Lady of the Morning

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Tamron SP90 Macro
f/11 at 1/125
ISO 100
SB600 Speedlight (off camera)

Sometimes you don’t have to look far to find something worth taking a picture of. I woke up one morning last spring and walked out into the front yard with my coffee. I noticed there were several ladybugs hanging out on some ferns in the garden.

Of course, I immediately went and got my camera, tripod, and flash unit. I chose to use my Tamron macro lens which allowed me to get very close to the subject. However, it also meant that I almost scared the ladybug off several times because I kept disturbing the leaves on the plant.

I definitely needed to use flash in order to freeze the subject that was moving ever so slightly in the morning air currents. Changing to a higher ISO is not an option with this camera. Generally I don’t like the quality of anything shot at an ISO higher than 200.

I think I managed to capture a decent composition. I love the contrast in colour between the ladybug and the fern. I also like the way several lines in the leaves lead your eye to the subject. I will undoubtedly look for them again this spring.

Afternoon Stroll

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 28-105
f/14 at 1/250
ISO 100

After taking the shot of the tree pictured in the previous post, I turned my eyes away from the sun and noticed this scene. There were lots of people out for a walk along the spit that day and when I positioned myself appropriately the warm golden sun reflected off of this Plexiglas structure.

If I walked just a few feet closer, the reflection disappeared. Without the reflection, the surface of the structure just appeared old, scratched up, and foggy. It was not striking in any way. But, with the reflection I felt I had something of interest.

If I remember correctly, I metered off the blue sky and chose to underexpose it by one stop to make it a nice rich blue. Then I waited for someone to walk by.

Skeletal Remains

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 28-105
f/10 at 1/8000
ISO 100

A few weeks ago on nice sunny winter afternoon, my wife and I went down to Iona Beach Regional Park and went for a walk along the spit. As you can see by the picture I spent some time looking directly at the sun and then waiting for the spots in my eyes to clear. I’m starting to think that I should get a pair of welding safety glasses for moments like this.

As we walked we came upon this tree. I think it was alive but being winter and having no leaves it had the appearance of being dead, thus the name I gave to the photo. I underexposed the shot by at least 2 stops to try to get the sun to appear as something more than just a blown out blob.

I don’t think it’s my imagination, but I believe my digital camera is much poorer at photographing the sun than my 35mm film equivalent was. Is this a characteristic of digital imaging in general or is simply a characteristic my specific camera? Although I like this picture, I feel there must be a way to get more detail in the sun and it’s reflection on the water.

I will present another picture from this walk in tomorrows post.

The Ubiquitous Mallard

Camera: D200
Lens: 70 – 300 Nikon VR
f/5.3 at 1/160
ISO 200
Hand held
Vibration reduction on

This shot was taken on the same day at the same location as the Sandpipers in my “Forever Foraging” post. Over the years I have taken hundreds of photographs of ducks. Vancouver has no shortage of them. However, few have turned out to be something I would be proud to show people.

The one I presented here is one of the better ones I have taken. What I like about it is the colourful reflections of the sky and trees in the water. It adds an abstract quality to the photo. Although we know ducks swim in water, the water in this photo is unfamiliar.

When I look at the photo my eyes travel around the image from the Mallard to the reflections and back again. If the water simply looked like water, I don’t think my attention would be drawn away from the female bird. I do feel she could have been positioned a little more towards the camera but birds are not like models, they don’t follow instructions well.

Mister Moth

Camera: D200
Lens: Tamron SP90 Macro
f/32 at 1/125
ISO 100
SB600 Speedlight (off camera)

One day when I returned home from an errand I noticed this moth hanging out by my front door. I quickly grabbed my gear hoping it would still be there when I returned. Luckily, it was. I set my camera on a tripod and turned on my flash. I snapped off a bunch of shots real fast expecting it to fly away at any moment.

It didn’t. It turned out be quite tolerant of me and my camera and flash poking around no more than six inches from it. This was when I slowed down and started to really think about what I was doing. I took several more shots adjusting the aperture each time so as to vary the depth-of-field.

Next, I tried putting the flash at different distances and at different angles to the subject. The moth was resting on the door frame made of wood and stained a shade of honey-brown (yes, like beer). I did not like the look of the wood so I positioned the flash to throw lots of light on the moth but not the wood. In post processing I desaturated the image to rid it of any of the natural wood colour that could still be seen.

Smilin' Electro Boy

Camera: D200
Lens: Tamron SP90 Macro
f/11 at 1/60
ISO 100
SB600 Speedlight (off camera)

Someone else’s garbage… Yes, this is a motherboard from a computer that was thrown out. When I saw it, I immediately thought about using it for a stock image. All the major components that plug into the board were removed so I couldn’t take a shot of the whole unit. Instead I chose to use a macro lens and focus in on a very small portion showing some of the circuitry.

A lesson my wife has taught me is to use my imagination to see things that represent something else. A simple example would be to look at the sky and not just see clouds but look for shapes within the clouds that look like other familiar objects or creatures.

That lesson came into play with this shot. As I looked through my viewfinder and scanned the circuitry for something that made a strong visual impression, I noticed the white circle. My mind immediately recognized that it could be seen as face. The solder spots look like eyes and the two curved lines look like a mouth.

The circle stands out from the rest of the markings that are generally made up of straight lines. That contrast in shape makes the viewer easily focus in on and recognize the circle as the main subject of the photo.

Back To School

Camera: D200
Lens: Nikon 28-105
f/5.6 at 1/60
ISO 100

Today I was hoping to present something from my studio but the shoot was cancelled due to a family emergency. Without a model, I was at a loss as to what to do. I returned home with only a couple of experiments I may present tomorrow.

When I returned home I thought I would try to shoot something for stock. As a certified language teacher I had several Scrabble games lying around. I thought I would use one to present the theme of Education that I would like to start working on.

I placed the board on the floor and my camera on a tripod. I used my SB 600 as the main light source. I shot it through a piece of white fabric at a very low angle to create some shadows and not reflect light off the shiny wooden letters.

I decided on the expression “Back To School” and I chose to angle my point of view because I felt it created a little tension. Some students love going back to school but for others it is a very stressful time. After I shot it and put the game away I thought maybe I should have misspelled something as well to express a need for education.