Sunday, March 24, 2013

Exploring the Olentangy



Exactly one month ago, Weston and I ventured to my old stomping grounds about two miles south of where we live today.  Like me, Weston is fascinated with technology, buttons, machines, and other man-made things, but he loves exploring "nature" and "the river" just as much as I do.

-Tom

Monday, March 11, 2013

A Different Viewpoint



I've been experimenting with wide-angle closeup photography as a way to illustrate the totality of a plant- not just its leaves, its flowers, or its stem in part.  Yesterday's viewpoint was from a very close distance but with very wide 16mm equivalent focal length.  Today's view shows a different clump of crocuses, a clump that was much more clustered together, shot with a 35mm equivalent focal length.  The two styles are similar- I'm able to include an entire plant within the frame with much more depth of field.  With the ultrawide angle of view, I'm able to show the relationship of the plant to its environment- in yesterdays photograph, there is not any question that these crocuses were growing in our backyard.  Today's shot, however, doesn't provide the viewer with that information.  Have you tried shooting wide-angle closeups?

Although I've Incorporated this style of close-up photography before, I was inspired this winter after reading Paul Harcourt Davies and Clay Bolt's e-book, Wide-angle Macro, the Essential Guide.  It's a great read- it will help you see the natural world through the lens of your camera in a entirely different way.

-Tom