Photography in the yard

Julie went to dinner with some girlfriends and I decided to wander around the yard with my camera.  The sun was starting to get low on the horizon, so it was throwing some soft light and some long shadows.  I had my 100 mm macro lens.  They are wonderful for taking close up shots, but they can be tough to shoot because they have such an incredibly narrow focus.

First picture:  without cheating ahead, can you tell what this is?

So we back up a bit more and it starts getting more obvious.

But as you keep backing up, there is still more and more detail.

And finally we have the whole flower (or seed pod?).  It really was gorgeous.  It looks like a dandelion but the seed globe is about 4 inches across.

This was actually what prompted me to head out with the camera.  When I left NC, I dug up a ton of day lilies and planted them here in Park City.  They came up last year but didn't bloom.  This year they are out in full force.

I'm not sure what this is but it is a spectacular little wildflower.

Another wildflower.  This one has been blooming for a week or two.

Which leads me to my next adventure.  Lots of the flowers had bees on them. I decided to try and become a bee paparazzi.

The challenge with the macro lens is that when you open the lens up (like f/4 or f/2.8) so that you can use a faster shutter speed, the focal plane gets so small that you don't even get an entire bee in focus. Notice that the flower he is standing on is completely blurred out.

And of course, they keep zipping around instead of staying in one spot for your photo.  The flowers were a lot more cooperative.

 

But I started to get some technique.  Next time I head out I think will certainly have fewer bad shots and hopefully some really nice ones.

Not perfect focus, but I think this was my favorite.  I like how he is holding on with one leg.

Turned out to bee a lot more interesting than I expected when I walked out the door.