The Whodunit Photographer

Red Spike Ice Plant

2012-01-27T00:01:00.001-06:00

RED SPIKE ICE PLANT (CEPHALOPHYLLUM ALSTONI), CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, JANUARY 25, 2012

Pentax K-5
Tamron SP AF 90mm f2.8 DI Macro
1/60 sec. f8
ISO 1600

The succulent plant from southwestern South Africa is only about five inches high, but its intense cerise bloom (here dime-sized in its early stages) will grow to about two inches wide in a week or two. Though it lay low on the ground, the red, red flower immediately captured my eye as I strode through the arid greenhouse at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Peruvian Apple Cactus

2012-01-26T08:38:00.001-06:00

PERUVIAN APPLE CACTUS (CEREUS REPANDUS), CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, JANUARY 25, 2012

Pentax K-5
Tamron SP AF 90mm f2.8 DI Macro
1/100 sec. f8
ISO 1600

This prickly fellow hails from the deserts of Peru and its edible fruits are used there, though in the United States the cactus is chiefly ornamental. It can grow as tall as 33 feet, although this specimen in the arid greenhouse at the Chicago Botanic Garden is only about 2 1/2 feet high.

Mexican Fan Palm

2012-01-26T00:00:00.000-06:00

MEXICAN FAN PALM (WASHINGTONIA ROBUSTA), CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, JANUARY 25, 2012

Pentax K-5
Tamron SP AF 90mm f2.8 DI Macro
1/60 sec. f8
ISO 1600

Midwesterners may be mystified, but any Southern Californian will recognize this shaggy mess as the normal trunk bark of the Mexican Fan Palm, a south-of-the-border native that often lines city boulevards. For some no doubt obscure reason it's named for George Washington. I captured it during a foray to the tropical greenhouse at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Click on the photo for a bedsheet-sized version.

Third sparrow of the season

2012-01-25T00:00:00.001-06:00

HOUSE SPARROW, EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, JANUARY 13, 2012

Pentax K20D
SMC Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5 ED (IF)
1/750 sec. f8
IS0 400

Backyard sparrows are about as exciting as three-year-old Honda Civics, but now and then one puts on a pretty pose that's worth capturing.

Mourning dove

2012-01-24T05:34:00.000-06:00

MOURNING DOVE (ZENAIDA MACROURA), EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, JANUARY 13, 2012

Pentax K20D
SMC Pentax-F* 300mm ED (IF)
1/90 sec. f8
ISO 400

This is (or was) one of a pair of doves that had frequented our back yard for a number of years. A few days after this photo was taken, a Cooper's hawk killed and ate one of the doves in the neighbor's back yard. The hawk has taken up residence in the neighborhood, and we expect more such incidents.

Third squirrel of the season

2012-01-21T16:14:00.001-06:00

GRAY SQUIRREL, EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, JANUARY 20, 2012

Pentax K20D
Sigma APO 135-400 DC at 135mm
1/125 sec. f6.7
ISO 400

The squirrels descended upon our backyard desk en masse during the beginning of yesterday's snowstorm hoping for an extra handout to tide them through the night. After taking this photo, I obliged.

Second sparrow of the season

2012-01-19T09:49:00.000-06:00

FEMALE HOUSE SPARROW, EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, JANUARY 15, 2012

Pentax K20D
Sigma APO 135-400 DC at 400mm
1/750 sec. f6.7
ISO 400

This sparrow posed prettily atop a snowbank on our backyard deck railing one frigid morning, fluffing its feathers against the cold.

Pine Siskin

2012-01-12T00:01:00.002-06:00

PINE SISKIN (CARDUELIS PINUS), EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, JANUARY 11, 2012

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5 ED (IF)
1/2500 sec. f9
ISO 1600

Another rare visitor to our backyard feeder, the Pine Siskin is a close relative of house finches and goldfinches (the yellow tinge on the siskin's lower wing feathers is an identifying point). It's said to be a noisy and agile flier often mistaken for a sparrow, but the siskin is a much smaller bird.

Goldfinch in winter camo

2012-01-11T11:39:00.001-06:00

MALE AMERICAN GOLDFINCH (CARDUELIS TRISTIS), EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, JANUARY 12, 2012

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5 ED (IF)
1/320 sec. f8
ISO 1600

It's hard to believe that the bright yellow male goldfinch turns so gray and dull in January, but it does. This specimen made a nice change from the ubiquitous sparrows at our backyard birdbath today.

First sparrow of the season

2012-01-08T17:35:00.000-06:00

FEMALE HOUSE SPARROW (PASSER DOMESTICUS), EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, JANUARY 4, 2012

Pentax K20D
SMC Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5 ED (IF)
1/250 sec. f5.6
ISO 400

House sparrows are ten cents a gross in anybody's backyard, and naturally I throw out most of the shots of them as being exceedingly uninteresting. Once in a while, however, a sparrow will strike a pose that's worthy of a bird species identification catalogue if nothing else, and so I proffer this example.

Second squirrel of the season

2011-12-29T09:56:00.001-06:00

GRAY SQUIRREL, EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, DECEMBER 21, 2011

Pentax K20D
SMC Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5 ED (IF)
1/90 sec. f6.7
ISO 400

While I was laid up recovering from a knee replacement, Deborah Abbott (a k a the Lady Friend) captured this squirrel through the window of ~~our~~ her home office. Ordinary as they may be and ubiquitous as they may be, members of the Sciurus genus always are good subjects. Just hand out some tidbits and they'll come sit for their portraits.

Blue-capped Waxbill

2011-12-11T08:58:00.001-06:00

BLUE-CAPPED WAXBILL (URAEGINTHUS CYANCEPHALUS), SKOKIE, ILLINOIS, DECEMBER 10, 2011

Pentax K-5
Sigma 17-70 DC at 70mm
1/200 sec. f7.1
ISO 3200

Another exotic African bird found in the Alden rehab center's aviary, this one is also known as a subspecies of the Cordon Bleu waxbill. It's popular among breeders but takes some work to keep reproductively happy, since it likes termites more than any other food. And you know what happens when termites get loose in the house.

Shaft-tail Finch

2011-12-11T04:59:00.000-06:00

SHAFT-TAIL FINCH (POEPHILIA ACUTICANDA), SKOKIE, ILLINOIS, DECEMBER 9, 2011

Pentax K-5
Sigma 17-70 DC at 70mm
1/200 sec. f8
ISO 3200

This pretty, sparrow-sized bird is native to the dry savanna of northwest Australia. Its export is now banned in that country, so examples have become expensive elsewhere. Fortunately the species breeds readily in captivity and hence is often kept in pairs. This one was captured in the little aviary at the Alden Estates rehab center in suburban Chicago.

Diamond Dove

2011-12-10T05:04:00.000-06:00

DIAMOND DOVE (GEOPOLIA CUNEATA) SKOKIE, ILLINOIS, DECEMBER 9, 2011

Pentax K-5
Sigma 17-70 DC at 70mm
1/200 sec. at f8
ISO 3200

Another of my rehab center aviary captures, this one is of a sparrow-sized pigeon native to Australia. Not much can be said about it (or any other kind of pigeon), but the vivid eye ring bespeaks a male, or so says the bird book.

Orange Weaver

2011-12-09T15:28:00.002-06:00

ORANGE WEAVER FINCH (PLOCEUS AURANTIS), SKOKIE, ILLINOIS, DECEMBER 9, 2011

Pentax K-5
Sigma 17-70 DC at 70mm
1/200 sec. f8
ISO 3200

When it's in breeding plumage, the male Orange Weaver (a k a Red Bishop) is about as gaudy a bird as you'll see. The rest of the time this native of Central Africa looks like a sparrow. I captured it after a strenuous trek through the jungle of the Alden Estates Rehabilitation Center, which keeps a small aviary for the amusement of its patients.

First squirrel of the season

2011-11-12T14:28:00.000-06:00

GRAY SQUIRREL, EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, NOVEMBER 11, 2011

Pentax K20D
SMC Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5 ED (IF)
1/180 sec. f5.6
ISO 800

I've been back in Evanston for six weeks and am only now getting around to photographing the wildlife in my backyard through the rear office window. This young specimen held steady for its portrait on a cloudy day.

Giving up the ghosts

2011-10-23T06:31:00.002-05:00

ABANDONED HOUSE, ATLANTA, MISSOURI, OCTOBER 16, 2011

Pentax K-5
Sigma 10-20 DC at 13mm
1/250 sec. f8
ISO 100

Driving around the small town of Atlanta (pop. 385) in northeastern Missouri with a carload of rail-buff photographers yielded this picturesque old house in the weeds. The cloud formations in the blue, blue sky above the house suggested supernatural events, even if Halloween hadn't quite arrived yet. Considerable distortion correction in Lightroom was required to straighten the vertical lines of the house.

Stop-action hummer

2011-10-15T08:04:00.000-05:00

RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD, GREEN, MICHIGAN, JUNE 6, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 55-300 at 260mm
1/2000 sec. f8
ISO 1600

Discovered among the summer's photo archives this morning, this is one of the few hummingbird shots in which I've been able to stop the wings and catch the subject away from the intrusive red plastic feeder used to attract the birds. It appears from the angle of its tailfeathers that the bird was flying backwards in mid-hover.

Dahlias

2011-10-13T00:01:00.000-05:00

'BISHOP OF LLANDORF,'
SEMI-DOUBLE DAHLIA,
CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN,
GLENCOE, ILLINOIS,
OCTOBER 10, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 55-300 at 170mm
1/320 sec. f8
ISO 1600

Taken as the low early morning sun backlighted the blossoms.

Leaf

2011-10-12T00:01:00.000-05:00

ERSATZ MAPLE LEAF, CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, OCTOBER 10, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 55-300 at 300mm
1/200 sec. f8
ISO 1600

It seemed like such a likely subject--a ripe maple leaf caught on a twig and backlighted by the sun--until I called up the frame on my computer. Clearly it's a fake leaf made of some sort of fabric, probably a Halloween decoration. But it's still pretty.

Green Smoke? Really?

2011-10-11T00:01:00.000-05:00

NYMPHAEA 'GREEN SMOKE' WATERLILY, CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, OCTOBER 9, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 55-300 at 190mm
1/800 sec. f14
ISO 1600

The sign next to this striking scarlet bloom in the lily pools north of the Regenstein Center at the Chicago Botanic Garden calls it a "Green Smoke" nymphaea variety, but I'm wondering if it's really something else. If you know, kindly tip me off, will you?

Baluster

2011-10-10T00:01:00.003-05:00

VASIFORM BALUSTER,
CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN,
GLENCOE, ILLINOIS,
OCTOBER 9, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 55-300
at 230mm
1/2000 sec. f8
ISO 1600

One of the familiar sights at the Chicago Botanic Garden is the cast stone balustrade overlooking the Lakeside Gardens at the south end of the main island. In the early morning sun yesterday the interplay of light and shadow pleasingly emphasized the stony texture of one baluster.

White Knight

2011-10-09T10:31:00.001-05:00

WOOD'S WHITE KNIGHT TROPICAL WATERLILY, CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS OCTOBER 9, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC-DA 55-300 at 300mm
1/1000 sec. f14
ISO 1600

My first foray this balmy October to the Botanic Garden yielded this HDR-like shot of a white water lily. Considerable tweaking in Lightroom helped subdue the strong highlights of the white. I used a high ISO so that a fast shutter speed would dampen the shaking of my increasingly elderly hands, and the Pentax's in-camera antishake system further helped.

Jaybird

2011-09-25T06:47:00.003-05:00

BLUE JAY, GREEN, MICHIGAN,
MAY 19, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-F* 300mm
f4.5 ED (IF)
1/3200 sec. f6.3
ISO 1600

At our cabin on Lake Superior, the noisy jays arrive early in May, strip the bird feeders, and depart by Memorial Day, not to return until mid-September. We have no idea where they hang out from June through August. I found this shot while winnowing out the summer's bird photographs, and wondered about that saying "naked as a jaybird." What?

Sunset No. 8

2011-09-24T06:36:00.001-05:00

SUNSET OVER LAKE SUPERIOR, GREEN, MICHIGAN, AUGUST 30, 2011

Pentax K20D
Sigma 17-70 DC at 17mm
1/180 f8
ISO 400

In my opinion, it's generally not a good idea to shoot a sunset at an extreme wide angle, because that shrinks the orb of the sun to an unreal, almost pinpoint size. But when the sun is behind spectacular, sky-enhancing cloud formations, as it was on this evening in late August, going wide is the way to go. I shot it sitting on the bench on the beach in front of the Writer's Lair, with trees on either side to frame the composition. Click photo for a desktop-size version.

Sunset No. 7

2011-09-08T16:45:00.000-05:00

SUNSET OVER LAKE SUPERIOR, GREEN, MICHIGAN, SEPTEMBER 4, 2011

Pentax K-5
Sigma DC 17-70 at 17mm
1/20 sec. f9
ISO 400

In the photograph above, the setting sun in the west cast a weird hue on the low clouds to the north, even coloring the rainfall from them. The photograph below was taken an instant later directly west. Sunsets in these parts, I've said before and will say again and again, are unbeatable.

Pentax K-5
Sigma DC 17-70 at 70mm
1/250 sec. f9
ISO 400

Red-breasted Nuthatch

2011-08-30T13:22:00.000-05:00

RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH (SITTA CANADENSIS), GREEN, MICHIGAN, AUGUST 30, 2011

Pentax K-5
Sigma 135-400 APO DG at 340mm
1/400 sec. f7.1
ISO 1600

I've captured lots of white-breasted nuthatches, but this is the first specimen of the smaller red-breasted variety to fall to my camera. This morning I set up my nylon duck blind ten feet from a bird feeder in the back yard of our cabin and waited, and within minutes this visitor came calling.

Green heron

2011-08-26T08:32:00.000-05:00

GREEN HERON, ONTONAGON TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN, AUGUST 25, 2011

Both photographs:
Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 55-300 at 300mm
1/1250 sec. f9
ISO 400

The Great Blue Heron is common on the shore of Lake Superior, but this was the first time I'd ever spotted its smaller cousin, the crow-sized Green Heron, a swampland denizen. Its small crest erects when it's excited, making it look frantic and frazzled in flight. These aren't terrific photographs, but at least they will do for my lifetime bird list.

Juvenile eagle

2011-08-25T09:36:00.001-05:00

JUVENILE BALD EAGLE, CARP LAKE TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN, AUGUST 25, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 55-300 at 300mm
1/640 sec. f9
ISO 400

As I strolled along the southern shore of Lake Superior, this juvenile bald eagle swooped low, about 75 feet in the air, and loitered above for a long minute, gliding tight circles directly overhead. At last I have my close-in eagle shot for the summer, even though an adult would be more spectacular. Click the photo for a large version.

Sunset No. 6

2011-08-23T05:27:00.000-05:00

SUNSET OVER LAKE SUPERIOR, GREEN, MICHIGAN, AUGUST 21, 2011

Pentax K20D
Sigma 17-70 DC at 58mm
1/500 sec. f13
ISO 400

What can I say? Sundowns in these parts at this time of year are simply nonpareil.

Eagle

2011-08-20T10:54:00.000-05:00

BALD EAGLE, GREEN, MICHIGAN, AUGUST 14, 2011

Pentax K20D
SMC Pentax-DA 55-300 at 300mm
1/1000 sec. f11
ISO 1400

Someday I will get close enough to one of the four adult eagles that live in tall trees near our cabin on Lake Superior to get a good frame-filling shot, but for now this will have to do. He (or she) flew about 200 feet above me as I sat in a chair on the beach and I cropped the photograph hard. Click it for larger version.

Sunsets No. 5

2011-08-17T07:09:00.002-05:00

SUNSET OVER LAKE SUPERIOR, GREEN, MICHIGAN, AUGUST 16, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5 ED (IF)
1/500 sec. f9
ISO 400

Last night's sunset was absolutely weird -- the sun punched through two storm systems, one close in and dumping rain over the lake (hence the strange halo effect), another system far, far out on the horizon. A gaggle of geese flew past just as I was trying out different f/stops to see if I could subdue the halo. (I couldn't.) Click on the photo for a desktop-sized version.

Below is a wide-angle shot of the same sunset, taken a few minutes later with another camera. Click on it also for a desktop-sized version.

Pentax K20D
Sigma 17-70 at 21mm
1/30 sec. f8
ISO 400

Sunset No. 4

2011-08-07T13:52:00.000-05:00

SUNSET OVER LAKE SUPERIOR, GREEN, MICHIGAN, AUGUST 5, 2011

Pentax K20D
Sigma 17-70 at 17mm
1/1000 sec. f8
ISO 400

I hate to keep boasting that my summer place is sunsettier than yours, but I'm afraid it's true. Even when the colors aren't at their usual vividness, the clouds and the deep blue sky over the Big Lake still bespeak a sundown of champions. The usual free desktop-sized version can be obtained by clicking on the photograph.

Hummer No. 3

2011-08-06T07:01:00.000-05:00

RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD, GREEN, MICHIGAN, JUNE 6, 2011

Pentax K-5
Pentax SMC-DA 55-300 at 300mm
1/180 sec. f6.3 with on-board flash
ISO 400

One of these days I will capture a male hummingbird in all his iridescent red splendor without a distracting plastic feeder in the frame, but for now this will do. I found the shot, taken two months ago, while rooting around in the computer for something else. It was taken through the picture window of our cabin.

Sunset No. 3

2011-08-05T12:18:00.004-05:00

SUNSET OVER LAKE SUPERIOR, GREEN, MICHIGAN, AUGUST 3, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 55-300 at 190mm
1/1250 sec. f5.6
ISO 400

Looks like Jupiter or maybe Uranus, doesn't it? Nope, it's old Sol, punching through a darkling storm far in the distance over western Lake Superior. Squint at the detail photo below (click on it and it'll be a little larger) and you might able to see what appear to be sunspots on the surface. (They're not schmutz on the camera's sensor -- I checked.)

Sunset No. 2

2011-08-04T15:06:00.000-05:00

SUNSET OVER LAKE SUPERIOR, GREEN, MICHIGAN, AUGUST 2, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 55-300 at 300mm
1/800 f7.1
ISO 400

The Big Lake sunsets are getting ever more vivid as the summer rolls on into August. This one turned out best with a long lens. Click on the photo for a desktop-sized version.

Sunset No. 1 of 2011

2011-07-31T15:23:00.002-05:00

SUNSET OVER LAKE SUPERIOR, GREEN, MICHIGAN, JULY 28, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 35mm f2.4 AL
1/100 sec. f8
ISO 100

Late July is when the gorgeous-sunset season begins in earnest over Lake Superior -- that's when the evening clouds, which give the skies their most interesting character, enerally are at their best. Here's my first effort this year at calendar-pretty sunset shots. Click on it for a desktop-sized version.

Viper's Bugloss (formerly Mystery bloom)

2011-07-28T11:57:00.003-05:00

VIPER'S BUGLOSS (ECHIUM VULGARE) ~~UNKNOWN WILDFLOWER,~~ SAULT STE. MARIE, ONTARIO, JULY 21, 2011

Pentax K-5
Sigma 17-70 at 70mm
1/160 sec. f16
ISO 400

While I was waiting for a train at the Soo, I spotted these gorgeous dime-sized blooms in the weeds at trackside and captured them for my wildflower collection. But I have no idea what they are and they don't appear in any of my wildflower books. Can anyone clue me in? UPDATE: This turns out to be Viper's Bugloss, a.k.a. Blueweed, Blue Devil, Blue Thistle, Viper's Grass, a weed native to Europe and west and central Asia, but an invasive species in North America.

Mayfly

2011-07-25T14:35:00.000-05:00

MAYFLY (RITHROGENIA GERMANICA), SAULT STE. MARIE, MICHIGAN, JULY 21, 2011

Pentax K-5
Sigma 17-70 at 70mm
1/400 sec. f10
ISO 800

The other day I was waiting aboard a tour boat for a trip through the Soo Locks when this mayfly alighted on a window in front of my nose. Up came the camera, and the result is this portrait. The adult insect, often called a "fishfly" around the Great Lakes for its usefulness as bait -- trout in particular love it -- has a life span ranging from 30 minutes to 1 day, depending on the subspecies.

Common daisy

2011-07-14T07:10:00.001-05:00

COMMON DAISY (BELLIS PERENNIS), PORCUPINE MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS STATE PARK, MICHIGAN, JULY 12, 2011

Pentax K-5
Tamron SP AF 90mm DI macro
1/2000 sec. f8
ISO 400

What could be more ordinary -- or prettier -- than the sight of a clutch of daisies waving in the breeze at the side of a highway? I just had to stop and get a closeup shot of one, using a high shutter speed to capture the nodding blossom. Next time you're riding with a small child, casually whisper the intelligence that Roman centurions soaked bandages in the juice of crushed daisies to bind battle wounds.

This year's hawkweed

2011-07-12T00:01:00.003-05:00

ORANGE HAWKWEED (PILOSELLA AURANTIACA), GREEN, MICHIGAN, JULY 11, 2011

Pentax K-5
Tamron SP AF 90mm DI macro
1/160 f9 with on-board flash
ISO 100

Also known as Devil's Paintbrush and Fox-and-Cubs, the gaudy orange hawkweed is widely grown as an ornamental plant and is protected in several European regions. Several American states and Canadian provinces, however, consider this wildflower an invasive, noxious weed. New Zealand is trying to keep it out. It has just begun to emerge in Upper Michigan and adds sparkle to the greenery.

Morning sky

2011-07-11T07:38:00.000-05:00

MORNING SKY OVER LAKE SUPERIOR, GREEN, MICHIGAN, JULY 11, 2011

Pentax K-5
Sigma 17-70 at 23mm
1/1250 sec. f9
ISO 800

In mid-July, the summer skies over the south shore of Lake Superior begin to grow dramatic as isolated thunderstorms march from west to east far out over the lake. This shot was taken shortly after 8 a.m. when the sun was still low in the east. Click on the photo for a desktop-sized version.

July sunrise

2011-07-07T07:40:00.002-05:00

SUNRISE OVER LAKE SUPERIOR AT GREEN, MICHIGAN, JULY 7, 2011

Pentax K-5
Sigma 17-70 at 34mm
1/250 sec. f11
ISO 800

As rain clouds drifted in over Lake Superior from the west this morning, the eastern sky's clouds and colors suggested a Van Gogh-like palette, and so I padded outside in bathrobe and slippers to capture the rising sun. Click on the photo for a desktop-sized version and download it if you like.

The well-equipped woods photographer

2011-06-26T08:11:00.002-05:00

PHOTOGRAPHER WITH DEEP-WOODS KIT, PORCUPINE MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS STATE PARK, MICHIGAN, JUNE 14, 2011

Pentax *ist DS
SMC-DA 35mm f2.4 AL
1/180 sec. f4.5
ISO 400

My latest and greatest item for photography in the deep, bug-infested woods is that $8.95 headnet, which effectively thwarts skeeters and blackflies immune to industrial-strength DEET. With it I had no problem peering through the viewfinder, and neither did Deborah Abbott, who wore her own identical headnet while snapping this photograph.

Sandhill crane

2011-06-22T18:46:00.001-05:00

SANDHILL CRANE (GRUS CANADENSIS) NEAR BRUCE CROSSING, MICHIGAN, JUNE 20, 2011

Pentax *ist DS
SMC Pentax-DA 50-200 at 200mm
1/750 f8
ISO 400

We keep a seven-year-old but still quite serviceable 6.1-megapixel digital camera in the car for those rare opportunity shots while on the road, and with it Debby captured this sandhill crane in breeding colors from the car window as we were driving south to Illinois for a week.

Motorboating merganserlings

2011-06-18T15:47:00.000-05:00

RACING MERGANSERLINGS, GREEN, MICHIGAN, JUNE 17, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 55-300 at 300mm
1/800 f10
ISO 1600

An infrequent but always amusing sight off our beach at Lake Superior is a clutch of very young merganserlings racing each other, wildly churning their webbed feet like pint-sized Evinrudes, down the beach when the water is calm. The one in the lead triumphantly grips a wiggling prize in his beak, either a minnow or a tadpole.

Rapids

2011-06-15T02:31:00.002-05:00

PRESQUE ISLE RIVER, PORCUPINE MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS STATE PARK, MICHIGAN, JUNE 14, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 35mm f2.4 AL
1/8, 1/15, 1/4, 1/30, 0.6 sec. at f11 with .8 ND filter
ISO 100
HDR processing in Photomatix Pro

Photographing in the woods under overcast skies renders better images than in harsh overhead sunlight, but I tried melding five separate full-sun exposures with high-dynamic-range software in an experiment. Except for blown highlights in the lower right, it seemed to turn out OK. Nonetheless, I'm going to return on a gray day and try the same shot, also with HDR processing.

Nursery

2011-06-14T00:01:00.000-05:00

FEMALE COMMON MERGANSER (MERGUS MERGANSER) AND YOUNG, GREEN, MICHIGAN, JUNE 13, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 55-300 at 300mm
1/2000 sec. f10
ISO 1600

This flotilla of merganserlings -- 13 count 'em 13 -- probably is made up of two or more clutches of siblings. The females of the species often appoint one of their number as a feathered day-care center and dump their younguns on her while they go off to work or the hairdresser's. Note the two piggybacking on Mama, behavior common with loons but this is the first time I've ever seen it in mergansers.

Radar station

2011-06-13T06:04:00.000-05:00

FEMALE WHITETAIL DEER (ODOCOILEUS VIRGINIANUS), SILVER CITY, MICHIGAN, JUNE 9, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax 55-300 at 300mm
1/125 sec. f10
ISO 1600

Whenever we head up into the nearby Porcupine Mountains, we make sure to take along in the car a camera and long lens for drive-by shooting opportunities. I rolled down the window and captured this winsome doe stopping in the tree line from the side of the road. With those ears, she probably can hear a butterfly whisper from a thousand yards.

Brown Thrasher

2011-06-12T05:47:00.000-05:00

BROWN THRASHER (TOXOSTOMA RUFUM), GREEN, MICHIGAN, MAY 29, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 55-300 at 300mm
1/250 sec. f11
ISO 1600

This is the first time I've photographed this common but elusive cousin of the catbird and mockingbird. One usually hears its many different calls rather than spotting it in the dense thickets of the Northern boreal forest. The long shot was heavily cropped, but it's a large bird, bigger than a robin, so it shows up with reasonable detail.

Mystery dragonfly

2011-06-11T16:18:00.002-05:00

RESTING DRAGONFLY, GREEN, MICHIGAN, JUNE 9, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 55-300 at 300mm
1/1600 sec. f11
ISO 1600

The other evening a swarm of scores of dragonflies swooped around the trees and bushes in front of our cabin on Lake Superior, and this one held on long enough to a twig for me to get its portrait. There are dozens of dragonfly species, and I have no idea which one this is. If its back had been to the camera, it probably would have been possible to compare the markings with those in a bug book.

Nightmare

2011-06-09T18:56:00.000-05:00

AMERICAN CROW, GREEN, MICHIGAN, JUNE 8, 2011

Pentax K20D
SMC Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5 ED (IF)
1/60 sec. f11
ISO 400

It's only an ordinary crow on the rock riprap in front of our cabin on Lake Superior sampling the bird seed we scatter for the chipmunks, but in this tight shot it looks as menacing as an apparition from "Lord of the Rings."

American Crow

2011-06-08T00:01:00.003-05:00

AMERICAN CROW (CORVUS BRACHYRHYNCHOS), GREEN, MICHIGAN, JUNE 3, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 55-300 at 300mm
1/1000 sec. f14
ISO 1600

The Lady Friend disdains these birds as much as she does gulls -- she refuses to enter either species in our daily bird sighting list -- but I rather admire them. Ugly as they are, they're the smartest avian species around and even can modify and use tools. A few years ago West Nile fever set their numbers back a great deal, but they've rebounded handsomely.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (male)

2011-06-07T00:01:00.002-05:00

MALE RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD, GREEN, MICHIGAN, JUNE 6, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 55-300 at 300mm
1/1000 sec. f8
ISO 1600

Notice the tiny landing gear on this bird -- it's so small and feeble that the species can't walk on the ground, only grip a twig.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird (female)

2011-06-06T04:47:00.001-05:00

FEMALE RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD (ARCHILOCHUS COLUBRIS), GREEN, MICHIGAN, JUNE 1, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5 ED (IF)
1/180 sec. f11 with on-board flash
ISO 200

This year we have more hummers than ever around the cabin on the shore of Lake Superior. Sometimes the squadrons of looping, swooping and bickering birds -- hummers are solitary and aggressive toward each other, especially in the mating season -- cause us to duck as we walk outside. A snap of flash captured this female's iridescent color.

Spotted Sandpiper

2011-06-05T15:48:00.000-05:00

SPOTTED SANDPIPER (ACTITIS MACULARIUS), GREEN, MICHIGAN, MAY 30, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5 ED (IF)
1/2000 sec. f10
ISO 1600

This species of sandpiper, one of the many small shore birds the locals call "peeps" for their peet-weet-weet calls, often displays an exaggerated bobbing motion that suggests it's a few feathers short of a headdress. It's also one of the few shore birds that actually will dive underwater to escape a predator. For a few years they seemed to have disappeared from our Lake Superior beach, but if so they've come back in goodly numbers.

Joe and his pet buzzard

2011-06-01T00:01:00.004-05:00

JOE ROGERS WITH RESCUED TURKEY VULTURE, PORCUPINE MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS STATE PARK, MICHIGAN, MAY 28, 2011

Pentax K-5
Tamron SP AF DI 90mm macro
1/160 sec. f16 with on-board flash
ISO 1600

Another in a series from the Wildlife Recovery Association program at the Porkies' Visitor Center last weekend, this one shows the organization's head, Joe Rogers, and the turkey vulture with which he wraps up the show. With relish he demonstrates how the bird cleans out its huge, carrion-plugged nostrils with a long claw. Adults are appalled but kids are delighted.

Broad-winged Hawk

2011-05-31T00:01:00.001-05:00

BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BUTEO PLATYPTERUS), PORCUPINE MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS STATE PARK, MICHIGAN, MAY 28, 2011

Pentax K-5
Tamron SP AF DI 90mm macro
1/160 f16 with on-board flash
ISO 1600

Still another actor in last weekend's Wildlife Recovery program at the Porkies park's Visitor Center, the smallish broad-winged hawk is noted for its predatory style: it sits on a branch quietly and waits for prey -- typically small rodents and shrews -- to amble within range before stooping for the kill.

Owlzilla

2011-05-30T00:01:00.005-05:00

GREAT HORNED OWL (BUBO VIRGINIANUS), PORCUPINE MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS STATE PARK, MICHIGAN, MAY 28, 2011

Pentax K-5
Tamron SP AF DI 90mm macro
1/160 sec. f14 with on-board flash
ISO 800

Another shot from the Wildlife Recovery program at the Porkies Visitor Center last Memorial Day weekend, this one is of the world's largest species of owl. The Great Horned, says the bird book, is powerful enough to take prey three times its size, including other owls, small dogs, young gators, raccoons and Great Blue herons.

Barred owl

2011-05-29T06:17:00.002-05:00

BARRED OWL (STRIX VARIA), PORCUPINE MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS STATE PARK, MICHIGAN, MAY 28, 2011

Pentax K-5
Tamron SP AF DI 90mm macro
1/160 sec. f16, with on-board flash
ISO 1600

This rescued and rehabilitated barred owl, part of the Wildlife Recovery traveling raptor demonstration, sat for a closeup portrait yesterday at the Porkies Visitor Center. Earlier I misidentified it as a "barn owl," which lipreads the same as "barred owl." What's a deaf guy supposed to do? Check the bird books, of course.

Snake charmer

2011-05-28T19:01:00.001-05:00

JOE ROGERS AND PYTHON, PORCUPINE MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS STATE PARK, MICHIGAN, MAY 28, 2011

Pentax K-5
Tamron SP AF DI 90mm macro
1/200 sec. f2.8
ISO 12800

Joe Rogers, head of the Wildlife Recovery Association in Shepherd, Michigan, is a born showman who brings rehabilitated raptors to school and park programs all over the Upper Peninsula. He warms up the crowd with a display of a live python. This shot was taken at a remarkably high but still usable ISO in low indoor light and de-noised in Lightroom.

At the rookery

2011-05-25T00:01:00.011-05:00

GREAT BLUE HERON (ARDEA HERODIAS), ONTONAGON, MICHIGAN, MAY 22, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5 ED (IF)
1/2000 sec. f8
ISO 1600

The proper term is "heronry," but the locals know this spot in a swamp several miles southwest of Ontonagon in upper Michigan as "the rookery." We counted seven nesting Great Blue herons there the other day, and as always I wished I had a really long (such as 600mm) lens instead of having to crop the hell out of a shot taken with a 300mm. All the same, the results seem acceptable.

The Bettie Page of chipmunkdom?

2011-05-24T00:01:00.000-05:00

EASTERN CHIPMUNK, GREEN, MICHIGAN, MAY 18, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5 ED (IF)
1/640 sec. f8
ISO 1600

It's not just that the tree squirrels of Upper Michigan have better things to do than serve as photo models. This chipmunk, who lives in the riprap rocks five feet from our front window, seems to think I'm the Irving Penn of amateur wildlife photography. She strikes a different seductive pose every day. This one seems to be of Playboy (or at least field rodent guidebook) quality.

Jay

2011-05-23T00:01:00.004-05:00

BLUE JAY (CYANOCITTA CRISTATA), GREEN, MICHIGAN, MAY 16, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5 ED (IF)
1/640 sec. f11
ISO 800

Our cabin property seems to have become Corvid Central, with a flock of crows roosting in the swamp behind us, attended by half a dozen jays (fellow members of the family Corvidae) serving as, uh, wingmen. The jays have discovered the spot where I bribe a chipmunk to sit for his portrait and have learned to wait for me to come out with a cupful of bird seed.

First goslings of the year

2011-05-22T06:59:00.000-05:00

CANADA GOOSE AND GOSLINGS, GREEN, MICHIGAN, MAY 20, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5 ED (IF)
1/2500 sec. f7.1
ISO 1600

Honkers are considered golf-course pests back in Illinois but are a valued part of the wilderness scenery in Upper Michigan, where they belong. Normally we see five or six goslings in a clutch, leading us to think that an eagle or an owl might have picked off a few siblings of this lonely pair photographed the other day in front of our cabin on Lake Superior.

Mr. Chips

2011-05-18T16:34:00.001-05:00

EASTERN CHIPMUNK, GREEN, MICHIGAN, MAY 16, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5 ED (IF)
1/640 sec. f14
ISO 3200

I had set the ISO of the camera at an extremely high 3200 for dusk shots the previous night. The next evening my spouse, Deborah Abbott, always on alert for good photos, spotted this fellow just outside our front window, picked up the nearest camera and snapped off several portraits before he scampered away. I'm always amazed at the image quality the K-5 yields at high ISO.

What's that?

2011-05-09T13:16:00.000-05:00

HOGAN ON THE BEACH, GREEN, MICHIGAN, MAY 7, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5 ED (IF)
1/2000 sec. f8
ISO 1600

How do you get a half-Lab to strike a noble pose for the camera instead of sniffing around aimlessly for olfactory curiosities, paying no attention to the photographer? Just say sharply, "Lunch!" and he'll go on full alert. It helped that the sun was low in the sky, casting bold shadows to mold the subject.

Chipmunk a toilette

2011-05-06T16:29:00.002-05:00

EASTERN CHIPMUNK (TAMIAS STRIATUS), GREEN, MICHIGAN, MAY 6, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 55-300 at 300mm
1/5000 f8
ISO 1600

At our cabin in Upper Michigan, chipmunks are even more ubiquitous than squirrels back home in Illinois. This one felt confident enough to spend several minutes grooming itself in the sun rather than skulking nervously in the shadows, hyper-alert for predators. I photographed him from behind a freshly washed front window.

Deep in the palm of luxury

2011-05-01T06:37:00.000-05:00

NEIGHBOR FELINE IN SCULPTURE CHAIR, EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, APRIL 30, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5 ED (IF)
1/800 sec. f10
ISO 1600

This is Jinx, a cat from down the block that has taken up residence with my immediate neighbor to the west. She is absolutely fearless and, when in my back yard, simply ignores the snarling charges of our large dog Hogan. Who in turn is flummoxed by the cat's refusal to play the role of prey and slouches away pretending the encounter never happened.

The early bird

2011-04-25T06:59:00.001-05:00

AMERICAN ROBIN, EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, APRIL 24, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 55-300 at 300mm
1/1600 sec. f8
ISO 1600

It's beem rainy all week, and the robins in our back yard are having a turkey shoot with the earthworms, as you can see from the soil-bedecked beak of this specimen. It's standing tall, almost on tiptoe, to better hear its quarry wriggling under the grass -- or perhaps to keep an eye on the cat that lives next door. Click the photo for larger version.

Bursting bud

2011-04-24T07:10:00.002-05:00

YELLOW MAPLE BUD, EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, APRIL 24, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 55-300 at 300mm
1/180 sec f8 with on-board flash
ISO 800

I stepped out on the backyard deck on an overcast day this morning to see if any squirrels or interesting birds were about, but none were. Then I noticed that the buds on the yellow maple tree my elder son and I had planted in 1975 were opening, a sure sign that spring is here to stay. The versatile Pentax 55-300 zoom lens focuses closely enough to be used as a semi-macro.

Steady now, just a few more feet . . .

2011-04-17T00:01:00.004-05:00

CONDUCTOR SPOTTING HIS TRAIN AT LA PLATA, MISSOURI, APRIL 5, 2011

Pentax K20D
Sigma 17-70 at 70mm
1/125 f4.5
ISO 400

Some experienced engineers know instinctively where to stop their trains to put a desired car right in front of the station, but most need the radio guidance of a conductor for precise car-positioning. This conductor was in charge of Amtrak 3, the westbound Southwest Chief, when it stopped at La Plata, Missouri, late in the evening on a sunny April day.

Brute force

2011-04-16T00:01:00.001-05:00

GENERAL ELECTRIC ES44C4 ON POINT OF INTERMODAL STACK TRAIN, LA PLATA, MISSOURI, APRIL 5, 2011

Pentax K20D
SMC Pentax-DA 55-300 at 300mm
1/350 sec. f13
ISO 400

That long, long Burlington Northern Santa Fe stack train is being pulled by four 4,400 horsepower diesel locomotives, with an additional two 3,600 horsepower engines pushing on the rear -- a total of 24,800 horses. The foreshortening of the long lens, to me, just adds even more brute force to the composition. The leading locomotive is less than a year old. Click for desktop-sized version.

Agent at Albuquerque

2011-04-15T00:01:00.000-05:00

STATION AGENT HANDLING BAGGAGE ON THE SOUTHWEST CHIEF, ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, APRIL 6, 2011

Pentax K20D
SMC Pentax-DA AL 35mm f2.4
1/500 sec. f4.5
ISO 560

Ordinarily this would be a mundane shot, but there's something that caught my eye in this Amtrak agent's stance in the door as he waits for his mate to come up with the baggage cart. The picture was taken during the westbound Amtrak Southwest Chief's service stop in Albuquerque.

Stack train in the desert

2011-04-14T05:38:00.000-05:00

BURLINGTON NORTHERN SANTA FE STACK TRAIN IN THE NEW MEXICO DESERT, APRIL 8, 2011

Pentax K20D
SMC Pentax-DA AL 35mm f2.4
1/2000 sec. f4
ISO 400

This shot was taken early in the morning in the high mesa country of western New Mexico from an eastbound Amtrak Southwest Chief. The train in the background is a hotshot container stack train hauled by four 4,400-horsepower diesel locomotives, with two smaller engines shoving on the rear. The photograph is at its best when clicked on to desktop size.

Robin at breakfast

2011-03-18T00:01:00.002-05:00

AMERICAN ROBIN, CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, MARCH 17, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 55-300 at 300mm
1/2000 sec. f9.0
ISO 1600

Another in yesterday's harvest of robin shots from the Botanic Garden, this one shows the subject feeding on winter-dried fruit from a David crabapple tree. I'm learning that it takes patience to get photographs of birds physically interacting with the world around them, not just perching prettily on a branch. Click for a large version.

One small step for a robin . . .

2011-03-17T12:07:00.001-05:00

AMERICAN ROBIN, CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, MARCH 17, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 55-300 at 300mm
1/4000 sec. f9.0
ISO 1600

For a change it was a nice morning outdoors at the Botanic Garden with a hazy sun in the upper 50s. The robins were out and about in force chasing each other in amorous sport, for it's the breeding season. This one struck a noble pose atop a branch of a David crabapple tree in the English Walled Garden. Click the photo for a large version.

Gimme

2011-03-14T15:40:00.002-05:00

GRAY SQUIRREL, EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, MARCH 14, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 55-300 at 300mm
1/500 sec. f8
ISO 400

It's almost spring and I went out on the backyard deck this afternoon for a little wildlife shooting practice. A gray squirrel waited aloft for me to bring out another cup of bird seed, as I do each morning, and when I didn't he gripped the tree threateningly and scolded me for my lax attitude. Cheeky little tree rat. Click the photo to see him close up in all his belligerent glory.

Joinery

2011-03-03T15:03:00.000-06:00

GAZEBO ROOF CORNER, CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, MARCH 3, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-DA 55-30 at 107mm
1/500 f8
ISO 800

The angles and texture of the joists caught my eye this cold and overcast afternoon, and I plan to come back in the early morning one fine spring day when the low sun will very likely outline the grain of the wood in high relief and ivy leaves afford contrasting color. Much effective photography, I am learning, consists of picking a scene--and planning ahead for the best light.

Marty Feldman reincarnated?

2011-02-23T07:51:00.003-06:00

GRAY SQUIRREL, EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, JANUARY 2, 2011

Pentax K-5
SMC Pentax-F* 300mm f4.5 ED (IF)
1/500 sec. f9.5
ISO 1600

Reviewing the backyard squirrel shots of the last couple of months yielded this almost overlooked frame that reminds me of Marty Feldman, the late British comic actor famous for his hyperthyroidic bug eyes (he was unforgettable as Igor in Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein").

Climbing Pandanus

2011-02-19T07:42:00.000-06:00

CLIMBING PANDANUS (FREYCINETIA MULTIFLORA), CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

Pentax *ist DS
SMC Pentax-DA 35mm f2.4 AL
1/180 sec. f3.5
ISO 800

Deborah Abbott captured this unusual Old World tropical shrub with an old camera (vintage 2004) and new lens (vintage 2010) then other day at the Botanic Garden. The lens focuses so closely that it is almost a macro, and despite its plastic mount and comparatively low price it is remarkably sharp, with excellent color rendition.

Carnations

2011-02-16T11:55:00.001-06:00

CARNATIONS, EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, FEBRUARY 16, 2009

Pentax *ist DS
Tamron SP AF 90mm DI Macro
1/1000 sec. f8
ISO 1600
Manipulated with Lightroom and Photoshop Elements

I felt experimental today, so took a quick hand-held high-ISO macro shot of a bouquet of carnations from the supermarket on the dinner table, then tweaked the shot with Photoshop Elements' distortion filters to give the image a painterly quality. Nobody would mistake it for an Old Master, but it's not bad for a rank amateur, is it now?

Spikes No. 2

2011-02-13T06:15:00.001-06:00

ETHIOPIAN EUPHORBIA, CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, FEBRUARY 12, 2011

Pentax K20D
Tamron SP AF 90mm DI Macro
1/45 sec. f32
ISO 400

Here's another view of the convoluted euphorbia "arms" captured yesterday for the macrophotography class at the Botanic Garden. If you stare at it long enough it looks like cattle (or maybe giraffes) moving single file through the veldt. Critically speaking, it has light, shadow, color and an S-curve. Maybe that makes it arty.

Spikes No. 1

2011-02-12T17:20:00.001-06:00

ETHIOPIAN EUPHORBIA (EUPHORBIA ABYSSINICA "VARIEGATA"), CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, FEBRUARY 12, 2011

Pentax K20D
Tamron SP AF 90mm DI Macro
1/30 sec. f32
ISO 400

We were told in macrophotography class to be Arty rather than Documentary for our next assignment, and so I took this shot of the edge of an arm belonging to the Ethiopian Euphorbia tree in the desert greenhouse of the Chicago Botanic Garden. This tree is a kind of cactus, a succulent that grows as high as two stories and, dried, is used as firewood in the Ethiopian Ogaden Desert. (LATER: This shot won Best Closeup/Macro in the Botanic Garden's 2011 winter photography contest.)

Mum's the word

2011-02-10T07:26:00.000-06:00

CHRYSANTHEMUM, EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, FEBRUARY 4, 2011

Pentax K-5
Tamron SP AF 90mm DI Macro
1/60 sec. f32
ISO 1600

I got tired of haunting the Chicago Botanic Garden winter greenhouses for new and exotic plants to capture for my macrophotography class there, so I bought a bunch of ordinary yellow mums at the supermarket and set up shop on the dining room table. Here's the result. Not too bad, I think.

Primrose Butterwort

2011-02-09T17:15:00.000-06:00

PRIMROSE BUTTERWORT (PINGUICULA PRIMULIFLORA), CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, FEBRUARY 9, 2011

Pentax K20D
Tamron SP AF 90mm DI Macro
1/45 sec. f22
ISO 400

This pretty dime-sized bloom is a carnivorous plant found in southeastern swamps in the United States. When an insect wanders into its yellow center, the butterwort oozes a sticky enzyme that traps and digests the bug. It's another shot done for my macrophotography class at the Botanic Garden.

White Candles No. 2

2011-02-08T15:32:00.000-06:00

WHITFIELDIA ELONGATA "WHITE CANDLES," CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, JANUARY 27, 2011

Pentax K-5
Tamron SP AF 90mm DI Macro
0.7 sec. f32
ISO 400

That opening bud measures about half an inch high and is easily the smallest thing I've captured in my macrophotography class at the Botanic Garden. The tiny aperture (needed for depth of field) and long exposure required me to hold my breath as I mashed the tit on the cable release, hoping the lightweight tripod was sufficiently steady. Enough of those flowers and you could knit yourself a fuzzy sweater.

Ptui

2011-02-05T07:34:00.002-06:00

HOUSE SPARROW, EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, FEBRUARY 3, 2011

Pentax K20D
SMC Pentax-DA 55-300 at 300mm
1/250 sec. f8
ISO 400

"Who's been swimming in my drinking water?" this sparrow seems to be saying. The photo is not terribly good so far as image quality is concerned -- it's heavily cropped, the lighting is poor, and the bird's head suffers from motion blur -- but the unexpected stream of water perhaps makes the picture worth posting.

Starburst

2011-01-31T00:01:00.000-06:00

UNIDENTIFIED BLOSSOM, CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, JANUARY 30, 2011

Pentax K-5
Tamron SP AF 90mm DI Macro
1/20 sec. f32
ISO 1600

I have no idea what species this gorgeous quarter-sized flower is; I'm calling it "Starburst" only because it reminds me of Fourth of July sky fireworks. (Many of the blooms in the Botanic Garden's winter greenhouses are difficult to identify, because the labels are either overgrown by foliage or missing.) If you know what this plant is, pray let me know, too.

Baby calamondin

2011-01-30T07:40:00.000-06:00

CALAMONDIN ORANGE BLOSSOM, CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, JANUARY 25, 2011

Pentax K-5
Tamron SP AF 90mm DI Macro
1/45 sec. f16
ISO 1600

It's hard to believe, but that tiny nubbin in the center, somewhere between 1/32 and 1/16 of an inch in diameter, will grow into a 1 3/4-inch calamondin orange (see last Wednesday's effort). Little by little, I'm getting closer to my subjects in the sometimes vexing macrophotography class at the Botanic Garden. When things are that small, holding the camera rig steady, even on a solid tripod, isn't easy.

"White Candles" leaf

2011-01-28T00:01:00.000-06:00

WHITFIELDIA ELONGATA "WHITE CANDLES" LEAF, CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, JANUARY 27, 2011

Pentax K-5
Tamron SP AF 90mm DI Macro
1/4 sec. f32
ISO 400

Another image captured for the macrophotography class I'm taking at the Chicago Botanic Garden, this one is of the leaf of the Whitfieldia shrub whose bud was on display yesterday. This time I stopped way down, to the smallest aperture of the macro lens, and used a slower ISO speed to maximize image quality. A little tweaking in Lightroom 3 intensified the veins and the colors.

White Candles

2011-01-27T00:01:00.000-06:00

WHITFIELDIA ELONGATA "WHITE CANDLES," CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, JANUARY 26, 2011

Pentax K-5
Tamron SP AF 90mm DI Macro
1/60 sec. f22
ISO 1600

Another in my efforts for a class in macrophotography at the Botanic Garden, this specimen of buds on the cusp of blooming belongs to a tender flowering shrub that is part of the acanthus family. "White Candles" bushes come from semitropical Ethiopia and are slowly becoming popular in American greenhouse gardens.

Calamondin orange

2011-01-26T00:01:00.002-06:00

CALAMONDIN ORANGE (CITRUS MICROCARPIA or MITIS), CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, JANUARY 23, 2011

Pentax K-5
Tamron SP AF 90mm DI Macro
1/60 f16
ISO 1600

The calamondin is a sour, lime-like miniature orange grown as food in Southeast Asia and used as an ornamental shrub in the United States. These two examples are both 3/8 inch in diameter and will grow to 1 3/4 inches when ripe. The photo was taken in the Chicago Botanic Garden's semitropical greenhouse for a class in macrophotography there.

Spiderweb Houseleek

2011-01-25T00:01:00.034-06:00

SPIDERWEB HOUSELEEK, CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENVIEW, ILLINOIS, JANUARY 20, 2011

Pentax K-5
Tamron SP AF 90mm DI Macro
1/350 sec. f11
ISO 1600

The Spiderweb Houseleek (Sempervivum arachnoideum) is a ground-hugging succulent native to Europe and North Africa, with fleshy leaves arranged in dense rosettes. At the height of its season it'll be covered with a web of white hairs. When I captured it the other day as part of an assignment for a macrophotography class, a stray ladybug gave the image some colorful interest. If you click on the photo and look closely, you'll also see a host of microscopic black beetles, perhaps aphids of some kind.

Unusual silence

2011-01-24T00:01:00.012-06:00

CHARTRES STREET AT JACKSON SQUARE, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, JANUARY 12, 2010

Pentax *ist DS
SMC Pentax-DA 18-55 at 18mm
1/500 sec. f8
ISO 400

Chartres Street at St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square, the lively heart of the French Quarter, is normally a bustling colony of tourists, artists, jugglers, magicians, fortune tellers and live music from street brass bands. But when Deborah Abbott took this photo, it was utterly deserted at 9 a.m. on an unseasonably wintry day in January, with temperatures in the 30s and winds of 15 knots.

Monument to the Lost Cause

2011-01-22T00:01:00.001-06:00

ROBERT E. LEE MONUMENT, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, JANUARY 11, 2011

Pentax K10D
SMC Pentax-DA 28-90 at 90mm
1/4000 f8
ISO 800

This 16-foot bronze monument to Robert E. Lee, sculpted by Alexander Doyle, was erected atop a 60-foot Doric column of Tennessee marble in 1884 at what is now called Lee Circle on the St. Charles streetcar line in New Orleans. It is naturally a shrine holy to cultists of the Lost Cause, but it is also an important and impressive (not to mention photogenic) relic of American history.

Gun carriage

2011-01-21T00:01:00.006-06:00

GUN CARRIAGE, NEW ORLEANS INFORMATION CENTER, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, JANUARY 12, 2011

Pentax *ist DS
SMC Pentax-DA 18-55 at 55mm
1/500 sec. f5.6
ISO 400

Deborah Abbott ably captured the rusty detail on the wheel hub of an old artillery piece atop the New Orleans Information Center across Decatur Street from Jackson Square. The radiating spokes suggest the rising sun, don't they? I thought it a nice sharp shot from a six-year-old kit 18-55mm lens.

Art gallery

2011-01-20T00:01:00.001-06:00

ART GALLERY ON CHARTRES STREET, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, JANUARY 11, 2011

Pentax K10D
SMC Pentax-FA 28-90 at 48mm
1/15 sec. f8
ISO 800

Prowling around the French Quarter early in the morning yielded this shot of an art gallery whose lighting seemed to have been designed expressly for photographers who like to go on the prowl shortly after dawn. The Pentax K10D may be three digital camera generations old, but its in-body shake resistance still helps very well with low shutter speeds.

Lonesome

2011-01-19T00:01:00.000-06:00

BENCH AT JACKSON SQUARE, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, JANUARY 11, 2011

Pentax K10D
SMC Pentax-FA 28-90 at 65mm
1/30 sec. f6.7
ISO 800

It's hard to tell which looks lonelier, the man or the bench. This frame was captured early in the morning on a cold and gray January day in New Orleans, and although the camera's autofocus was hurriedly fixed on the fence, not the man or the bench, the foreground seems to have turned out to be sufficiently sharp.

Corridor

2011-01-18T00:01:00.006-06:00

CORRIDOR AT THE FRENCH MARKET, NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, JANUARY 12, 2011

Pentax *ist DS
SMC Pentax-DA 18-55 at 40mm
1/750 sec. f4.5
ISO 400

Another Deborah Abbott photo, this one captures a passerby navigating an outside corridor at the French Market on New Orleans' waterfront. The low early-morning backlighting makes the figure seem almost ominous, but he was just on his way to work somewhere in the French Quarter.