My online journal where I share my interests in photography, nature, journaling, fountain pens, bicycling, coffee life, spirituality and the mystery of it all.
Well, so far I am pleased with the Fujifilm XF70-300mm f4.0-5.6 OIS WR. In the reviews I’ve read they talk about the close focusing ability of this lens and I find it to be true. All of these images were taken at 300mm and handheld.
I am noticing quicker battery drainage but that may be caused by shooting more images as I learn, practice and experiment with thisl ens.
This spider is about the size of a quarter. I am about three feet away and maybe could have gotten closer so the close focusing distance is good for me.
OIS Marigold (I think) found in Old Town square – handheld
A short comment about the Fujifilm XF16-80mm f4.0 lens. Loving it! Crisp images. I’m impressed with the how close I can get for macro images. It is silent compared to the XF18-55mm f2.8-4.0 lens. The focus is almost negligible. I was worried at first with the OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) because it is so quick. Thought I may have a bad lens but some experimenting let me know it does it’s job. At my age the OIS is a nice plus. For sure making me a better photographer. 😊
“When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else. Most people in the city rush around so they have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it whether they want to or not.”
I’m not sure how it happened. I was working through some images from 2009 taken at Inniswood Gardens when I discovered these two images. It seems I did very little with them at the time and most likely because I had shot a lot of images that day. It was a cloudy, overcast day with light rain and I’m in this beautiful garden, why not. For some reason I found the only keyword I had entered for either of these images was Inniswood Gardens. There was no keyword for dragonfly or plants or leaves or rain. Nothing. How the heck am I suppose to find them without keywords, unless I’m just browsing? I suspect slothfulness or skipped them because other images were more appealing to me. I could have skipped the dragonfly because it is a bit out of focus.
I think this a Clubtail Dragonfly. Forgot to ask when I took the photo.
However, this time around they caught my eye. They also reminded me of those rainy, overcast days that provided such wonderfully diffused light while I lived in Ohio. It also reminded me of how often I came home with wet pants (from the knee down) when it was raining or just rained. I played with them a little, and for my taste, I like the way these two images turned out. My post processing included exposure, tone and contrast. Pretty simple actually. Why I did not play with these five years ago, I don’t know. But, five years ago something within urged me to press that shutter button. I must pay more attention to the urge.
Delicate Flowers
Oh, and these flowers? Well, I’m going to throw them in because I have the urge too. 🙂
“When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are not yet ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back. A week is more than enough time for us to decide whether or not to accept our destiny.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Devil and Miss Prym
Being the dreamer that I am, I’ve had a tendency to wander off to the past or the future, knowing I cannot live in either. As I’ve lived with life’s necessary lessons, I’m more prone to live in the present moment. I’m not as prone to look back on choices and experiences that have altered my life with “regrets.” The regrets have been replaced with gratitude, allowing me to enjoy the wonders of the moment. Photography has also helped in that process. If I allow it, the camera offers me a chance to look closer and more intent at life. It helps me slow down, take it all in and enjoy all that is in front of me. Most importantly, my camera can only take images of the present moment. No need to look back. Instead accept the moment.
I’m not a fan of spiders even though I know they have a necessary place in our ecosystem. They help manage insect populations by eating lots of insects that cause harm to agriculture and insects that bother humans, such as mosquitos. They also supply food for birds, lizards, wasps and other animals. I don’t stomp on ’em like I have in the past but I do give them space because there is a venom in those bites. The junipers along the sidewalk leading to my front door have a few spiderwebs which usually means there’s spiders. So, I peaked and sure enough there were spiders. So, I grabbed the tripod and a macro and got down close. We were sure making eye contact when I took this image. I’m still not a fan of them and was wishing I had a longer macro. 🙂
One of the nice things about the G12 is the quick macro mode, no need to change a lens. However, I still must get down on my knees to get close. What a world we have to enjoy, especially after a nice rain.
… well actually two more dewdrops. I found these two hanging on after a night of rain. Just after I took this image the dewdrop in the background fell to the ground. If you look closely in the front dewdrop you can see yours truly, kneeling on the ground with wet and muddy pants. 🙂 There was no way for me to get a sharper image than this as the wind was making the blade of grass sway constantly.
Okay, I could be wrong but I think this is called a Russula Mushroom. I came across four of them grouped along the path in Blendon Woods Park and was immediately drawn to the red color. So, with tripod in hand and a macro lens mounted on my camera I got down on my knees for several macro images. My pants were dirty and wet and I did a bit of grunting as I stood back up. (This aging body does not function the way it did 20-30 years ago, it creaks and cracks at times. 🙂) Rain earlier in the morning left everything with a bright shine and wonderful contrast to work with. It almost looks like a bite has been taken out of this one. Thinking I may have to buy a longer focal length macro.
I think most of my missed opportunities, and this includes all areas of my life, are because I fail to be there, to take the necessary steps to be there. If I had not picked up my camera and tripod then headed to Blendon Woods Metro Park, I would not have had the opportunity to meet this milkweed bug face-to-face. Nor, would he/she have had the opportunity to meet me. 🙂 If you look close enough I thin there is a smile on their face. I did not plan our encounter but was actually searching for raindrops on leaves or flowers after a hard rain we’d just had. And, once I’d experienced this moment I needed to know something about them, so I googled milkweed bugs. I discovered an interesting little character. Yep, I need to place myself in more places so I do not miss any more opportunities.
And, in case you need to know a milkweed bug, Oncopeltus fasciatus, is a very large–sized hemipteran of the family Lygaeidae. And, believe it or not, they feed on milkweed plant juices, seeds and occasionally on other plant juices.
