Bugs and Buds Don't Inspire... Yet

I recently had a graduate student interview me for a leadership class project. He asked me what I get inspiration from. From the standpoint of photography, the answer is always the works of my peers who generate incredible work. My eye is always drawn to edgy material, the darker and more intriging the better. Rarely, if ever, do photos of bugs or flowers inspire me. But strangely, they are the Subarus of the photography world. No one thinks they are sexy or even that fun, but you see them everywhere. I've had a camera in my hand a lot recently, mostly doing commercial work. I don't think this shot would inpire anyone, not even Georgia O'Keefe. But I do like the colors and it was a heck of a difficult shot to capture handheld with the wind blowing. For those of you who care about the specifics... 1/1000 at f2.8 with a 105mm lens. For those who care about bugs, I think it's a monarch butterfly catapiller. At least Spring is almost here. I'm hoping for some inspiration there.

Chantarelle

It's not every day that one of my neighbors calls and says, "I've got the most amazing fungus in my backyard. Bring your camera and come over here." I'll have to admit, I've never photographed a mushroom before. But after hours of photographing people, electrical outlets, robots, sunsets, waterfalls, and countless other items and landscapes, why not a fungus. So Nikon in tow, I'm off to Ben's house.

Sure enough, it's an impressive mound of fantastic fungi. I don't think it's laden with psilosyban, which did quickly come up in conversation, but that's not a topic where I have vast experience either. But buried in deep shade with bright sunlight in the background, there's some tremendous rim lighting if only I can pull out some details in the shadowy foreground. I always keep an speedlight in my camera bag. Ben was surprised to the see the wireless control of the Commander system as I placed a CTO on the SB800 and started banging away.

For the record, I think this mushroom is called a chantarelle. If so, it's edible, apparently a delicacy is French cuisine. I'm not French, I'm not that fond of French food, and I'm not big on playing the mushroom taste-test lottery. But they are much more fun to take photos of than you might expect.

Alien Invasion

A grotesque creature has decended, or should I say ascended, into middle Georgia. With the right light and music, Magicicada would look and sound at home pursuing Sigourney Weaver through the Nostromo. Much like the acid filled bugs in Alien, these insects have been waiting for just the right time to emerge.

Over the last three weeks, millions of 13 year cicadas have crawled out of the ground as grubs, shed their skin, and emerged as loudly singing, red-eyed, winged monsters. Unlike the late-summer annual cicadas (which actually emerge from the ground every three to five years, but are present every year), these annoying beasts emerge every 13 years (some are on a 17 year cycle). Their only goal is to mate, lay eggs in tree branches, and die. The young hatch, fall to the ground, and burrow below, not to be seen for another 13 years.

With so many of these odd creatures flying about the yard, I couldn't resist a few macro shots. As such is the case with any photo, my intent is to capture something unexpected, yet something that tells a story. These were all taken with my Sigma 105mm macro, the only lens I own that is not a Nikon. With a depth of field of less than a 1/4 inch at f2.8, shooting handheld is tricky and any breeze is a curse. While a tripod might have made focusing easier, navigating a camera through tree limbs and following the bugs made it impractical, if not impossible.

Electric Magic

No matter how long or difficult a day goes, getting behind a camera is always the therapy I need. The ills of my day fade, even if for a moment, as everything is reduced to lighting and composition.

So many of the photos I dream of taking involve models. But as a good friend recently pointed out, product photography may be my bread and butter. So tonight, I grabbed a few items lying around the house and used some creative lighting to complete a few images shot for stock. I’ve had this assignment in my head for some time. And I’m pretty pleased with the results. It’s the miracle of electricity. See the whole set.

So how was it done? Believe me, it wasn't too difficult, although I must admit, at least one $.79 duplex receptacle sacrificed it's life in the line of duty for this project. The most important part was having a 105mm macro lens. A couple of gelled gridspots gave some hard light. As for the rest, there has to be some suspense, right?