Tag Archives: close up

Corporate Behavior

Corporate Behavior

Even the smallest and/or prettiest of creatures can be territorial and exhibit more than just a little bit of visciousness in the daily fight for survival. Heaven knows I’ve experienced it within the human workplace, hence the sarcastic title.

 
I’ve been rescuing photos from a dying portable hard drive. The hummingbird images I captured between 2012 – 2014 are favorites of mine and they needed to be saved to another drive.
 
As a photographer, you can learn quite a bit about birds or other wildlife by simply watching and photographing them on a regular basis. During that span of years my mother and I hung out those hummingbird feeders in Texas, I would be over there every morning and/or evening to photograph these soft, tiny little birdies. The more I watched, the more I learned they aren’t quite as sweet as everybody might think. Luckily, this extended observation led to some very interesting photos.
Canon 1DX and 100-400mm lens
 
Copyright Rebecca L. Latson, all rights reserved.

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Filed under 1DX, birds, Canon, Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM, Canon Lens, hummingbirds, Life, nature, Photography, Texas

A Red Poppy “Firework”

Poppy Red

Well, I have no patriotic images handy, so the bright red heart of this poppy will have to do, I guess.

I’ve been roaming the well-tended neighborhoods of Yakima around my sister’s home, marveling and photographing the beautiful flowers in bloom.  Eastern Washington is fantastic for the wealth of fruits, vegetables, and flowers that grow in that area.

I’ve been using only my point-and-shoot cameras for this trip, and this image was captured using the Olympus Tough TG-5.  I’m impressed with the camera but I sure wish it was more than just 12mp.  It is, however, relatively intuitive to use, which is great since a hard-copy owner manual is not included with the camera.

Happy 4th of July, folks!!

Copyright Rebecca L. Latson, all rights reserved.

 

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Filed under Equipment, flowers, Holidays, July 4th, Olympus Tough TG-5, Photography

“Super Close-Up” Shots in a National Park

The National Parks Traveler just published my latest article in their photography column.  It’s titled “Photography in the National Parks:  Make it a Macro Kind of Day” and deals with getting super close-ups using a macro lens or a macro-type gizmo.  It’s a short, fun article.  Check it out!

Forest Floor Colors

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Filed under Canon Lens, Close-Up Lens Filter, Equipment, National Parks, Photography

Christmas Fun with the Canon 250D Close-Up Lens Filter

Pirate Nutcracker Ornament

I recently received my December 2013 edition of Photoshop User.  Within that edition is their “Gonzo Holiday Gear Guide”.  Naturally that was the first thing I turned to upon opening up the magazine.

Jingle Bells

The Canon close-up lens filters were items reviewed in this gear guide.  These can be used for a Canon or Nikkor lenses.  It mentioned how fun these little items were and compared to a real dedicated macro lens, they can be purchased at a fraction of the cost.  So I figured, why not?

Snowflake Ornament

These filters come in several thread sizes, and there are actually two different filters.  The 250D (which is what I ordered) is good for focal lengths of between 30 – 135mm, while the 500D is good for focal lengths of 70 – 300mm.

On Camera

I affixed the close-up lens filter to my Canon 40mm lens to create a light, easy to carry, pseudo-macro lens which I then used to photograph ornaments on my Christmas tree.

All of the images you see of the ornaments in this blog post are totally un-cropped, so this should give you an idea of just how close I can maneuver my camera and lens to get these shots.  Mind you, the depth of field (DOF) is pretty shallow (as you can see) and no, it’s not a dedicated macro.  But, for what is essentially a magnifying glass (utilizing pretty good glass) that is light to use, easy to affix, easy to pack into a gear bag, and produces pretty darned good close up images, I’d say my $87 (this includes 2-day shipping) was well-spent.  It’s going with me on my forthcoming December road trip to Big Bend National Park.

Christmas Ball Reflection

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Filed under Christsmas, Close-Up Lens Filter, Equipment, Holidays, Photography

Happy First Day of Spring!

Little Blue Flowers

An interesting little image of some lovely blue flowers taken while wandering around Brazos Bend State Park, Texas.

Sometimes, an image doesn’t have to be “tac sharp” to evoke a mood or a feeling.

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Filed under flowers, Photography, Spring

Eyes On You!

Eyes on You!

Here’s a testament to a full-frame camera and a good telephoto lens that allows for a decent crop.

I took a break from working on the rodeo photos for my previous blog to travel out to Brazos Bend State Park. Wildflowers, birdlife, and quite a few alligators.

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Filed under alligators, Brazos Bend State Park, Photography, wildlife