Glorious Orange

Gerbera jamesonii (Family: Compositae; common name: Barberton daisy)

Daisies are always a delight to see. They come in a huge variety of colors (either natural or color cultivars) and become the point of interest both in the garden and in the wild. This flower was shot in the afternoon so sunlight added contrast and intensified the colors of the flower.

Photo by George J. Reclos

Shooting Data:

Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: Nikkor 50 mm f/1.8 D
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/90 sec - f/9.5, Aperture priority mode
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL mode
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS, levels adjusted, USM added and resized.

Symmetry in orange

The symmetry of this flower is simply striking. I guess the use of a true macro lens would bring out finer detail but the zoom lens allows for better framing. When you are on the move, you have to do everything quickly and stepping back to get a better framing is not always possible.

Photo by George J. Reclos

Shooting data:

Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: Tamron AF 28-300 f/3.5-6.3 @ 300 mm
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed: 1/250sec @ f/11
Flash: no flash used.
Image: JPEG processed in Photoshop CS, unsharp mask filter, curves to reduce the highlights and resized.  

Gerbera jamesonii (Family: Compositae; common name: Barberton daisy)

While discussing with Frank about the usefulness of MLU (Mirror Lock Up) found in the Nikon D2X camera (but not on the Nikon D70) I decided to take a close up shot of a small flower of a dahlia and make a comparison. This photo was shot with Mirror Lock up (to minimize vibration due to mirror swap), a tripod, a Novoflex bellows, the Nikon SB800 flash unit and, of course, the Tamron 180 mm macro. Using the 90 mm macro would result in much better detail because of its shorter focal length but the lens in question was the tele-macro one. After I took the shot I was just surprised to see the complicated structure of this flower.

Photo by George J. Reclos

Shooting Data:

Camera: Nikon D2X
Lens: Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO 100
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/60 sec - f/20, Aperture priority mode
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL mode
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS, levels adjusted, USM added and resized.  

Cosmos sulphureus (Family: Compositae; common name: Yellow cosmos) and Centaurea cyanus (Family: Compositae; common name: Cornflower)

The place was Albany, NY and this is the local botanic garden kept in shape by volunteers like Shirley Stevens. They have done a remarkable job - no matter where you look, there is something to admire. The whole place speaks about the love, tender and care those people show to these plants. As I was walking around with Ken and Roy, I saw this bed of yellow cosmos and decided to take a picture of this isolated flower circled by the small blue flower and a number of buds, like a star and the planets orbiting around it. The bright orange colour of the main flower further emphasizes this visual impression. A very small aperture was used to ensure there was enough depth of field while fill in flash was necessary to have a speed high enough to hand hold the camera. Many thanks to Shirley Stevens for identifying this flower.

Photo by George J. Reclos

Shooting Data:

Camera: Nikon D2X
Lens: Tamron SP AF 90 mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO 100
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/60 sec - f/20, Aperture priority mode
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL mode
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS2, levels adjusted, smart sharpening added and resized.