The 50mm is still delivering and will soon suffer from overuse.  Can’t get enough of it… I think I’ll name her soon (yes, lens’ are girls in my book).

Capturing wildflowers in Kansas: Part 6 of 7

Another tip from my good friend Bryan Orr led me to Lenexa Lake off of K-7 and 95th street.  There’s a small, easy accessible lake that has a range of wild life and wild flowers.  This particular flower is the Indian Blanket, a native to the midsection of the United States and found throughout the country in semi arid environments.  The name is derived from common patterns found in Native American blankets.

Photograph Information:

Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 0.033 sec (1/30)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 255 mm
Exposure: 0.00
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Location: Lenexa, Kansas

Other images in this series:

• Nodding Thistle - Carduus nutans
• New England Aster - Symphyotrichum novae-anglia
• Common Mullein - Verbascum thapsus
• White Milkweed - Asclepias syriaca
• Daisy Fleabane – Erigeron annuus
• Petunia – Petunia axillaris

Capturing wildflowers in Kansas: Part 5 of 7

This flower photo really distorts the viewer’s perspective.  While the Canon 75-300mm lens was about 4 feet away from this subject the end product give the feeling that this is a close up of a monstrous sunflower sized behemoth.  Sorry to disappoint the huge flower theory, but this is a tiny 1/2” Daisy Fleabane (Erigeron annuus).  This native wildflower grows readily in fields and roadsides and was commonly thought to drive fleas away from the home.

This photo was taken under a canopy of trees approximately 35 feet from the bank of a small creek.  The camera was handheld and shook quite a bit as the Daisy Fleabane waved in a mild wind.  Only this web quality photo was captured, but I’m interested in returning to shoot this subject again with better results.

Image information
Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 300 mm
Exposure: 0.00
ISO Speed: 1600
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Location: Lenexa, Kansas

Other images in this series:

• Nodding Thistle - Carduus nutans
• New England Aster - Symphyotrichum novae-anglia
• Common Mullein - Verbascum thapsus
• White Milkweed - Asclepias syriaca

Capturing wildflowers in Kansas:  Part 4 of 7

The fourth flower in my series is special to me in a couple manners.  The most obvious is the capture of the bug in the left corner.  Somehow he just seems to fit in this photograph.  Next, this milkweed is a little far North of his range.  I’m not sure if he’s a transplant that’s only going to stick around for the summer or if he’s native and going to stick around for several years… only time will tell.  The entire set will be posted on my Flicker Photostream.  I welcome questions and comments.

The above photo was hand held and taken in slightly overcast conditions in the early evening next to a creek with a canopy of trees overhead.  f/5.0 was necessary as I tried to handhold the shot without loosing too much of the focus.

Flickr URL:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/michael_reynolds/3696136351/

Other images in this series:

• Nodding Thistle - Carduus nutans
• New England Aster - Symphyotrichum novae-anglia
• Common Mullein - Verbascum thapsus

Image information

Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 0.02 sec (1/50)
Aperture: f/5.0
Focal Length: 230 mm
Exposure: 0.00
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Location: Lenexa, Kansas

Capturing wildflowers in Kansas:  Part 3 of 7

The third flower in my set of seven doesn’t possess the natural color or vibrancy of the former two, but it provides a name to a flower that is commonly seen throughout the United States.   The entire set will be posted on my Flicker Photostream.  I welcome questions and comments.

When identifying wildflowers a field guide is indispensible, being able to see plants similar helps determine what features offset your specimen from others.  Personally, for wildflowers I recommend National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers--E: Eastern Region - Revised Edition. * For example in the photo above it would be very hard to determine what type of wildflower you are looking at, while in the photo below you gain some perspective of height and leaf texture.  While the Common Mullein is not native to North America it quickly adapted to life in the States upon introduction.  Native Americans used the leaves to line their moccasins to provide an extra layer of warmth during bitter winters.  It is said that Romans dipped the stalks in grease which made a great torch, maybe I’ll try to produce a Mullein Torch this Fourth of July (does anyone read this?)

The above photo was hand held and taken in slightly overcast conditions in the early evening.  f/7.1 was necessary to bring the stalk and blooms into as much focus as possible while still providing some blur to the marshland in the background.

Flickr URL:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/michael_reynolds/3679820503/

Other images in this series:

• Nodding Thistle - Carduus nutans
• New England Aster - Symphyotrichum novae-anglia

Image information

Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture: f/7.1
Focal Length: 80 mm
Exposure: 0.00
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Location: Lenexa, Kansas

*  I firmly believe in full disclosure.  I do receive a very small amount of money as a referral fee from Amazon if you buy this book after clicking the link mentioned above.  With that said, I own the above mentioned field guide and have done so for more than two years prior to this posting.

Capturing wildflowers in Kansas:  Part 2 of 7

This is the second shot in my series of seven Kansas Wildflowers.   The set will be posted on my Flicker Photostream.  I welcome questions and comments

New England Aster’s are native to North America and have a widespread range throughout most of the United States and Canada.  Native Americans used teas made from the roots of New England aster to treat fevers and diarrhea, claims Mike Haddock’s web site on Kansas Flowers. 

The above photo was hand held and taken in slightly overcast conditions in the early evening.  f/5.6 aperture was used to through the background completely out of focus.  Post processing on this file is none color-wise, though a deep vignette was used around the edges to draw out the rich color of the flower petals.

Flickr URL:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/michael_reynolds/3676619405/

Other images in this series:

• Nodding Thistle - Carduus nutans

Image information

Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 0.013 sec (1/80)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 280 mm
Exposure: 0.00
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Location: Lenexa, Kansas

Capturing wildflowers in Kansas

Just as the title suggests I’m starting a project on Kansas wildflowers.   Initially, I’m going to take seven photos of wildflowers, posting a small write up of the shot and then cross posting onto my Flicker Photostream.  There will be a small break for the fourth of July, when I take an additional assignment to shoot menu items for a restaurant in Granby, Missouri.

The first photo is of a Nodding Thistle (Carduus nutans) which is definitely not native to Kansas but has thrived since the 1800s on the plans.  Originally from Asia, this thistle is a member of the daisy family with noxious tendencies.  Many farmers try to remove this weed from their fields entirely as the thorny stems can irritate or prick skin easily.  120,000 seeds may be dispersed from a single biennial plant, according to the Wikipedia citation.

The above photo was hand held and taken in slightly overcast conditions in the early evening, 2009:06:27 18:52:42 to be precise.  f/7.1 was used to keep the background out of focus, however; the slightly less mature blossom is somewhat discernable, too.  Had I the chance to take again a tripod would be used though a monopod would probably be sufficient if I possessed one.  I welcome questions or comments.

Flickr URL:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/michael_reynolds/3669961721/

Image information

Camera: Canon EOS 40D
Exposure: 0.01 sec (1/100)
Aperture: f/7.1
Focal Length: 210 mm
Exposure: 0.00
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: Off, Did not fire
Location: Lenexa, Kansas