16 replies to this topic

[Eb Mueller]

White Campion (Lychnis alba.) I find these commonly along a small stretch of dike. I presume my classification is correct, since there are similar, e.g. Silene noctiflora, and Silene cucubalis. Please view large.

#1, Nikon D300, 200-400 VRII, 1/640s f/5.6 at 340.0mm iso200, hand-held






#2, D300, 200-400 VRII, 1/200s f/8.0 at 350.0mm iso200, stack of 2, hand-held






#3, D300, 200-400 VRII, 1/1250s f/4.0 at 400.0mm iso400, handheld







#4, D3S, 200mm f/4D + TC200, 1/500s f/22.0 at 400.0mm iso1600, fill flash, hand-held







#5, D3S, 200mm f/4D + TC200, 1/250s f/22.0 at 400.0mm iso800, fill flash, hand-held








#6, D3S, 200mm f/4D + TC200, 1/250s f/22.0 at 400.0mm iso800, fill flash, hand-held





#7, D3S, 200mm f/4D + TC200, 1/250s f/16.0 at 400.0mm iso800, fill flash, stack of 2, hand-held

Edited by Eb Mueller, 22 December 2012 - 18:28 .

[Fred Nirque]

Nice series - I especially like the one with the spider.

[ashlandish]

Nice series - I especially like the one with the spider.

Me too...

[Shac]

+1 Eb - were they taken this summer?

[retief]

OK, I am not a flower or a spider guy, but these are cool. I have to agree on the one with the spider. You note "stack of 2", can you give more details and/or point me to links on stacking, specifically the "Stacking for Dummies" document? I have heard of this technique, and really think I would like to give it a try.

Thanks in advance.

[Eb Mueller]

I'm glad you liked the florals, Bill! With wild flowers, I like to include a bug or two. As you are interested in focus stacking, here is the link to Michael Erlewine's free e-books on the subject. Michael is a major contributor on NG. You can find him on the Macro & Close Up forum.

Edited by Eb Mueller, 22 December 2012 - 18:02 .

[Eb Mueller]

+1 Eb - were they taken this summer?

Thanks for the + rating, Shac! I wonder if you find these in White Rock? They bloom in July out here. I find them off the dike near and on the Great Blue Heron Reserve in Greendale. Images 4-7 were taken this summer, and 1-3 are from last summer.

[wildoat]

Nice job Eb, there is something about white and green which more often
than not just works, I'm not suggesting that's the only aspect of these images
which does work

Don't you just love the close focus abilities of the 200-400

Edited by wildoat, 22 December 2012 - 18:10 .

[Eb Mueller]

Nice series - I especially like the one with the spider.

Me too...

Thanks Fred and ashlandish. I do not shy away from capturing bugs and wild flowers together..., because they belong together. Sometimes, focus stacking helps to bring the two subjects in line. Problem is wind! So a double tap on the release button is about all that can be stacked. Even such a short stack will require retouching.

[retief]

Thanks for the link, Eb. I will mosey on over to that forum and take a look, as well as learning from the eBooks. At the very least, this gives me opportunities when the weather is gray and the birds and animals are not cooperating.

[nfoto]

The species identification appears correct as this is a dioecous species and you have shot female and male plants. The calyx a little more hairy than I'm used to for the European races (Silene latiflora ssp. alba or Lychnis alba), but according to pictures I've seen not unusually so. Having flowers with 5 styles is a key diagnostic.

[Eb Mueller]

Nice job Eb, there is something about white and green which more often
than not just works, I'm not suggesting that's the only aspect of these images
which does work

Don't you just love the close focus abilities of the 200-400

Thank you, Tony! White and green is quite seasonal, Christmas like! The 200-400 is such a versatile lens but a bear to handhold when these flowers are swaying in the breeze! I actually was after the Great Blue Heron (shown in my other post) when I got side-tracked by these pretty flowers. I see such a great technical advantage to close-ups using a telephoto lens. With a shorter lens, I would likely have scratched and bled manoeuvring among the blackberries, or worse, fallen down the steep slope of the dike.

[Eb Mueller]

The species identification appears correct as this is a dioecous species and you have shot female and male plants. The calyx a little more hairy than I'm used to for the European races (Silene latiflora ssp. alba or Lychnis alba), but according to pictures I've seen not unusually so. Having flowers with 5 styles is a key diagnostic.

Yes stamens and ovaries in different flowers! Thanks, Bjørn, for supplementary information and confirming the identification.

[Shac]

Thanks for the + rating, Shac! I wonder if you find these in White Rock? They bloom in July out here. I find them off the dike near and on the Great Blue Heron Reserve in Greendale. Images 4-7 were taken this summer, and 1-3 are from last summer.

I haven't seen them round here Eb - but have elswhere in the Lowwer Mainland if memory serves me . Am especially pleased to see how well you preserved deails and tones in the whites.

[Eb Mueller]

... Am especially pleased to see how well you preserved deails and tones in the whites.

Yes, it is more of a challenge with the D300!

[Gardenerbob]

Wow, nice job, Eb. As others have stated.
I am so glad you posted these pics. I needed a reason to pull out the ol' 200-400 again.
I have wanted to get into birding, but time and climate-I hate cold weather... always keep me back. It's nice to see another wonderful use for this lens.
Bob

[Eb Mueller]

Thanks, Bob! I indeed hope it is encouraging you to use the 200-400. But, this time of the year, cold and wet, it is not so pleasant to undertake either birding or "floraling." I'm hoping for some reasonably dry weather and get into the rain-forest for close-ups and landscape (not with the 200-400 'though!) We do have a decent migratory bird sanctuary only a couple of hours away and might give that a winter work-out with the 200-400. As I get older it becomes more difficult to find the motivation during inclement weather, so it seems!