'Rose-Colored' Lenses

The white snowy sights of winter fade away.  Snow piles melt into puddles, rooftops dribble with melting icicles and the soft, wet earth squishes underneath our feet. Overhead, blackbirds and robins begin cackling for spring mating partners.

Yes, I am ready for spring to burst on the scene.  Yesterday would not be fast enough as we just experienced another eight inch snowfall this week.  The frightful weather looks like we should be asking "how many days until Christmas" instead of "when is spring going to get here?"

As in previous winters, we plan to venture to El Dorado, Arkansas, a small, vibrant, historic oil boomtown, to visit my family.

A dose of Arkansas, The Natural State's sunshine, flowers, bluebirds await our return. Southern gardens any time of year are always awash with a variety of vibrant colors and textures.

But for a photographer, their spring time offers that little something extra.

Roses! 

Prissy-Pink Rose
Nikon 600, 105mm, f/9, ISO 160, 1/500

Roses of prissy-pink, scarlet and coral shout "come photograph me",  as almost any angle can offer delicious shades and tints.

It was this time of year, two years ago that I started photography.  And some of the first images were roses.

Do you need a macro lens to capture close-up details?  While I never leave home without my Nikon 105mm macro for close up work, I continue to produce colorful garden eye-candy images with my standard 24-85mm kit lens.

So how do you photograph a rose?

Mom's Coral Rose in the Secret Garden
Nikon 5100, 55mm,  f/8, 1/60sec

Come Photograph Me
Nikon 5100, 105mm, f/18, ISO 400, 1/30 sec

1. From directly above, from a forty-five degree angle looking down, straight on the side and from underneath looking up a bit.  And then any other angle you want to try.  Get close, step back.  Capture a portion of the rose, the whole flower and then broaden the range to include multiple roses.  This is a playground, enjoy
2. Using Aperture Priority mode, use multiple f/stops at each of the angles mentioned in #1.  The lower the f/stop number, the shallower the depth of field.  At an f/stop of 3.5, the tip of the petal or the center is in focus and the rest is softly muted.  At an f/stop of 16, more of the flower will be in focus, including some of the background.  Note to self:  always check for dead leaves, brown spots and other distractions before you start capturing images.  
3. The Rule of Thirds may or may not be applied.  While it is a good guide, each rose and how you capture the image will determine the final product.
4. Processing.  You've captured many roses.  The ones you know don't like, delete right away.  No reason to clutter memory.  Then take a another close look at your work.  Which ones do you want to process?  Select a few and start making your adjustments.  Lightroom 5  and other post processing software tools (including those provided with your camera) can bring your roses to life as you observed in the field or create dramatic art using your image as the base.

Spring is fast approaching.  Are you ready to see the world of roses through your lenses?  

Happy Shooting!

It's Not Just About Our Back Yard

Summer highways, fields and forests are filled with brilliant yellows, pinks and blues. Gardens ebb and flow with color as perennials peak and give way to the next round in the blooming season.  A host of songbirds, butterflies, bees and insects take delight in savoring their region's balanced food chain.  

Black-eyed Susans at Quarton Lake
Nikon 600, 105mm, ISO 250, f/5, 1/60 sec

Sustaining our beautiful, colorful native plants is easy.  Talk to your local nursery, ask them to carry native plants and plant them in your backyard.  Just as important, asking your local communities, city parks and business parks to plant native versus ornamentals also can make a difference. Many of these groups are already headed this direction.

Avoiding and eliminating invasive plants is crucial to maintaining a healthy food chain. The newsletter "Why Should I Care About Invasive Plants?" provides a brief, descriptive review of invasive plants and species.

Butterfly Savoring Breakfast at Quarton Lake
Nikon 600, 105mm, ISO 250, f/6.3, 1/640 sec

Not all non-native plants are harmful. Roses, tulips and many garden favorites are safe for your garden and the environment.  

"Invasive" represents those aggressive plant species that grow and reproduce rapidly and causing disruptive, major changes to the areas they start to take over.  

In my hometown, Birmingham, Michigan's City Government has taken a very active role in eliminating invasive plants.  They use native plants in restoration projects and new developments, educate the community and provide tips on their website about being environmentally savvy. 

Whether in a large metropolitan area, small community or rural environment, planting native plants makes a difference.  Native plants save water and prevent high maintenance costs caused by invasive plants. 

Check your local area website to see what's been accomplished and what's planned. You may find that you can positively impact both your local community and local environment.

 Happy Shooting!

Invading the Invasive

The bright buzzing bee tickles the chicory flowers as she moves from stem to stem in the abandoned, wild garden.  In the background, a red winged blackbird sings its' sharp screech while perched on a low branch.  The moment of making the big decision of the morning arises.  Do I use my telephoto for the audaciously loud blackbird?  Or, do I stay with my macro to capture the bees?

Sweet sweat bee enjoying some morning Chicory
Nikon 600, 105mm

Both wild and cultivated gardens have flowers, insects, birds and other natural gifts offering a changing pallet for the photographer.  The natural order and food chain that provides this pallet needs to be protected and preserved.  Our understanding of how native plantings, compatible plantings and invasive plants impact nature's gardens is necessary for balanced environments.

Native plants are adapted to the combination of water, soil, temperatures and nutrients.  As a result, they are energy efficient, require less maintenance and enhance the food chain.  Natives easily fill gardens, fields, roadsides with color that returns year after year.

The Lady Bird John Wildflower Center site has a quick guide to finding out if your favorites are considered native along with other event and conservation information.

Red-winged Blackbird
Nikon 7100, Sigma 150 - 500mm

Invasive plants do just the opposite.  They consume more water.  They require chemicals and potentially radical methods to destroy.  They can become aggressive and destructive weeds to the local habitat and ultimately, nature's order.  Natives are basically choked out of their habitat.  Invasive plants' resistance to local bugs and insects cause insect decline or disappearance.  When local insects decline, sadly, other's in the food chain follow.

Our call to action: invade the invasive plants and take them out of our gardens, landscapes by the roots!

Information and warnings of invasive plants can readily be found on the internet.  Check out Cornell University's Ecology and Management of Invasive Plants Program to see a listing of invasive plants and the research work Cornell is performing.

Going "native" does not mean that you get rid of your beautiful, well-tended compatibles. Compatibles coexist nicely with our natives.  Rose bushes, hydrangeas, hostas, annuals and other plants while require a commitment for care, do not tear down native habitats.  It's important to understand your non-native plants behavior before planting.

Today, more nursery's are carrying more native plant inventories.  A nursery that is leading by example is Four Season Nursery in Traverse City, Michigan.   They are very active members of organizations that promote native planting habitats including Saving Birds Thru Habitat.

So whether we are gardening, birding or capturing images...knowing and nurturing our native plants and what they attract will protect and enrich our environment.

Happy Shooting!