The weather has been very kind the last couple of days. Flowers seem to be popping out of yards to enjoy the sun as well. To get out and enjoy the new blooms, I have used the macro lens more with some flash modifiers to make some nice even light on the flowers. I am finding so much more about how light and lenses can be used this way which is drastically different from portrait setups. I’ll post more about this as I learn more from this setup. In the meantime, here are some hydrangea and clematis flowers that were fresh out of the garden.
When you get out the macro lens, a whole new world opens up in your garden. At this time, the blooms in your yard hold many details that can only be seen up close. The clematis flowers have a beautiful color and very detailed center. It is only with the macro lens that you can appreciate all of the tiny structures of the flower. In subsequent posts, I hope to show more of my work in the garden. The combination of the macro lens and flash helps to make my photos stand out!
As far as experience goes, I am new to the iPhone. It is impressive as a phone as well as computer for connecting to the internet. But the photography capabilities are quite a force to be reckoned with as having a camera on hand all the times has changed how we make and share photos. Facebook and it’s acquired company, Instagram, have boomed in popularity with emphasis on sharing photos. I distinctly remember the first event where I saw people using cell phones to capture photos. I did not think this trend would stick, but boy was I wrong! As of today, the iPhone holds the top 3 spots of the most popular camera used to post to Flickr.
Camera Comparison
In my short time using the camera on the iPhone 5, I have been impressed. The camera built into the phone performs much better than some dedicated point and shoot cameras I have seen. When I the day lilies in the back of the house bloomed, I decided to compare the camera in my phone to my Nikon D4. What can a DSLR give you over your camera phone?
With the bright, overcast light the phone performs very well! The in-camera sharpness and color from the JPG file is really good. When I took out the DSLR, I found that it was easier to find a good composition. The phone has a fixed lens that is slightly wide in length (roughly 33mm according to spec sheets). With the DSLR, I used a 105mm macro lens. It makes isolating subjects from the background easier, and can focus closer than the lens on the phone. Here are some examples from that combination-
In looking at the photos now, I can see that this is not the best comparison. I should try next time to get equivalent focal lengths, but I that may be the point! The DSLR and it’s ability to change lenses, gives you more flexibility in making images. If the composition you are looking for cannot be made at 33mm, you are stuck. I wanted to have the flower be the subject without seeing the surrounding ground and concrete patio in the frame. With the DSLR, I didn’t even see these in the viewfinder. Adding a touch of flash, I was able to take out more of the background, and really have the flower pop out of the frame-
Since I had the macro and the flash out there, I tried to get a shot of a droplet on the flower at the minimum focus distance of the lens. This took a lot of timing and patience as any slight breeze took the droplet out of focus. Here is one that was actually sharp!
Just for fun, here is a 100% crop from the center of the frame. Makes the flower photo very abstract with a natural vignette from the shape of the flower petals. Plus the reverse reflection of the flower in the droplet was an unexpected surprise!
Warm out this weekend! It’s a good day to go to the park. Maybe take a photo of a flower or two. On this occasion, we took a trip out this Sunday to the Green Spring Gardens. Since it is so close to our home, it is our default destination for a nature walk.
On this Sunday, there were many blooms around the gardens. Although we have a lot of nice flowers around the house, this park has a great variety planted. Also, it is nice to get some ideas on what to plant in your graden. Especially since it is in the same climate, you can find what works well for this area. Moreover, they have some flowers and plants on sale out of their conservatory on site!
Being that this is a photography blog, I post about things that could be related to photography. However, let me know what you like to relax and recharge over the weekends. At this time I still enjoy my job, but a departure from working all the time would be nice. I hope you are enjoying a Sunday off as well!
