Airports and blog entrys

I'm sitting in the Portland Airport writing this blog post and I suddenly realized how awesome it would be to be a traveling botanical blogger. Pretty much fly around the world and take flower photographs and write about them. Waiting for flights would give one plenty of time to post process the images. And the flight would allow plenty of time for writing about them.

Columbines in the rock garden

 I think I mentioned I was able to borrow a high quality lens from a friend of mine and I've been having a wonderful time shooting some high quality photo's. I really wish I had invested in good equipment a few years ago now. These shots were taken with a 105mm Macro lens, shot at about 8:30 at night using a tripod. I ended up taking a pretty long shutter speed, and stopped all the way down to the lens value of 2.8.

Columbines in the rock garden

 I'm super greatful for the loaner lens because now I think I know what I want to get, i'm saving for the sony 90mm macro, I originally thought I was going to want to go with a wider focal point lens but after seeing what you can do in low light because of the increased focal length I think it really makes sense to increase it a bit. I figure if I ever end up doing the travel thing, having the ability to do some handheld stuff and in low light seems very necessary for the changeable conditions encountered during travel.

Fritillaria biflora var. ineziana

The last of the Fritillaria are starting in now and the above is the final one to start into bloom. The calochorthus will be along shortly and I'm super excited to get some high quality photo's of these species with the borrowed lens or perhaps I will strike it big in Reno and I'll be able to get that Sony lens.

So I'm off to a wedding of two very special friends in lake tahoe this weekend, I left the camera at home but maybe I'll run into something photo worthy.

I can't not mention the weather, It hasn't rained for three straight weeks and if it does hit 89 degrees today it will break a record, things are very, very dry and the plants haven't had a chance to harden off the new growth so everything is flagging. Expect to see a remarkbly dry and painfully hot summer. Fingers crossed the weather gods are just bluffing this time.

Signing off from coach class row 9 seat D.

Mark

Bought the Bullet

"You don't take a photograph, you make it"
                                                                           Ansel Adams

Illahe From the Rock Garden.

                                                                   

I finally did, I saved up enough pieces of paper, and I took the plunge, I bought a camera, a halfway decent camera. I think this is going to help me put into cyberspace what I think I'm seeing in front of me everyday. Or at least a more realistic interpretation of what it is that I think I'm seeing. The sony A6300 was what I went with because after all Blue Collar dictates that even if you wish you didn't have to,  you still have to live within your means, But I must say for a "Starter" Decent camera, I think it does a stand up job. Makes me wonder what I'm capable of with a superstar rig in my hands! Like old Ansel said, you gotta make something .

I think I'm going to spend some serious time to photo document the collection in portrait style now that I have the decent camera to do it. I know everyone wants to see a huge pot of Frits doing the showy thing. But to really appreciate them  single flower with all the detail captured seems to really stand out to me. 

Fritillaria are so structurally significant in form, and what color even is that?????
 These shots are with the kit lens a 16 to 50mm. I don't love the focus range on this lens, I feel like I want to get closer.  But i'm probably going to try to save more pieces of paper for a really good macro lens. I know you can do a lot of great plant photography without one, but personally I really love the intricate, up close details of flowers. There is an entirely new world visible when you take a closer look. 

Joseph Halda's Iris bucharica collection at dusk on a April evening. The best thing about the A6300 is it's compact size, I think if I ever win the lottery I'm gonna travel and do some serious botanical exploration. This camera offers the travel requisite size requirement. 

So in true disclaimer fashion, All of these pictures were taken on a brand new, straight out of the box Sony A6300 with the kit 16 to 50mm lens, in a one hour window on the same nigth , nothing fancy about it really, and no post processing whatsoever, I just loaded them onto the blog. I have read that no good photographer doesn't post process the images, but It's a little like the music I make, I spent a lot of time just playing a guitar straight through an amp with no effects so you only hear the product of your fingers and your brain. Not that adding to the mix is a bad thing, i'm just pointing out that these are organic and raw photo's straight out of my new decent camera. Probably soon I'll learn how to use effects and make digital corrections but for now, what you see is what you get. 

Beautiful Oregon Spring mix of wet, rainy, misty, drizzle, coupled with downpours, soakers, and squalls. Once or twice the sun came out. I have the sulphur duster on the ready as the humidity has been over 100% for like 3 weeks in a row now. Hopefully a little dry weather will let me get the cover crop on the veg garden, and some tillage on the new berry rows I'm planning for this season. 

Here is to many better photo's! Finally I feel a little better equipped. 

Cheers, 

Mark