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!
Technorati Tags: Alabama photographer, Alabama Photography, animals, nature, wildlife
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!
Technorati Tags: Alabama photographer, Alabama Photography, butterflies, nature, wildlife
