Dwarf Larkspur
Today’s outing was a brief visit to Cedar Creek Park on the Youghigeny River.
I feel I should explain the framing for this larkspur shot. One challenge for wildflowers is to capture the overall gestalt of the flower. Dwarf Larkspur (Delphinium tricorne) is a raceme of blossoms. Picturing one blossom does not properly depict that in the wild, your eye sees the entire set of blossoms as a unit. On the other hand, just photographing the entire plant has been done. In this version, I framed the image so that the other blossoms are present, but not overwhelming the focused blossom. The viewer can see that several blossoms appear together on the stalk. One can also see some of the blossoms have not opened yet, and what those look like. Finally, the spur of the blossom is suggested by the blossoms behind the focus. So, we get lots of information about the plant, yet we can enjoy the details of one blossom. I also like the look of the one blossoms seeming to float in space–almost, because the other blossoms are detailed enough to keep the subject anchored. I did not make an effort to capture the leaves, but, the leaves have a hard time taking attention from the bloom.
This image was taken with the Nikon D90 and the best value in Nikon macro lenses, the Micro-Nikkor 60mm AF. ISO 200, f/4.6, 1/320 sec. Post-processing in Aperture limited to basic enhancements.
Here’s a few more pictures from the same visit. I played more with Aperture settings and presets, as you’ll see.
Squirrel Corn
The Squirrel Corn (Dicentra canadensis) here has a Dynamics by SEIM preset applied. Sort of an HDR effect, which I know is becoming cliche, but in this case I like the ethereal “light from above” feel. I think.
Mossy Rock Wall
Here’s your standard rock wall. This was apparently a bridge abutment at one time here in Cedar Creek Gorge.
The last image on this walk was from rounding a corner to find the biggest spread of Blue-eyed Mary (Collinsia verna) I have ever seen.
Blue-eyed Mary
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