Works in progress.

Shooting macro and shooting feathers of all things!!!

In my mind I can hear the song 'It's a Small World after All' in the back of my mind.

I learned about doing reflective water droplets by watching another tutorial. I decided to try a pigeon feather and use that red piece of wrapping paper with snowflakes on it for this project.

I was pretty excited to see the snowflakes of the paper show up in the droplets. You should see the little happy dance I did! The process sounded much more difficult but really it wasn't. 

Table. Camera on Tripod. Xmas paper behind feather that I sprayed with a mister or a spray bottle. Set up a flashlight taped to a cup aimed at the paper.

Focus. Bingo. 

These were my very first tries and I was excited about them. I decided to try it again but with a Christmas card behind the feather. I found some nicer feathers and used the face mister to add the droplets. I used Playdoh to hold the feather upright on the table. 

I used a Christmas card to bounce light off from and then grabbed some of those multicolor curly cue ribbons in that I have and dropped them behind the feather. Apparently this can be done with a cell phone or any camera that you have.

I think I found a new love for creating abstracts and color in the small size.

What I started with. The colors in the background are curly ribbons reflecting light.

This is where the 'magic' happened. It looks pretty lame right???

Two shots I ended up with.

Ribbons behind the feather.

Christmas Card behind the feather.

Oh just smack me now. I can't wait to do more!

I always thought that photos like this needed fancy equipment and an art studio. Funny what can happen with a lot of experimentation and play.

A couple of more...

 

Really, it wasn't done in a studio or even in a special place. I shoved my Christmas Lego Village to the side and set this up on my work/display table with the living room brightly lit by the Christmas Chair and the lights behind the Village.

I am so enthralled by the abstract beauty that I found in my lens that I kept saying .... to no one...

OHHHHH AHHH

Look at that!

Oh MY word!

But if I don't reply or stop by your blogs this week it is because I have been summoned for Jury duty on a 4 day trial. If I am picked, I won't have access to the internet or my cell phone for most of the time.

I do not mind serving, I've done it before and found it quite interesting to do. If I am passed by, I'll see you all tomorrow!!!

Quiet Riot at the Bee Balm Patch...

The last shot is something that used to be impossible without modern cameras.

Getting several shots in quick succession while keeping things in focus used to be nearly impossible in the film days.

Now there are cameras that 'track and focus' on whatever you choose to follow. It is quite amazing. I love 'shooting' butterflies and hummingbirds as they move from flower to flower.

I miss a lot of shots even with the fantastic modes in my camera. It may take me a few days worth of trying to get anything decent, but it is always worth the extra effort.

The Swallowtail shot consists of 3 shots blended together later in a program I use called ON1. It is so much simpler [and cheaper] than Photoshop.

Anyway. 

Enjoy my Quiet Riot at the Bee Balm Patch.

 PS~ I did get a visit from one of the Tree & Brush Folks! Yeeehawww!

Learning new tricks

This time with the camera. Well, I have used the Sequence shooting before, but never thought to do this.

And I really wonder why. It is such a delightful way to present a photo. It involves a bit of knowledge of layers and editing, with modern programs it is much easier to do than ages ago.

I did this handheld because I happened to be walking outside with camera in hand while peering at the flowers. I wanted to see if any other butterflies showed up other than the Swallow Tail.

The result was the same butterfly in flight in two stages.

That was fun to try so I tried it a few more times. Several times I noticed a lot of activity around the Zinnias so I grabbed the camera and kept trying to catch something amazing.

Below is an example of how the shots look as I start to put them together. These were shot at 1/2000 of a second in rapid fire. The butterfly moved quickly but overlapped itself in subsequent shots. 

I thought it would be a good learning experience to try and merge 4 shots of the same butterfly.

It was work but in doing so, I understand a bit better as to how the Swallow Tails move.

A Monarch showed up later in the day by the Zinnias and I had to wait for it to settle down. I took a series of it and was disappointed in that it just fluttered and hovered over the same flower while a Swallow Tail did a Photobomb!

This one of the Clearwing Hummingbird Moth was probably the most frustrating of all. These little fellows move like lightening. Getting them in focus as they move? Almost impossible. But I tried.

My last attempt at a series was a humming bird. They are one of the most challenging birds to 'catch'.

This female did a lot of hovering and each shot had a different wing position, however they would have been piled right on top of each other. So I found two shots that I could merge like this:

There was another shot I wanted to include that had her with her wings folded forward. 

Photography is such an amazing way to observe these beautiful creatures.

I think I learn so much from observing and photographing them. 

I do the same thing with insects, flowers, trees, and fungi. If it makes me curious, I have to study it through the camera.

That said, birds are beginning to migrate. The Orioles have been gone for a few weeks, the sound of Robins has diminished, the Bluebirds headed out in mid July, the red wing blackbirds are few and far between...and the Wrens are still here, but quieter.
I will miss the Wrens more than any other bird. 

Soon enough the trees will start to show that they are tired and ready for their rest.