Blue and Gold Macaw

BLUE AND GOLD MACAW, CARTAGENA, COLOMBIA, JANUARY 26, 2014

Pentax K-3
Pentax 55-300 at 260mm
1/250 sec. f6.3
ISO 1600

I don't know what the ruffled head feathers mean, but this was taken not in the wilds of Colombia but in a public park near the cruise terminal in Cartagena. The Colombians were smart to equip it with a variety of birds and creatures for the pleasure of visiting amateur photographers. (Later: A macaw owner friend says the ruffled feathers can be either a come-on for attention or an attempt to intimidate.)

Lily

LILY, CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, SEPTEMBER 24, 2008

Pentax *ist DS
Pentax 50-200 at 150mm
1/500 sec. f9.5
ISO 800

Still another find in the archive, this was taken with the first digital SLR I owned, a 6 megapixel Pentax *ist DS. I still have it and even put it to use once in a while, mostly in situations dangerous to cameras, such as tippy canoes and kayaks. The background was darkened and the colors intensified in Lightroom in order to add drama.

Cactus dahlia

CACTUS DAHLIA, CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, SEPTEMBER 24, 2008

Pentax K20D
Sigma 17-70 at 63mm
1/350 sec. f9.5
ISO 400

Still another treasure from the vaults. The K20D/17-70 camera-and-lens combination was a very good go-to kit for the time, and I am sure would still be today.

Rainbow sorbet rose

ROSE "RAINBOW SORBET," CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, SEPTEMBER 24, 2009

Pentax K20D
Sigma 17-70 at 70mm
1/250 sec. f9.5
ISO 400

I really should go up to the Garden to get some new photographs, but in the meantime I'm having a great time rummaging through the archives in search of overlooked or forgotten shots.

Tulip

TULIP, CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, APRIL 28, 2010

Pentax K20D
Tamron 90mm f2.8 macro
1/500 sec. f11
ISO 400

Here's another overlooked keeper from rummaging through old photo files. That old K20D is still a competent camera.

Red-tail

RED-TAILED HAWK, CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, APRIL 1, 2010

Pentax K20D
Pentax 55-300 at 120mm
1/90 sec. f11
ISO 400

While going through old Botanic Garden images today, I discovered that somehow I had overlooked this shot of a juvenile red-tailed hawk taken almost four years ago. It reminded me that the image quality of the Pentax K20D, a camera three generations older than the K-3 I use today, is still very good.

White Phalaenopsis

WHITE PHALAENOPSIS ORCHID, CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, DECEMBER 17, 2013

Pentax K-3
Tamron 90mm f2.8 macro
1/800 sec. f9
ISO 1600

This beauty also was among the few orchids blooming in the Garden's tropical greenhouse the other day. There was no identifying plaque so I had to Google the bloom and quickly discovered its name—it is one of the most popular orchids to be found at florists.

Satin Doll

BRASSOLAELIA SEA URCHIN "SATIN DOLL," CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, DECEMBER 17, 2013

Pentax K-3
Tamron 90mm f2.8 macro
1/160 sec. f9
ISO 1600

This species was one of the few orchids actually blooming at this time of year in the Botanic Garden's semitropical greenhouse.