Sunday, May 11, 2008

A Flower for our Moms



Happy mother's day Mom! And happy mother's day to all the moms out there. My mom of 29 years, Carol, is in Munroe Falls Ohio today, while Megan's mom of almost 29 years, Kate is in Otisfield Maine. We are both lucky to have such great mothers. And our grandmothers are awesome as well! Shout outs to my Grandma Arbour in Akron, and Megan's Granmda Jean in Manhattan and Grandma Jerry in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

So here is a flower for you special ladies on this mother's day. This is actually a native Ohio plant, and I shot this photograph last evening just at the end of our drive, just back into the woods. What a wonderful fun tool (or should I say toy?) my new Vivitar 285HV flash has been. Although I'm partial to more natural shots, using a flash can really create endless creative possibilities.

Here I put the camera on a tripod pointing straight down at this flower, set up my ten second timer, held the flash in my right hand and an eight inch white reflector in the other, and pointed the flash right at the flower. The reflector bounces the flash back onto the other side of the flower, filling in the light so that there are no harsh shadows. Once I looked at the image, I wasn't quite happy with it, so I rotated the image 180 degrees. And that is why the main light is coming from the top left, even though I was holding the flash in my right hand. If you do not have an external flash for your digital SLR camera, I know that I have really enjoyed mine and it has allowed me to capture images that I never thought were possible.

The question of the day:

What is the scientific name of this native Ohio vascular plant species?

Tom

9 comments:

  1. Thank you Tommy for that tribute to our mothers! :-) How did you make it all black behind the flower?

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  2. Tom: Great shot, I don't know what it is but you captured it well.

    Very nice write-up for Mothers Day.

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  3. A special flower for all mothers around!

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  4. Happy Mothers Day to all Mothers.

    Nice tribute.
    Great photo.

    We have posted:
    Alaska's Haul Road - The Dalton Highway.
    A 414 mile gravel road,
    to the Arctic Ocean

    Come join us for the trip,
    Troy and Martha

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  5. Thanks for the beautiful mother's day picture and kind words. I don't know what the flower is, but it's beautiful! I am so glad that you continue to find beauty in the natural surroundings around you that you have appreciated since you were a little boy, and that now you can share your knowledge with so many others through your blog! Your Grandma Thomas would be so proud, too. (She's reading this from Heaven, I know!) Love,
    Mom

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  6. Megan- Thanks, Since I pointed the flash at the flower from the side, the flash only went from one side to the other, and didn't light any of the background. Pretty cool, isn't it?

    Guy- Thank you! Actually, I don't see this species much in N.E. Ohio, it was one that I recently learned upon moving to our current home.

    Thanks Tom. Hope you enjoyed your time in the Buckeye State!

    Troy- THanks, I'll have to check that out.

    Mom- You are welcome, happy mother's day!

    Tom

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  7. Well, looks like I failed the turtle quiz! (and should probably not reveal that I know even less about wild flowers)
    But is that a wild hyacinth? Camassia scilloides

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  8. Nina- I really liked your thoughts about the turtles, you had very good ideas. I should go get some photographs of the Ouchita map turtles that are found further south in the Scioto River. They are pretty cool creatures.

    Tom

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  9. And I forgot to mention.


    DING DING DING

    You recognized correctly this plant as Camassia scilloides , the wild hyacinth. You get the botanist of the day award!

    Tom

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