22 Mar 13. I got to thinking this week that I hadn't shared very many macro images this year only to realize I've shared none. So today we break the trend and start with the first macro of the year. Jan brought home a bunch of cut daffodils earlier in the week and I thought they would make a nice subject for a few attempts at something macro/close-up. I tried a few different approaches of which I'll share more than one, starting with the image for today which more than anything else is simply a view of the edge of the horn and part of a single petal. It is intentionally soft save for a small portion of the single petal, with the emphasis being on the fine texture of the flower as well as its color. This might well be how it looks to a small insect traversing the expanse of the full bundle of flowers. Nikon D300s; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/60 sec @f/3.2 with fill flash.
25 Mar 13 Here is another of the older images from our trip in '09. We are at Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve in SE Idaho, and if you haven't visited this piece of the National Parks system you should put it on your list of things to see the next time you visit the area around Yellowstone/Grand Tetons National Parks. In fact, it should be the first stop on your visit to the three areas, as it sets the stage for what you will be seeing in the other two. Broken Top Mountain, the summit of which is the setting for this shot, is a easy to moderate climb up a 45 degree angles climb composed mostly of cinders, so while it is not really difficult, it does take a bit of time if you are not in your teenage shape. The view from the top will vary of course depending on atmospheric conditions which were rather nice on our first visit and snowed out on our second visit 8 days later. But both visits were equally nice, we saw different things on both days, and I'm anxious to visit it once more. You are looking east toward Big Southern Butte, about 25 miles distant. The Apollo astronauts trained here in preparation for walking on the moon. That should give you a hint of what it is like and what you could see. I've used some of the newer software tools to present this lovely location in a manner that I hope may entice you to visit. D300; 18 - 200; Aperture Priority; ISO 200; 1/250 sec @ f /16.
