Ok, so it’s not really down the tubes as much as through the tubes! This Alabama photographer got a set of extension tubes a couple of weeks ago and has had a lot of fun trying them out. This little guy here was taken with my 70-200mm f/4L lens and two extension tubes. Without the extension tubes the minimum focusing distance with this lens is 3.9 feet. Add one, two or three of the tubes and that enables a minimum focusing distance of a few inches. It really gives me a lot more use for all of my Canon lenses and is a cheap substitute for a dedicated macro lens.
The other slice of Alabama photography I am including in this edition of my blog is a close up of one of my favorite weeds. It is called Spiderwort, a nasty sounding name for a beautiful little flower! These start blooming in early spring and continue on until the cold gets them. Lots of people really hate these weeds because they are invasive but I think they are just gorgeous. They come in all shades of purple and blue and some tend toward pink. If you check out my website you can do a search for spiderwort and see all my shots of them. This photo was taken using an extension tube and my 50mm lens.
Enjoy the season and pay attention to all the beautiful things around you!
Technorati Tags: Alabama Photography, Canon, extension tubes, nature, photo, spiderwort, weeds
This week I made a trip on my scooter out to Blakeley State Park just north of Spanish Fort, Alabama. It is the site of a Civil War battle and a historic settlement but I went for the nature side of it. The 4,000 acre park is located along the Tensaw River Delta and not far from Mobile. It was a rocky ride down into the park on my bike so I carefully rode part of the way and then walked. I had taken my 70-200mm zoom mounted on the camera and carried my 50mm lens. As I mentioned in the last blog entry, be prepared! You never know how far from your shoot you may have to park.
The hike through the woods is up and down hills, across creek beds and boggy areas. There are nature trails all through the park going across breastworks and through battlefields of long ago. At the entrance to the park I’d been given a map but it wasn’t easy to determine directions in the densely wooded fields. I set off and made it to the river without serious incident. There I found a nice boardwalk along the river. Right away I spotted a white flower that was new to me. The wind had really picked up there on the water so I had trouble getting a good clear shot of the blossoms. I inched closer while looking through my zoom lens when I spotted a small green lizard hanging onto those flowers for dear life. It was rather comical to watch him clinging to the stem and blowing in the breeze. I was taking pictures as I moved slowly forward. He was watching me closing in on him but he was too busy holding on to smile.
I hiked through much of the park and was getting hot and tired. I decided to head back for my bike but was wondering if I’d have any trouble finding my way. I thought I spotted a familiar tree so ducked into the brush and trees. Well, I’d patted myself on the back too soon. As I got into the woods further none of it looked familiar. I was getting into some serious hiking now. It crossed my mind that I could easily slip and fall. I was more worried about my camera than my bones but either could be disasterous. I had my cell phone with me but I already knew coverage was spotty. Eventually I found the footbridge I’d taken to the river so from there on I was in good shape. As I came out on the loose sand road I was more concerned with finding my scooter than watching where I stepped. I’d already thought that I was lucky not to have run into a snake during all the tromping through the brush. Uh oh, I’ve done it now! I was too busy watching the path ahead and not watching where my feet went. I was standing on a snake!! Fortunately I got the tail end and not the mouth end. I quickly got off him and he just as quickly moved on. It was a black snake and therefore not a harmful one. I apologized and he didn’t seem to hold a grudge. I don’t know about his heart rate but I don’t think mine was elevated. I’ve had that experience before and it was a lot more serious the first time. Nevertheless, I was very glad to come to my scooter and head on out. Fortunately the slow, careful ride out on the rocks and gravel seemed shorter than the route in.
Photographers always need to be prepared. You never know in what situtation you may find yourself. And always watch where you are stepping. Don’t step on the snake!
Technorati Tags: Alabama Photography, hiking, nature, wildlife
I went to the Fairhope city pier and park along Mobile Bay yesterday prepared to take pictures of roses and butterflies but I didn’t see either of those. I guess one of the first rules for photographers is “Be flexible!” I was on limited time (about a half hour) and really wasn’t in the mood to chase any seagulls or geese. I had bought a neutral density filter the day before and so just wandered along trying it out when I spotted this tiny little frog. He was very tiny! I didn’t have a ruler with me but I’d guess he was definitely less than an inch long and possibly 3/4 of an inch. I quickly took his picture with the ND filter and then switched to use my close up diopters. I use the +1, +2 and +4 stacked together on my 50mm lens. I moved ever closer and he never moved a muscle. I was surprised but maybe he’s in the stage human babies have where everyone is a friend. He was perched on the edge of a kudzu leaf and was so light that it didn’t even dip with his weight. Below is a shot a little further back so you can get a feel for his true size. Like the Boy Scouts say, always be prepared!
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On Tuesday I made my first trip out to the bog on my new scooter. About a month ago a good friend loaned me her scooter to try out and I’d made several trips to the bog on it. But this was my first photography trip on my scooter.
It was a bright, clear day and the butterflies were out and busy. I think there were more than any of my previous trips. I found a spot on the boardwalk in a little shade so sat down and got a good many shots from there. One or two of the butterflies were checking me out along with my long lens. I saw a Buckeye butterfly that day. I’d not found any of those before then. The majority are Swallowtails with a sprinkling of Monarchs.
It was a really hot day so after nearly 2 hours and about 400 photos I walked down to the river. I saw two or three of the huge banana spiders I talked about in my first blog entry. After previously finding the little crab on the tree trunk I was on the lookout for any of them and was not disappointed. The one I spotted was smaller than the one I photographed and further away so I didn’t get any good shots of it. I was really lucky that other time!
All in all it was a very successful trip to the bog. To see more of the butterflies look at my photography website. Click on the thumbnail to see the album. Enjoy!
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How do you like my new wheels? It is an Iron Mountain product, Fox Freedom 260. I got it Monday and have already gone on a couple of photo shoots on it. I haven’t checked the gas mileage yet but am expecting somewhere around 60 mpg. This scooter has a lot of storage under the seat. I usually take my long lens plus one or two others and there’s plenty of room in there for all of it. When I take a tripod I’ll strap it on the back. I’ve put 115 miles on the scooter in 3 days so I’m expecting to run it up pretty quickly. Now I can shoot out to the bog every day if I want to and check the latest blooms or doings. Watch out world!
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I made another trip to the Weeks Bay Pitcher Plant Bog on Friday. I was happy to see a lot of butterflies! There were not hundreds yet but maybe close to 50 where I was. I didn’t have time to go through the whole bog but I was happy to find those. I think it was the most butterflies I’d ever seen in one place at one time. They were busy doing their work and didn’t pay me much attention like they did last trip out there. I used my 70-200 4.0L lens and was able to get quite a few good clear shots. I hope you enjoy them.
I’m getting a scooter this next week and will be able to afford many trips to the bog and other locations. I’m looking forward to it!
Technorati Tags: Alabama photographer, Alabama Photography, nature, wildlife
Do you see the details around you? Or do you just see the “big picture?” This is a beautiful world that God has made but to really see it you may need to invest a little time and effort.
A few months ago I made an album You See, I See for my website. That came about because so many people were stopping me on the street and asking what was I photographing; they didn’t see anything picture worthy. Think back to when you were a small child. You were a lot closer to the ground and had a lot less on your mind but in those days it was exciting to go outside. You noticed small things and took the time to bend down and really look at them. I liked to look at the ground when I walked around. I enjoyed finding neat rocks or watching insects. That has served me well in my years as an artist and now as a photographer. I see pretty things that most people don’t notice. In future posts I’ll share more about that but for today I want to just encourage you to open your eyes to the beauty that is all around you. Start making a point of seeing and enjoying the details.
Visit my website and check out You See, I See.
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I made another trip out to the Weeks Bay Pitcher Plant Bog again yesterday. Tropical Storm Fay is on the way and I wanted to see what was going on at the bog before it possibly got hit by high winds. It was a bright but muggy day. I’m still waiting to find the fabled hordes of butterflies but only found about a dozen on this trip. Even so, that’s many more than the last trip so they are becoming more plentiful. I had my 70-200mm telephoto lens on the camera for this shoot. I had limited time so I went looking only for butterflies. I packed my tripod on this trip and used it at the beginning. With Fay off to the east the conditions were breezy. Between the zoom and wind I thought the tripod would be the best call. I use the continuous shooting method to best insure a clear shot. It takes a more powerful camera and more memory but the results are worth it to me. For the first 20 minues I followed the butterflies or at least tried to follow the butterflies. If you’ve ever done that you know it’s not very successful. Add to that being restricted to a boardwalk and you are even more limited. The butterflies were there and active but stayed far away. I eventually got smart and sat down on the boardwalk. After a few minutes the butterflies came to me! Since I’ve gotten into Alabama photography I have discovered butterflies are very curious. They tend to be camera shy or people shy but if you remain stationary they come over to check you out. One little moth/butterfly creature was very curious and became quite a pest. He kept crawling around on my feet and I had to shoo him away. At the end of my time there I had several very sharp photographs and left a happy photographer.
Technorati Tags: Alabama Photography, nature, wildlife
When I got into photography here in Alabama I knew nothing whatsoever about SLR cameras and all the manual settings. I had only used a point and shoot up to that point. To say I’ve learned a good bit is an understatement but I am by no means an expert. I know what works for me and hope to continue learning as I go forward. All that being said, I was surprised at a few things right away. I think one of the biggest surprises is that a cloudy day is ideal for the nature and portrait photography I shoot. I find most of my clients think a bright, sunny day is the best for taking pictures when it’s actually one of the worst. I want to avoid harsh light. No one likes a portrait when they are squinting because the sun is too bright. I know–I’ve done that! “So get in the shade!” you might think. Well, sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn’t. If the shaded area is large enough and not too dark then it’s fine. It doesn’t work when you’ve got the glaringly bright light showing behind the subject. Then you end up with a lot of burned out area and no details. I use natural light almost exclusively and so don’t do all the lights, umbrella reflectors and that kind of thing. There’s not anything at all wrong with that but it’s not how I work. So think about a cloudy day. Are there shadows? Not many. Do you squint a lot on a cloudy day? No, not really. Hmmm… Sounds like it might work! Next time you want to take some pictures outside, try a cloudy day. Compare those photographs to some taken on a sunny day and you’ll see a big difference. Cloudy day colors are much more vibrant. Try it again on a cloudy day after a rain and the colors are just electric! Just before sunset and just after sunrise are also excellent times to shoot. Those are what the professionals call the magic hours when anything looks better in the softer, warmer light.
Start paying attention to light. Notice the different colors of light at different times of the day and in different weather. Try an exercise of watching one thing outside such as a tree or a flower or a bush. Make a point of looking at it early in the morning, around noon and then at different times of the afternoon and evening. You will be amazed at how different it looks in different light. I have found that in Alabama photography and photography wherever you are, light makes all the difference. Something so simple and plain can look spectacular given the right lighting!
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Last night I got all my gear ready to go out early today to shoot more Alabama Photography and then woke up to gray skies that threatened rain. I will discuss lighting and all of that in another post but since I was going to the bog on a scooter today I really didn’t want to ride in the rain. Protecting my camera was a major concern also. I checked the radar online and took my time getting ready and then headed out. It was perfect weather for the ride and photographing pretty much anything. It was cool and gray and just my idea of a good time. This made visit number 4 in two weeks and I was still hoping to see the hordes of butterflies. Well, they weren’t there today either. I happened to read one of the educational signs posted along the boardwalk and it said butterflies are out and about on bright, sunny days. Oh, well… what else could I see?
I talked to some other visitors briefly and they went on their way while I scoped out all the rather “ordinary” but beautiful flowers and insects. There is no end of subjects for an Alabama photographer. I am so excited that beauty is everywhere; just open your eyes and really look at things. As often as I go to the bog it’s always different. Today there weren’t as many spiders around or maybe without the sunshine they didn’t show up as much. I eventually made my way down to the river and as I was walking back just happened to notice something brown on a tree trunk right beside the elevated boardwalk. I looked closer and it was a small crab! How weird! And it got weirder; the crab was eating tree bark!! I stood and watched him, all the while taking pictures of course, and was happy that between my zoom lens and the proximity of the tree I got some good close shots. He, like most of the wildlife there, are rather camera shy so he moved around the tree from me and I was able to lean over the railing and get a few shots as he came around the other side of the trunk. Through the zoom lens I could watch him use his two claws and feed himself, alternating claws. As I said, he was small; his body was probably an inch and a half wide at most and the whole crab was maybe 3 inches wide. He was taking very small bites! This crab was obviously a fresh water variety and differently colored from any others I’ve ever seen. Never before had I given any thought to the diet of crabs but apparently some eat tree bark! Very odd.
Those visitors I spoke with did point out a butterfly on their way back and I was able to get several good shots of it. I also found some more banana spiders and got a series of photos of a mother and baby but my best prize today was that tiny, bark eating crab. Blog worthy, for sure!
Would you like to see more Alabama photographs? Visit Everson Photography.
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