2012, Day 250 - Icy

I had a little extra plexiglass from another project so I thought I would use it for my insect macros.  It certainly lends a nice look but I think I need to paint one side of it so that I don't get that double reflection in the bottom.  Either way, thank you Mr. Moth for humoring me!

Canon 1D X, Canon 100/f2.8L IS with 12.5mm and 25mm extension tubes
100mm, f16, 1/100 sec @ 100 ISO

2012, Day 249 - Distraction

This is what it looks like when one dog wants to race and the other wants to play.  The red dog is Eddie who wasn't having the most fun racing.  He loves to run and is a great athlete but he doesn't like to be walked on a leash, it still scares him a big because he is accustomed to total freedom and that kind of restriction is unnerving.  Eddie's running companion is Nova and she loves nothing more than to romp with a playmate.  As you can see here she is much more interested in him than in the lure that is well ahead of them.

Oh well, they both had fun and Eddie is learning that a little time with the leash is rewarded with fun and games.  Way to go Ed!

Canon 1D X, Canon 70-200/f2.8L IS Mark II
200mm, f4, 1/800 sec @ 640 ISO

2012, Day 248 - Plum

Sometimes contrast is all you have...  This was taken a few months ago at the Lan Su Yuan Chinese Garden in downtown Portland.  It spritzing and the world had that smell of wet asphalt and people bustled up and down the street as if their optimism would bring summer that much sooner.  This I liked because it was a moment of calm.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f4, 1/400 sec @ 320 ISO

2012, Day 247 - Climb

I suspect that summer is coming to a close in Portland.  We are supposed to have highs in the 80s this week and it is certainly a bit of an uptick from the past couple weeks but then we're supposed to see temperatures drop into the 70s again.  It is not something that I am going to miss, I think that summer is a rather dull season, it is warm and dry and the light is harsh.  Basically, it is bad for photography.  Plus they days are so long here and night shooting requires either caffeine or speed and I am not much of a  fan of either.  As the days get shorter my night shooting will increase and it will be easier to capture sunrises and sunsets and that is always a good thing.

Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon 17-40/f4L
17mm, f5.6, 4 sec @ 500 ISO

2012, Day 246 - Dreams of glory

Bokeh is the technical term used to describe the quality of the out-of-focus areas in a photograph.  Not all bokeh is the same, different lenses have different effects; some have smooth transitions others leave little halos around the edges.  In this photograph the bokeh has that rather dreamy look.  At first I wasn't sure if I liked it as it is not an effect I often see with this particular lens but as I considered it the effect began to grow on me so I share it with you.  I will freely admit that the blooms of this hydrangea are beginning to fade but I still love these  delicate little flowers.

Canon 1D X, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f5.6, 1/100 sec @ 640 ISO

2012, Day 245 - Deflated

I found this little Shelob in my yard, her web in shambles, feasting on her most recent victim.  With a little gentle coaxing I moved her into the house with her dinner.  I was a little worried that she might try to take off but she was so preoccupied with eating that she rarely moved more than her mandibles as she devoured her prey.  I am not entirely sure that it is that she caught, there were other spiders in the yard and most of them had flies but this hefty gal seems to have been able to snare something larger and I suspect that it tested the strength of her web.

Canon 1D X, Canon 100/f2.8L IS with 12.5mm and 25mm extension tubes
100mm, f11, 1/200 sec @ 200 ISO

2012, Day 244 - Fuzzy aerial

I was out in my backyard this afternoon with my macro and my ringflash.  It is a really small space but rather densely planted so there are lots of little places for critters to hide.  As I stalked around I caught motion out of the corner of my eye and followed it to the underside of a leaf.  There I this little pest that I believe to be a midge.  I really like his great fuzzy antenna, I bet it gets great reception!

Canon 1D X, Canon 100/f2.8L IS
100mm, f11, 1/200 sec @ 640 ISO