Small subject, small camera

I was walking with my iPhone and saw this bright color on a log covered with green moss.  It was a perfect opportunity to test a close up lens attachment. The depth of field cannot be controlled but the focus locked nicely on the leading edge of the mushroom.

Technical: iphone6, iProLens macro lens, Procamera 8 used which allows white balance adjustment.

My kind of foraging.

I love wild raspberries, especially over ice cream. They might be a little gritty if you are used to domestic berries that have had the seeds genetically minimized. There is something satisfying about finding the berries, picking them, and then enjoying them. There are lots of edible wild plants but none as sweet as wild raspberries.

Technical: iPhone6, ProCamera app, iPro Lens system macro lens.

Sunday Morning Test

I've seen some great nature videos taken with an iPhone and yesterday was a perfect day to explore the slow motion video features on it. The camera was attached to a gorilla pod which was wrapped to a branch for stability. Natural sound was recorded as it happened. Everything was edited in Final Cut Pro X.

Technical: The white is slightly burned in some frames but the contrast range seems good. The last clip seems to have some focus searching. 

Red Admiral eats Rattlesnake Master

The title could be a headline in a tabloid newspaper but actually describes the a common butterfly feeding on an uncommon Minnesota prairie plant. I like to photograph relationships and butterflies feeding on prairie plants provides a great opportunity to show the connection between them. It also easier to sit and wait for a butterfly to land than trying to chase it from plant to plant.

Shooting Silk

I saw this while filming a crab spider bouncing around on a windy day. When I saw the silk being expelled I couldn't believe it had happened, the light hit it in just a couple frames. Yesterday I found an interesting talk at Google Talks. It was a little more detailed than my interest but you can get an idea of the incredible complexity of spider's silk between minutes 4-6 (approximately).

Thinking Christmas

Red and green must mean Christmas is coming, right? These guys were a welcome sight on a recent walk through the woods. I came across a stump covered with them and after an hour of shooting realized the best shot was from below with the background blurred. A little slow on creativity on that day.

Clinging to Summer

Geese are in the air, cranes are gathering, and hunters are chasing bear but I'm not quite ready to let go of summer. A few asters and bottle gentian are the only flowers that remain on the prairie. There are a few more days to photograph them, I plan to make the most of the remaining time.

Buckeye at Rest

This was captured using a more traditional photographic technique using a macro lens and tripod. Captured while the buckeye was resting on a prairie bush clover before sunrise at Shooting Star Prairie SNA in extreme southern Minnesota. Technical: The challenge is getting the wing completely sharp by positioning the wing parallel with the plane of the sensor.  Aperture is bracketed to get the most sharpness in the wing and the best blur in the background.

September Color

I love early morning dew on prairie wildflowers.  The prairie wildflower rainbow of color is now in its blue/purple phase. Subtle early morning side lighting makes the dew drops leap off the petals. The composition question is "Where is the best location for the center of the aster?" or "Should this be a square frame?" Life was so much simpler when an image was a slide and the only question was "Why didn't I think of that when I took the picture?"

The Digital Sketchbook

I often talk about doing a digital sketchbook when teaching.  The idea is that a subject attracts my attention for a reason that is not readily apparent but through a visual exploration the reason eventually is found.  Last week this image was the final result of a sketchbook.  I lost count of the time and number of sketches during the process, part of the joy of photography. The starting image is below. Technical: no cropping, saturation -57.

Small Round Leaf Orchid

Small is not an exaggeration with these orchids.  However, they frequently grow in groups of 10-15 so are easy to spot on the bog floor.  No two flowers have the same design of spots and they are beautiful in their intricate detail. An unfelt breeze seems to keep them in constant motion. Technical: ISO of 1600, 1/125 second, 180 macro with close up filter