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Macro and Nature
Photography - IX
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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White dove
While standing outside talking to my neighbour I saw his white
doves flying over. The sky was also deep blue at that time, and
I imagined what a nice contrast with the dove this would form.
Photos by Frank Panis
Shooting Data:
Camera: Nikon D2X
Lens: Tamron
SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO100
Shutter speed: 1/800 f3.5
Flash:none
Image: RAW, converted in Nikon Capture editor, USM 65/5/4,
cropped and saved.
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Sunrise
On a morning in May I got up really
early as I wanted to take photo's of the sunrise. The landscape in
the dense populated Belgium is already cluttered with many
distracting elements that make it very difficult to take a picture
without having one of them in the image, so I decided to go to a
nature reservation where trees still dominate the skyline. I arrived
at 5.00am when the first red glow appears in the sky and took many
photo's on different locations and returned home in time to be able
to have breakfast with the family.
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: from 1/20 f/9 to 1/1250 f/9
Flash:none
Image: RAW, converted in Nikon Capture editor, curves on some of
them, USM 65/5/4, cropped and saved.
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Gerbera jamesonii (Family: Compositae; common name:
Barberton daisy)
Daisies are always a delight to see. They come in a huge
variety of colors (either natural or color cultivars) and become the
point of interest both in the garden and in the wild. This flower was
shot in the afternoon so sunlight added contrast and intensified the
colors of the flower.
Photo
by George J. Reclos
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon D70
Lens:
Nikkor 50
mm f/1.8 D
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/90 sec - f/9.5, Aperture priority mode
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL mode
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS, levels adjusted, USM added and
resized. |
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Capparis spinosa (Family:
Capparidaceae)
Walking on the mountain of Hymettus I came across a
Capparis flower. Light was filtered through dense clouds so there were
no sharp shadows and the colors were already saturated. The use of the
flash eliminated the rest of the shadows and gave this picture in which
the flower stands out of the background. The first couple of photos were
taken at a 45o angle which didn't
show the shape and beauty of this flower so I laid down and shot it face
on. The background is nicely out of focus, despite the small aperture
because of the long focal length of the lens and the close focusing
distance. The buds of this flower are used in salads. The scientific
name (as well as the common name of this plant in Greece: Cappari) comes
from the Ancient Greek name for this plant.
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: 1/80 sec - f/10, Aperture priority mode
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL mode
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS, levels adjusted, USM added and
resized. |
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Neohipparchia
statilinus
(Insecta: Lepidoptera: Papilionidae; common name:
Tree Grayling)
This seemingly colorless butterfly will nicely surprise
you when it opens its wings to fly. Red edges, a broad white band and
the black background make an eye-catching combination. I waited for it
to land somewhere and then carefully approached to take this shot. The
batteries of my flash unit were drained so I had to use a smaller
aperture to get a higher speed since the flash wasn't there to freeze
the subject. In the end, this worked for this picture since the flash
would probably create many shadows on the butterfly's sings because of
the grass. Special thanks are due to Matt Rowlings for identifying this butterfly. You
can read more about it at his site
http://www.eurobutterflies.com/species_pages/
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: 1/320 sec - f/7.1, Aperture priority mode
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL mode
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS2, levels adjusted, USM added and
resized. |
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Iphiclides
podalirius (Insecta:
Lepidoptera: Family: Papilionidae; common name:
Scarce Swallowtail)
This zebra butterfly is one of the most beautiful insects
in Greece. Very difficult to capture in flight because of the
irregularity of its flight, it becomes an easy, stationary subject when
it finds the right flower. I waited till it rested on its favorite
flowers and then took 15 pictures in less than a minute, since I knew
that it would leave this particular plant after a short while. I even
tried a couple of close up shots focusing on the end of its wing which
shows this beautiful combination of yellow, blue, black and white hoping
for the best. I must confess that this is one of the few times I relied
on the focusing capabilities of the D2X camera which worked miracles. To
ensure maximum depth of field, I stepped down the lens to f/20 which
proved a smart move, since this insect is considerably larger than bees
and was placed at an angle to the sensor plane. Special thanks are due to Matt Rowlings for identifying this butterfly. You
can read more about it at his site
http://www.eurobutterflies.com/
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: 1/60 sec - f/20, Aperture priority mode
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL mode
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CSs, levels adjusted, smart sharpening added and
resized. |
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Green bottly fly (Phaenicia
serricata)
I was sitting outside near the ox-eye daisies with the family when I
saw this green bottle fly going from flower to flower. The
white-yellow-green-red colour contrast seemed very nice and I
decided to take my photo gear and shoot this insect extensively.
Photo by Frank Panis
Shooting Data:
Camera: Nikon D2X
Lens: Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO100
Shutter speed: 1/350sec at f/9 and 1/100 at f/14
Flash: i-TTL
Image: RAW, converted in NC4.3, USM and resize.
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When I heard the sky rumbling far away I
knew that the announced thunderstorm was coming our way. I took the
D70, tripod and 24-120 lens and set it up in our bedroom. I already
practiced a week before, so now I knew what to do. I selected a
30sec manual exposure at ISO200 and at f/10 for optimal sharpness.
When I saw the first lightning I started shooting my 30 second
exposures, and kept doing this while the storm passed our region.
When there was no lightning during these 30 seconds I immediately
deleted the shot. 2 of the cleanest pictures you can see here.
Photo by Frank Panis
Shooting data:
Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: Nikon AF-S VR 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED @120mm
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed: 30sec @ f/10
Flash: no flash used.
Image: RAW, converted in NC4.3, very tiny bit USM, removed CA,
denoised, resized in PS7
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Goldeye Horse fly (Chrysops
relictus)
Since I'm into photography I see a lot
more happening around me. In July was mowing the long grass in front
of my house when this gold-eye horse fly (gold-eye is how they call
the bug here) landed on my shirt. I looked into it's beautiful eyes
and told to myself "I'm going to take photo's of you!" I
carefully wrapped my shirt around this horsefly (later on I
discovered that their bites can be very painful brrr) and put a jar
over it once I went inside the house. After moving it to me trusted
"studio" I was able to make some nice shots of it.
Photos by Frank Panis
Shooting Data:
Camera: Nikon D2X
Lens: Tamron
SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO100
Shutter speed: 1/60 at f/25
Flash: SB-800 iTTL
Image: RAW, converted in NC4, USM 50/5/4, cropped and saved.
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Hudson river, New York state
(somewhere between Albany and New York city)
Recently, I had the opportunity to meet with my
friends and fellow photographers Ken Pass and Roy Stevens in USA,
while attending (among others) the 60th NECCC meeting in
Massachusetts. After we spent five fantastic days together (I came
back with 999 photos in my luggage), I took the train from Albany to
New York, on my way to Newark International airport.. and back home.
While on the train, I saw the clouds playing games with the sun over
the Hudson river. I chose the 12-24 mm lens which would add some
drama to the scene with its extreme wide angle view (while I even
considered the 10.5 mm fisheye lens for a moment) and set it wide
open to ensure I had the maximum speed. While taking those shots a
lot of things passed in front of my lens (trees, electric pylons,
people, cars etc.) so I had to wait for empty "scenes" before
pressing the shutter release button. When back home I was nicely
surprised to see that this set of photos had enough "drama" in it,
however I decided to add a bit of contrast to emphasize the
difference in light levels. In such cases you have to act quickly -
the opportunity will not wait for you. Twenty minutes later, the sun
was complete obscured, heavy clouds were everywhere and it started
raining.
The best comment I heard about the second photo
is "It
looks like Heaven is shining through"
This set of photos is dedicated to Amy Pass, a sweet fellow
photographer who loves black and white photography. Well, Amy, this
is as close as it gets.. in color !
Photo by
George
J. Reclos
Shooting data:
Camera:
Nikon
D2X
Lens:
Sigma 12-24 mm D, 1:4.5-5.6, DG HSM
Sensitivity: ISO100
Shutter speed: 1/125 sec; 1/250 sec; 1/500 sec and 1/640 sec
respectively @ f/5.6,
Aperture priority mode
Flash:
None
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS2, levels adjusted,
increased contrast, Smart sharpening added and resized.
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Feeding
pitlane Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) at 8 frames /second
During our holiday
in Luxembourg I saw many swallows flying around. They were really
everywhere but I was unable to get a good shot of them in flight.
During a walk through the village I heard their noise and looked up.
I saw 5 juvenile swallows sitting in the gutter waiting to be fed by
one of their parents. This feeding procedure went so fast that I
decided to try the High Speed Crop mode in Continuous high of my new
D2X. I shot a few bursts and this was the result.
Photos by
Frank Panis
Shooting Data:
Camera:
Nikon D2X
Lens: Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO400
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/750sec - f/3.5
Flash: None
Image: NEF in HSC Continuous
high mode, converted in NC4.3 cropped, resized and saved in PS7
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Pachydiplax longipennis (Family:Libellulidae:
Common Name:" The Blue Dasher")
They hatch once a day in the pond in
front of the house. This hatch happened in the morning. I also get
huge hatches in the evening.
Photos by
Dave Laubach
Shooting Data
(pictures from top to bottom):
Camera:
Nikon D70
Lens: Zoom Nikkor
AF-S DX 18–70 mm f/3.5–4.5G IF ED @ 70 mm
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/250sec - f/8 in aperture priority
mode
Flash: Automatic (on camera)
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop
CS2, sharpness and contrast added, resized and saved.
Camera:
Nikon D70
Lens: Zoom Nikkor
AF-S DX 18–70 mm f/3.5–4.5G IF ED @ 70 mm
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/400sec - f/8
Flash: Automatic (on camera)
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop
CS2, sharpness and contrast added, resized and saved.
Camera:
Nikon D70
Lens: Zoom Nikkor
AF-S DX 18–70 mm f/3.5–4.5G IF ED @ 70 mm
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/320sec - f/8
Flash: Automatic (on camera)
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop
CS2, sharpness and contrast added, resized and saved.
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Many thanks are due to Mrs. Eva Stets for the correct
identification of the birds
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