The Experience of Depth

Of late my Passion Flower Vine has captured the attention of some Fritillary Caterpillars. So far I've counted 7 of them. What I love most about photographing small critters is what I'm able to do with the depth. I used the "super macro" setting on my camera and focused on the head, allowing the rest of the frame to blur as it would. I used the rule of thirds for my primary composition guidelines and looked for interesting angles. When dealing with a shallow depth of field I've found it best to take many pictures even of the same basic shot because fractions of a difference in the depth can change the entire focus of the picture.

For example, what if in the picture below I had mistakenly focused a fraction to the left of the caterpillar's head? It would have focused on the flower bud and slightly blurred the caterpillar rather than bringing it in sharp. It is often hard to notice the slight changes in depth when taking a picture which is why I always take several just to make sure I get it right.

Notice this picture below, if you look carefully the focus is on the middle of the caterpillar rather than it's head. Do you see how such a subtle change hinders the photograph's effect? I love the composition of this one but the slight misplaced sharpness really detracts from the overall picture.

To read about Andrew and Kathlena's experience with these little critters visit our Family Blog.

Bee-tail

This shot was taken from above the subject and used the rule of thirds. (Notice the center of the flower is at one of the four intersections.

Zoomed in for Detail (or Bee-tail) :)

A Stroll Through the Garden

Well...I went shopping this week...in the garden section.
I bought two varieties of Tulips and a Daffodil which you will see pictured below. When I planted my newly acquired plants in my Butterfly Garden I discovered these clover (below) and they were just too pretty to pass up.

 Just an old stump I use as a stepping stone...

Notice how the stigma of the flower below is blurred but the pollen is in focus, this is due to the limited depth of field in macro.

Texas Dandelions

If you wonder at the large amount of photos in this post -just know that these were the top 26 photos out of 900! No that is not a typo, I really meant 900. I spent several hours photographing these interesting little flowers and these are the ones that made the cut.

The Texas Dandelion, unlike other dandelions have a longer blooming season and open only in the morning. As I study the amazing detail of these seemingly small and insignificant flowers it causes me to once again lift my praise to the Creator who instilled these flowers with such beauty, symmetry, and complexity.

Do you notice the dried dandelion between the two open ones?
See how they draw your eye away from the main subject?

Now, look again after some simple Photoshop editing.
(Edit, Guided, Guided Activities, Touch up scratches, blemishes, or tear marks.)

Isn't it amazing the beauty and complexity of a single drop of water?

How about a hundred?

Look carefully, these following photos are the product of a long time spent chasing around this little bee from flower to flower. Never again will I flippantly utter the phrase "as busy as a bee".