There’s a particular public garden up in the Berkeley hills that I try to visit whenever I’m in the Bay Area. The sheer offering of types of roses is really to die for, even if you go during an “off season,” as I did in July. Flowers in general are crafty little beings; you think you’re above photographing such things and then when that first photo on your camera or phone makes you gasp…it’s a wrap. You’re now spending copious amounts of time and money for the privilege of capturing nature’s ephemera.
I pretty much always use my telephoto lens now when capturing flowers, because there are so many ways to play with light when it’s sunny, and cool techniques to try when it’s cloudy (like manipulating a black background in post-processing). Additionally, to put in a little plug for Tamron, my lens is crazy steady even at 400mm so I can catch little bugs without having to get too close, because of course they would eat me.
The above is not a true macro shot (I don’t have a macro lens) but it’s probably the clearest close-up photo of a bug I’ve ever taken - and I didn’t need a tripod. It’s times like these that I understand why some people get so excited about their “gear.”
I hope to start publishing on my blog once a week going forward - I’ve been set back this week with a nasty cold so my apologies; I’m glad to be back in the saddle.
