More than mundane

CANADA GEESE, CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, NOVEMBER 15, 2016

Pentax K-3
90mm Tamron macro
1/250 sec. f8
ISO 100

Canada geese are the dullest, most ordinary photographic subjects one can find in nature, but once in a while they'll add up to an interesting image.

Sunset 9/13/16

SUNSET OVER LAKE SUPERIOR, GREEN, MICHIGAN, SEPTEMBER 13, 2016

Pentax K-5
Pentax 18-135mm at 135mm
1/400 sec. f8
ISO 400

Few sunsets in the world can match those on Lake Superior in September when storm clouds roll in from the west.

Purple finch

PURPLE FINCH, GREEN, MICHIGAN, AUGUST 5, 2016

Pentax K-3
Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5 with 1.4x Pentax extender (420mm)
1/500 sec. f8, handheld
ISO 1600

I had been trying to use the 420mm lens-and-extender combination on a tripod for sharper shots, but training the bulky rig on a moving target was just too difficult. Handholding in the shade became possible at a high ISO that allowed a fast shutter speed to avoid motion blur. In-camera shake reduction, a feature of Pentaxes, helped as well.

Nutch

RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, GREEN, MICHIGAN, AUGUST 5, 2016

Pentax K-3
Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5 with 1.4x Pentax extender (420mm)
1/500 sec. f8, handheld
ISO 1600

The white-breasted variety of "nutch," as it's often called in the Upper Peninsula, has been more common than the red-breasted in the last couple of years. It was nice to see a specimen of the latter at our feeders. They are just as snatch-and-grabby as their cousins.

Upside Downy

FEMALE DOWNY WOODPECKER, GREEN, MICHIGAN, AUGUST 5, 2016

Pentax K-3

Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5 with 1.4x Pentax extender (420mm)

1/500 sec. f8, handheld

ISO 1600

I've taken lots of shots this summer of this Downy Woodpecker on the suet feeder in our back yard, but only today did it assume a fetching pose.

Orange Hawkweed II

ORANGE HAWKWEED, GREEN, MICHIGAN, JULY 4, 2016

Pentax K-01
Tamron 90mm macro
1/180 sec. f8
ISO 1600

Another usable shot emerged from the file of hawkweed photos taken in the back yard of our cabin on Lake Superior on the Fourth of July.

Orange Hawkweed

ORANGE HAWKWEED (PILOSELLA AURANTIACA), GREEN, MICHIGAN, JULY 4, 2016

Pentax K-01
Tamron 90mm macro
1/500 sec. f8
ISO 1600

The orange hawkweed, or devil's paintbrush, is a member of the daisy family, It used to be considered a decorative bloom in American gardens until it got loose and spread, and is now considered a noxious invasive species in some states. In upper Michigan it starts to bloom in late June.

Female purple finch

FEMALE PURPLE FINCH, GREEN, MICHIGAN, MAY 29, 2016

Pentax K-5
Pentax F* 300mm f4.5
1/800 sec. f5.6
ISO 1600

This specimen is likely pregnant and slow-moving, hence allowed me to get close enough to fill the frame with the 300 millimeter lens. Any closer and the photo would have been out of focus.

Indigo Bunting

INDIGO BUNTING, GREEN, MICHIGAN, MAY 23, 2016

Pentax K-5
Pentax F* 300mm f4.5
1/400 sec. f6.3
ISO 1600

Looking just like a goldfinch dipped into a pot of Washable Blue, this little bird is a rare visitor to our feeders. I hadn't seen one for two years when he paid a brief call to get some nyjer seed late one evening when the sun was low and gave his color a special glow.

Song sparrow

SONG SPARROW, GREEN, MICHIGAN, MAY 17, 2016

Pentax K-3
Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5 with Pentax 1.4x converter (420mm)
1/1600 f7.1
ISO 1600

This ground-hopping little sparrow crept right under the feeders while I was photographing finches and paused nicely for its portrait.

Grosbeak No. 1

ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK, GREEN, MICHIGAN, MAY 11, 2016

Pentax K-5
Pentax F* 300mm f4.5 with Pentax 1.4x converter (420mm)
1/800 f6.7
ISO 1600

The more colorful birds have at last returned to our cabin on the shore of Lake Superior. I used a high ISO to ensure a decent shutter speed while hand-holding the camera and long lens combination in the overcast light.

Fuzzlings

CANADA GOSLINGS, LOVELACE PARK, WILMETTE, ILLINOIS, APRIL 23, 2016

Pentax K-3
Pentax 55-300 with Pentax 1.4x converter (322mm)
1/2000 sec. f10
ISO 1600

This is really a lens test photograph. I wanted to see how sharp the 55-300 and 1.4x converter combination would be, and it isn't bad at all when the 55-300 is stopped down short of the full 300mm extension. Lovelace Park is usually of limited interest to a photographer because, except for rare instances during migratory season, the waterfowl usually is humdrum—just mallards and Canada geese. But this season there happily was a breeding pair, and they produced six goslings.

Orchid No. 8

ORCHID, CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, MARCH 6, 2016

Pentax K-3
Tamron 90mm macro
1/125 sec. f16
ISO 1600

It was back to the Orchid Show at the Botanic Garden yesterday for more captures before the show closes soon. Many of the specimens are wilting already, but not this one. I used a high ISO because tripods were barred and hand-holding the camera was required.

Orchid No. 7

ORCHID, EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, MARCH 5, 2016

Pentax K-01
Pentax 35mm f2.4
1 sec. f22
ISO 200

I bought this orchid at a local florist just for the purpose of taking it home and photographing it on the dinner table with a black velvet background. Lighting came from the big windows a few feet from the table. In my opinion, the best orchid photography is done in the studio where conditions can be carefully controlled.

Orchid Show No. 6

LADY'S-SLIPPER ORCHID, CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, MARCH 3, 2016

Pentax K-3
Tamron 90mm macro with 1.4x Pentax extender (126mm)
1/180 sec. f8 with off-camera flash
ISO 6400

I somehow mis-set the ISO for this shot extraordinarily (and unnecessarily) high, but a little work with Lightroom saved the photo for Internet use. Also helping was my new Pentax electronic flash, which works through the lens with the camera settings to provide the right amount of illumination.

Orchid Show No. 5

PAPHIOPEDILUM ORCHID, CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, FEBRUARY 28, 2016

Both photographs:
Pentax K-3
Tamron 90mm macro
Top: 1/8 second f5.6 ISO 200
Bottom: 1/13 second f5.6 ISO 400

Rather than buying another orchid from a vendor, as I did yesterday, I found two more specimens of the Lady's-Slipper Orchid in the reflecting pool hallway of the Regenstein Center at the Botanic Garden and photographed them in situ from different angles.

Orchid Show No. 4

PAPHIOPEDILUM ORCHID, CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, FEBRUARY 27, 2016

Pentax K-01
Pentax 35mm f2.4
1.5 sec. f22
ISO 200

I bought this Lady's Slipper Orchid from a vendor at the Botanic Garden's annual Orchid Show, took it home, and set it up on the dining room table with a black velvet background and the camera on a tripod. Using a poor man's photo studio is a lot easier than trying to find a good subject in the wild.

Orchid Show No. 3

ORCHID, CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, FEBRUARY 20, 2016

Pentax K-01
Sigma 18-250 macro at 105mm
1 sec. f11
ISO 200

This specimen (I don't know the variety either) "doesn't look right," Debby said when she saw it on my computer monitor. The odd red splotches do look as if they're out of focus, but they're not. One of the tough things about Jack Carlson's orchid photography class is that we must shoot only the flowers that are displayed in the Orchid Show, as if they're in the wild. No setting up of individual blooms in the studio is allowed. That forces us to use our camera controls to the utmost.

Orchid Show No. 2

ORCHID, CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, FEBRUARY 20, 2016

Pentax K-01
90mm Tamron macro with 1.4x Pentax extender (126mm)
1/10 sec. f8
ISO 200

A longer shot of the same orchid (it's on the bottom) in yesterday's offering.

Orchid Show No. 1

ORCHID, CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, FEBRUARY 20, 2016

Pentax K-3
90mm Tamron macro with 1.4x Pentax extender (126mm) and off-camera flash
1/6 sec. f11
ISO 200

This was taken for Jack Carlson's orchid photography class, held in conjunction with the annual Orchid Show at Chicago Botanic Garden. It was a tough assignment because he ordered no post processing or cropping, forcing his students to do all their artistry with the camera alone. That teaches patience and discipline. (No idea what variety this specimen is.)