Photo Album 1

Symmetry in red

In this shot I decided to use the flash in the "BL" (balanced" TTL) mode since the ambient light levels didn't offer a high shutter speed.

Photo by George J. Reclos

Shooting data:

Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: Tamron AF 28-300 f/3.5-6.3 @ 200 mm
Sensitivity: ISO200
Shutter speed: 1/125sec @ f/8
Flash: no flash used.
Image: JPEG processed in Photoshop CS, unsharp mask filter, curves to reduce the highlights and resized.  

Dahlia variabilis (Family: Compositae)

This dahlia may lack the vivid colors of the orchids and roses but it is impressive in its simplicity. It combines a nice color contrast with a very interesting (and complicated) construction as well as an almost perfect symmetry.

Photo by George J. Reclos

Shooting Data:

Camera: Nikon D70
ens: Tamron SP AF 90 mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/125 sec - f/8, Aperture priority mode
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL mode with plastic dome.
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS2, levels adjusted, smart sharpening added and resized.   

Magnolia sp.

The vivid coloration of the magnolia flower on a huge tree in Avedida Paulista in Sao Paulo. The tree was full of flowers which looked as natural christmas decoration (it was nearly Christmas time when this shot was taken). The light level was measured on the dark part of the flower (spot metering) and fill- in flash was used to make sure that the dark green foliage would show in detail.  
 
Photo by George J. Reclos

Shooting Data:
 
Camera: Nikon D70
Lens: Tamron SP AF 180mm f/3.5 Di Macro 1:1
Sensitivity: ISO 200
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/500 sec, f/8 Aperture priority mode
Flash: SB-800 in i-TTL mode
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS2, levels adjusted, smart sharpening added and resized.

Leucanthemum vulgare (family: Asteraceae; common names: marguerite, oxeye daisy, daisy)

The oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare, syn. Chrysanthemum leucanthemum), also known as the marguerite, is a widespread flowering plant native to Europe and the temperate regions of Asia. It is one of a number of plants to be called by the common name daisy. It is also sometimes called moon daisy or dog daisy. During flowering time, wherever you look, there are some. In Greece the flowers start to show in mid-January and soon a carpet is formed. Isolated or in nice combinations they will reward you with colourful images and interesting textures. In this photo there were two flowers whose distance from the lens differed greatly, therefore the use of an even smaller aperture would not result in a sharp image of the lower one (and would, perhaps, reduce the overall sharpness of the image due to diffraction). Thus, I stayed at f/8 which is known to be the best aperture for an already sharp lens. I took two photos, one with flash and one without. The photo with the flash eliminated all shadows and the picture of the flower was really flat, so I decided to show the other one here. This was the first couple of daisies seen this year. The detailed fly on the flower was an optional extra.   
 
Photo by George J. Reclos

Shooting Data:
 
Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Tamron 180 mm f/3.5 Macro
Sensitivity: ISO 500
Shutter speed - aperture: 1/1000 sec - f/8, Manual mode
Flash: none
Image: JPEG edited in Photoshop CS, levels adjusted, sharpening added and resized.