Marigold at Night with Spider

Hey! Put Out That Light!

What makes this photograph fun is the story behind it. I was out after dark, looking to keep up my personal One Picture a Day challenge. I had my flash (Nikon SpeedLight SB-600) and my macro lens (Micro-Nikkor 60mm AF; never leave home without it.) The marigolds were a convenient target blooming in my garden. […]

Bee in Gentian

Closed Gentian Open

There are some that dismiss a dedicated macro lens. Oh, they say, you’ll take pictures of a few bugs and a few flowers, then it will sit in your bag. Personally, I can’t get enough of macro photography. I do get in a rut from time to time, when I realize I’ve already photographed this […]

Geranium Anthers

Sticky Pollen

Do not be alarmed, this pollen will not cause allergies. Note how the pollen is stuck to the anthers of this wild geranium (Geranium maculatum). This pollen is designed to stick to visiting insects, hitching a ride to the next flower. The pollen of most showy blossoms is sticky. The pollen that causes allergies is […]

Blue Hyacinth

Blue Hyacinth

Still waiting for the Snow Trillium to bloom. The patch I am watching has 30 buds ready to go, but as of today, only two look like they have petals beginning to part. In the meantime, near that patch there are some blue hyacinths that bloom early. I don’t know the variety at the moment. […]

Wizard of EL-Nikkor

Wizard of EL-Nikkor

Just having some fun here. The idea is that fiddling around, even with no particular destination in mind, can teach something that may come in handy in the future. One goal of the One Picture a Day project is just to get the equipment out to do something. Here we were playing with depth of […]

Shark Eye Shell

Shark Eye Moon Rise

A Shark Eye shell is in the spotlight. Shark eye is a type of moon snail. Moon snails are predatory snails that live along the Atlantic coast. The snail feeds on bivalves like clams and scallops. It drills a neat, round hole to access the animal within the shell. Bivalve shells with these holes are […]