Jack-go-to-bed-by-noon is a rather strange common name of Meadow Salisfy. It is also known as Yellow Goat’s Beard, which is just about as strange. It this the tall yellow flower of path and road-side and weedy meadows here in New England, looking like an industrial grade dandelion, with fewer and heavier petals. The Purple species (Western Salisfy) is common elsewhere. The root is edible, and it is actually grown as a vegetable by some . When it goes to seed, it forms a seed head like a giant dandelion…again the industrial grade version of a dandelion ball.

While out on my Saturday photo-prowl this weekend, the Salisfy seed heads were everywhere along the Kennebunk Bridal Path. I found one in the sun, and tried several macro approaches. Because the Canon SX40HS will focus to 0cm at the wide end of the zoom, a very close approach is indeed possible. However 24mm even at 0cm does not give a very large image scale, so the macro effect is diminished. I have found though, that using the digital tel-converter function with macro works very well. Digital tel-converter on the Canon is NOT the same as digital zoom on most cameras. Additional image processing is applied to avoid the artifacts generally associated digital zoom. This shot is at 2x digital tel-converter for a 48mm macro effect. One advantage of this combination is that you keep the depth of field of the short zoom setting (4.3mm before conversion to 35mm equivalence) while getting the image scale of a 48mm lens. Best of both worlds for macro.

And, of course, I would not attempt this kind of thing if I had to lay on my stomach to do it. I use the flip out LCD of the Canon and can take shots like this by bending from the waist. I would never willing buy another camera that does not have an articulated LCD!

Canon SX40HS. Program with iContrast and –1/3EV exposure compensation.  f4 @ 1/400th @ ISO 100. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness.