Posts in Category: flowers
Costa Rica! focus stacked flowers
Flowers from the Botanical Gardens at Selva Verde Lodge and Reserve in the Sarapiqui valley of Costa Rica. We spent an afternoon doing macro and frogs at Selva Verde…not a great day as the rain threatened all afternoon and the light was less than ideal, but it was the day we had. These are all “focus stacked” in my Olympus OMD E-M5mkiii with the 12-45mm zoom. I had the camera set to take 8 exposures at different focus points and combine them in-camera to one shot with extended depth of field. The camera was on my tiny travel tripod. Program mode. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Bittersweet
Almost everything about bittersweet is bittersweet. There are two bittersweets…American and Oriental. Most of what we have in Maine is Oriental Bittersweet, a clinging, climbing, invasive plant that smothers its hosts and can even bring down full grown trees. We have a vine in our yard that reaches the very top of a tall pine, and is 8 inches in diameter at eye level. Still the berries are pretty, and are eaten by at least a few birds. OM Systems OMD EM5Mkiii with 12-45mm zoom at 90mm equivalent. Macro scene mode. Processed in Pixelmator Pro.
Maine! Insect edition
From a walk around Roger’s Pond Park in Kennebunk, Maine. Banded Drone Fly, Bumble Bee, and Honey Bee…all busy gathering pollen while the September sun shines. OM Systems OM1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixomator Pro.
Maine! Friday fresh. Back Creek Marsh
Just something to celebrate the end of the week! Colors and light of fast approaching fall. This is Back Creek near where it flows into the Mousam River in Kennebunk Maine. In-camera HDR with the OM Systems OMD EM5Mkiii and the 12-45mm Pro zoom at 24mm equivalent. HDR scene mode. Nominal exposure: ISO 200 @ f9 @ 1/320th. Processed in Pixomator Pro.
Maine! Goldfinch in Joe Pye Weed
American Goldfinch: York County, Maine, USA, September 2023 — Though it looks like it might be an exotic, this plant is growing, thriving in fact, in a display of native plants at a local reserve…It is Joe Pye Weed, and it is the perfect setting to show off the bright yellow of this fall Goldfinch. As you can imagine there is an interesting story behind the name of the plant. It is named for the Joe Pye, who, legend has it, was a New England tribal medicine man who treated typhoid among early European settlers with native plants…though not, probably, the Joe Pye Weed…though it has been used to treat fever, among other ailments. It is a great host plant for bees and butterflies, and, apparently the Goldfinches enjoy it as well. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 1600mm equivalent (2x digital tel-extender). Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 250 @ f6.3 @ 1/640th.
Maine! Monday motivation
Focus stacked image of Begonia flowers from the back deck. OM Systems OMD-EM5Miii with 12-45mm f4 Pro zoom. Program mode with focus stacking at 90mm equivalent. Nominal exposure ISO 200 @ f4.5 @ 1/125th. Processed in Pixelmator Pro.
Maine! Friday Surprise. Indian Pipe
Ground level on a small stand of emerging Indian Pipe (Ghost Pipe, Ghost Flower) This is a hand-held focus stack from the OM-1 and the 12-45mm f4 Pro. Program mode. Processed in Pixelmator Pro.
Maine! Bee in Blazing Star
Common Eastern Bumblebee: Kennebunk Plains, York County, Maine, USA, August 2023 — before Northern Blazing Star season slips completely away, one last shot. Of course the Blazing Star bloom is a magnet to every pollen collecting bug in southern Maine. There were bees of every sort found here, including this common Bumblebee. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 1250 @ f6.3 @ 1/640th.
Maine! More migrating Monarchs (Blazing Star)
Continuing our coverage of the Monarch butterfly migration in southern Maine, here are two from the Kennebunk Plains and the Northern Blazing Star bloom. I recently found out that the Plains are host to the largest population of Blazing Star left in the world. In the world! Clearly the Monarchs are doing their bit to help keep it healthy. And really, is there anything more photogenic than a Monarch in Blazing Star? (Well, maybe, just possibly, yes there is, but I will save that for another day 🙂 OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo. ISO 200 @ f6.3 @ 1/640th.
Maine! Scolia Wasp in Goldenrod
Scolia Wasp: Kennebunk Plains Nature Conservancy, York County, Maine, USA, August 2023 — When the Blazing Star blooms on the Kennebunk Plains, it attracts insects of all kinds. This Scolia Wasp happened to be in the Goldenrod, which is also in full bloom on the Plains right now. OM Systems OM-1 with ED 100-400mm zoom at 800mm equivalent. Program mode with my birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro. ISO 200 @ f6.3 @ 1/800th.