Tag Archives: Macro

cycling, L I F E, photography

Winter Bike

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I have been a cycling commuter for my entire professional career as a data monkey.  I never make much of a fuss about it but today was a particularly snowy day and I just got a new 60mm 2.8 Micro Nikkor lens to take photos with.  So here are the first shots from the new glass.

Here is a close up of the front brake with all of it’s snowy glory.  For ghetto brakes these things really hold up.  I have about 2-3k miles on this bike so far with it’s original brake pads and they still work!

This picture is the complete bike, the Cayne Uno, I changed the bars, stem and brake levers but other than that it’s stock and bullit proof.

More macro shots for the sake of macro photography, I must say that the 60mm 2.8 lens is as crisp a lens as i’ve ever used.  I had the priveldge of using a 70-200 VR from Nikon and I think this one is sharper.  But what do I know, most of my photos are poorly composed and out of focus anyway.  Ha ha!

That is all for today, i’ll have some more soon and possibly it might be more interesting next time!

photography

More Macros

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I’ve been in a macro mode lately.  Sometimes it feels good to look at the little patterns in life’s texture.  Look at the ground and see an organic shape or texture that no one would notice and capture it with the camera.  I’m shooting with the D70 from Nikon and my “favorite” Sigma 1:3.5-5.6 II Macro set to 80 with the macro switch flipped. I love the $5 lens (current Ebay Value).  I want to try a “real” macro lens but for now poverty tells me that this one is OK.

Across the road on the canal side of the house.  The Virginia Creeper is doing very well, it’s also quite beautiful as it changes to it’s dormant state.

Shooting some organic black and whites.

Back to some berries growing from the same twisted mess that all of these shots are coming from. Love the angular shape of the stem.

B/W again with the branches of the tree.

And a creepy worm, it’s eating the roses in front of the house so it did not have a happy ending after this was taken.

Miscellaneous berries hanging on a tree.

Back to some pretty leaves or leaf rather in the midst of being red…

Enough for today, it’s late and I doubt I’ll post again for 19 days until my return to Denver.

photography

Bugs…

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Sometimes some very interesting photos are right in front of us.  Sometimes we never pay any attention.  We are enjoying our August break by spending time as a family and I am taking certain care to pay attention to the little things in life that make it great.

I’ve been shooting with my trusty, often dusty Nikon D70 and the amazingly clear (for a cheap plastic lens) Sigma 28-80 3.5-4.6 kit lens that came with my Nikon N75 so many years ago.  I have my eye on the Sigma 105 2.8 Macro in the near future for bugs and flowers and the such but right now I’m working the composition and technical aspects of the shots.

Elusive little critters that they are, I’ve tried to capture one of these quick moving bugs in mid-flight.  Hummingbird moth in the lavender outside the mill house.

Hairy Moth Patinges, France August 2008

Another moth photo, this one was either really old or really young.  It could not fly very well even when I transported it from the house to the terrace for further examination.  He was quick to use his wings to get away after his photo shoot however.

Hairy Moth Patinges, France August 2008

Hello grashopper…

French grasshopper in the butterfly garden. Patinges, France August 2008

A couple of shots of what I believe to be a freaky wasp.  The first is with his head in focus with good details on the antennae. Depth of field on this shot proved to be quite difficult for me.  I wanted the bug to fill the frame and hold focus on the entire critter.  Working with the shallow depth of field in macros can certainly make for some happy mistakes, or not so happy trying to do what you want to do.

Wasp on a rose

Wings and tail in focus.

Wasp on a rose number 2

Action shot of a butterfly in the garden.  Shot with my Nikon 80-200 2.8 ED This shot was all about luck, the focus is no where near what I would have liked but the framing and bokeh of the lights behind turned out pretty cool, I think.

Butterfly mid-flight Patinges, France July 2008

I have a bunch more of these photos but with the dial up internet, they won’t be seen until winter and I get back to my home in Colorado.  We are heading on a couple of trips this month so I’ll have more travel photography to put up after we get home.  I still have 800 or so shots from Provence in June to look through so it may be a while before any of the new ones make it to the web.  Have fun and leave comments for me…