,
saved in JPEG, levels adjusted, cropped + USM added. |
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Eudocimus ruber (common name:
Scarlet Ibis)
This bird comes to life when it opens its wings. The feathers on the
upper side are a pale pink color but on the lower side they show a
bright red coloration which is really breathtaking. I had already
noticed that the bird picked up something so I was sure it would fly
back to its nest and so it did. I decided to press the button at the
moment it landed before it started folding its wings - it is supposed to
be the moment with the minimum wing movement. Unfortunately, there was
no time to choose another angle which would have omitted the green pylon
behind the bird.
Photo
by John G. Reclos
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon Coolpix 5700
Lens: fixed @ 71.2 mm
Sensitivity: ISO100
Shutter speed: 1/536 sec @ f/4.2
Flash: None
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS, level adjustment, resized + USM added.
Photo taken at the
Attica Zoological Park |
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Ursus arctos (common name:
Brown bear)
Two bear cubs play in the water pool. Watching this play is a joy and an
hymn to the beauty and harmony of nature. After watching their play for
some time, I found out that their favorite play was for one of them to
get out of the pool and then jump back in the water "attacking" its
brother. I shot this twice and I was really satisfied with the result.
It is worthy to note that both of them were born in captivity.
Photo
by John G. Reclos
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon Coolpix 5700
Lens: fixed @ 27.3 mm
Sensitivity: ISO100
Shutter speed: 1/490 sec (top); 1/600 sec (bottom) @ f/4.2, Aperture
priority mode
Flash: None
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS, level adjustment, resized + USM added.
Photo taken at the
Attica Zoological Park |
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Chrysolophus amherstiae (common name: Lady Amherst's
pheasant)
I had seen this bird many times and I
always wondered what those white feathers, forming kind of neckless, are
used for. During one of my visits I noticed the male displaying to its
female (seen at the left low corner) and my question was answered. The
male used this feather formation to display to its female by bringing it
forward, hiding its eye while at the same time it expanded the feathers
of the tail. He would do it again and again, chasing the female all over
the place. Since both birds were moving really fast, getting a good
picture of them was not very easy since not only did the birds had to be
in focus but also displaying. Finally, one of the shots turned out the
way I wanted it to.
Photo
by George J. Reclos
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon D2X
Lens: Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO 100
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/250 sec - f/8, Aperture
priority mode
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL mode
Images: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS, levels adjusted, USM added and
resized. Photo taken at the
Attica Zoological Park |
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Aix sponsa (Family: Anatidae)
I had noticed this particular duck a
long time ago but taking a good photo of it proved to be a real problem.
First, because of its overall dark coloration, second because it
insisted in staying under dense foliage (the darker the better) and
third, because it would always keep a distance from me. Under those
circumstances, the use of the flash was not possible since I needed a
moderate aperture so the range was not enough. The lens being an 180 mm
(equivalent to 270 mm for film cameras) asked for a speed of 1/250 or
over (if you use the D2X you have to go even higher). Changing the ISO
setting to 400 would (perhaps) solve the problem but I wanted to get
maximum detail and sharpness with minimum grain. I had already taken
(and deleted) more than 30 photos of this duck during my many visits
there when I saw it sitting in the open space (being cooperative just
for once). Yes, there was a tree next to it, but this was nothing
compared to its usual hiding place. I almost crawled towards it and when
I reached a distance of 2 meters I took the first shot. I was almost
sure that the flash light would frighten it and would run for shelter so
I presumed I had only one shot. You can imagine my surprise when the
duck decided to sit down and give me the opportunity for more shots.
Needless to say, I have a nice collection of photos like these now.
Photo
by George J. Reclos
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon D2X
Lens: Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO 100
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/200 sec - f/8, Aperture
priority mode
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL mode
Images: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS, levels adjusted, USM added and
resized. Photo taken at the
Attica Zoological Park |
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Duckling and mom.
During a recent visit to the local park
I saw these yellow ducklings close to their mother. Needless to say
that I had to take many photo's of these cute little fellows. At
first I brought the Nikon 80-400VR, but later that day I returned
with the Tamron 180mm macro because this lens is faster
aperture-wise and much sharper wide open. On top of that 180mm
proved to be enough for these shots too.
Photo by Frank Panis
Shooting data:
Camera: Nikon D70
photo1 Lens: Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro
1:1
Shutter speed - 1/2000sec @ f/3.5
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Flash : None
photo2 - Lens: Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro
1:1
Shutter speed - 1/1600sec @ f/3.5
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Flash : None
photo3 - Lens: TamronSP AF 180mm F/3.5 Di Macro 1:1
Shutter speed - 1/500sec @ f/3.5
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Flash : None
Image: RAW, converted in Nikon Capture editor,
sharpening none, USM, WB adjusted, Cropped, resized and saved.
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Flower Patterns I (Viola sp. cultivars; Family:
Violaceae; common name: Pansies)
I was simply attracted by these flower
patterns found at a local nursery in New York.
Photo
by Kenneth A. Pass
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon D70
Lens: Zoom Nikkor
AF-S DX 1870 mm f/3.54.5G IF ED @ 44 mm
Sensitivity: ISO250
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/320 sec - f/9, Auto mode
Flash: None
Image: RAW, converted in PS CS, sharpening low, auto-contrast,
saved in JPEG, USM added. |
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Flower Patterns II
(Viola sp. cultivars; Family: Violaceae; common name:
Pansies)
Photo
by Kenneth A. Pass
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon D70
Lens: Zoom Nikkor
AF-S DX 1870 mm f/3.54.5G IF ED @ 62 mm
Sensitivity: ISO250
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/400 sec - f/10, Auto mode
Flash: None
Image: RAW, converted in PS CS, sharpening low, auto-contrast,
saved in JPEG, USM added. |
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Flower Patterns III
(Viola sp. cultivars; Family: Violaceae; common name:
Pansies)
Photo
by Kenneth A. Pass
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon D70
Lens: Zoom Nikkor
AF-S DX 1870 mm f/3.54.5G IF ED @ 62 mm
Sensitivity: ISO250
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/200 sec - f/7.1, Auto mode
Flash: None
Image: RAW, converted in PS CS, sharpening low, auto-contrast,
saved in JPEG, USM added. |
Many thanks are due to Mrs. Eva Stets for the correct
identification of the birds
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