Brazil Agate Abstract Macro – Stitching.

The first image is a abstract from a cut slab of Brazil Agate rock.
What has been fun lately within the past few weeks, is to find interesting subjects that I could stitch together.
Cool!

© 2008 – Michael Brown
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Brazil Agate Rock – Abstract

© 2009 – Michael Brown
* Copying/downloading of images is prohibited
Brazil Agate Rock – Stitched

There is always something cool to create in macro!

Take care everyone, and thanks for stopping by.
Michael

Michael Brown – Photographer
“Macro Art In Nature” – Website

Macro Photography. “The Baseball Approach”.

I am a pitcher.
I enjoy a mixture of pitches, and I especially enjoy keeping the batters back on their heels.
When I take to the mound, I must have a good mixture of pitches and have good command of those pitches, … or the batter will figure me out and take it to the house.
I love to throw the batter a good curve ball, or maybe a change up.
Mix in a slider, a good sinker, an occasional fastball … and I’ve got something going.
But my favorite pitch of all, … is the knuckle ball.
The knuckle ball is a pitch that the batter sees coming to the plate, … but he sure as hell don’t know where it’s going to wind up at!
That is the pitch that I dearly love.

There are those who love to throw the fastball.
They will throw it, … throw it, ….. and then throw it some more.
Soon, their arm will tire and wear out.
Those fast balls many times will start to rise, until they eventually have trouble finding the plate.
Sometimes they will throw a wild pitch, which overall can be a bad thing in many ways.
They throw fastballs until they are weak and wild, and/or until the batter loses one into the stands.
The pitcher now needs some relief.
How does he find it?
Someone comes in and takes his place, putting him on the bench.
That pitcher is now a bystander, and will not be called upon again.

In macro photography, and in some of the forums that I visit, I see lots of pitchers.
I see lots of pitchers who have command of their pitches, but lately, it seems that there are only a few who dare to master many pitches.
I see lots of pitchers who are throwing nothing but fastballs, mixed with a rare curve.
They are good. They are damn good!
But it seems that they are happy with one or two good pitches, and are hoping to that they will be able to live with just those couple of pitches.
They have all of the technique needed to produce those couple of pitches.
The batter soon figures them out, as they continue to throw the same thing out there over and over again.
Soon, the batter swings, … connects, ….. “rejected” into the cheap seats!
They will connect over and over again after they see that same old pitch enough times to get their rhythm.
It’s the same old thing, … over and over again.
So, … a good pitcher can be a master of a few pitches.
A Cy Young type of pitcher will be the standout among all pitchers, and know how and when to mix things up.

The following are some of my favorite pitches.
They are all knuckleballs!

© 2009 – Michael Brown
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“Knuckle”

© 2009 – Michael Brown
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Japanese Maple Leaf

© 2009 – Michael Brown
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Pond Scene – Conversion

So, I guess what I am trying to say here is this.
In macro photography, which I honestly believe gives far more opportunities to create something uniquely different in nature photography than any other form such as landscape, wildlife, etc., … that macro seems to be lacking the punch that it once enjoyed a few years ago.
I view many different blogs, websites, and forums which feature a lot of great macro photography, and although there is some absolutely stunning macro work to be found, … well, ….. it seems to me that many pitcher’s arms have given out and the batters have them all figured out.
Someone in the bullpen is waiting!

Are you a pitcher, ….. or a batter?
If you are a true pitcher, … then when was the last time you tried throwing a few knuckleballs?

Image info:

Image #1. I will keep that info to myself for now.
I know that many may not care for this type of imagery, but I am not afraid of stepping up to the plate and saying, … “I do”.
All done in camera.
Canon 100mm macro, 2X teleconverter.

Image #2 Japanese Maple Leaf
Canon 100mm macro, 2X teleconverter.
To much of that empty space?
Well, … I like this one too!

Image #3
A pond scene that was converted to black and white, but then I did something that I hear is a big no no in some circles.
Even though you can’t really see it in this small jpg., I added a touch of cyan/green to the overall image which looks a bit different to the viewer when printed larger.

So now, ………. there are my knuckleballs!
Can you, … the batter, … figure out where the ball is heading?
Sometimes, … just sometimes, … the pitcher does not have a clue as to where it is heading neither! : )

Michael

Michael Brown – Photographer
“Macro Art In Nature” – Website

Late Evening Lily Pads.

While out the other day shooting some things for my “In Their World” Series, I became captivated by the light and especially the slight touch of rim lighting that was occurring around the lily pads.
It was a fun day!

© 2009 – Michael Brown
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“Lily Pads”

Thanks for stopping by,
Michael

Michael Brown – Photographer
“Macro Art In Nature” – Website

Your “Aminus3” Photoblog, … and other blogs

Could someone possibly tell me what is it with Aminus3 Photoblogs?
Every time I visit someone with a blog from Aminus3, it tells me that I can not leave a comment unless I enable cookies.
It does this on every single Aminus3 site!
I thought that I could go to the Aminus3 main site and enable cookies there which would cover all Aminus3 sites, … but that does not work.
There are a lot of people using Aminus3 now, many that I visit and would like to leave a comment, but I can not and will not go into my system’s preference to enable cookies on every single site.
That is crazy!

As far as Blogger, … or Blogspot?
During the past few years, I have signed up twice with them just so I could leave a comment.
Now it seems that “almost” every time I visit one of these sites, it will ask me to sign up again, … and not letting me leave a comment unless I do sign up.
This I will not do neither.

What’s up with these new blogs coming about.
Something I don’t know?
A lot of you guys I do visit, … but can’t leave any comments what so ever!

I did write for help from the Aminus3 main site, … but not a word from them.
Unfortunately, … Blogger and Blogspot I don’t trust anymore for anything!

Michael

Michael Brown – Photographer
“Macro Art In Nature” – Website

True Saturated Colors In Macro.

Yes, I will admit that I am fond of shocking a viewer.
I like to shock a viewer who believes, … “that can’t be real”.
The viewer who thinks, … “man, you must have jacked up the saturation in that shot!”
But there are many who are not that familiar with certain flowers and their characteristics in nature or in a garden setting.
There are those who do not understand the makings of certain flowers.
How much moisture they hold within their petals, the diamond dusting on certain petals, how certain flowers will absorb light, etc., … and the effects that those characteristics have when recorded on film or recorded digitally.

Now if you look at the following image, a daylily (hemerocallis) abstract, most will think that indeed the saturation was boosted up.
The colors and saturation as you see it here are just as they were recorded.
This shot was recorded with two small reflectors on each side of the flower, and natural early morning light coming from behind the flower, giving the yellow throat area that bright neon type of glow.
The daylily flower and its petals, are full of moisture. This is what gives it such rich and saturated colors depending on how the light is.
There are other flowers that has lots of moisture within the petals as well, … some with a bit less, … and then there are those with not much moisture at all.

So, before thinking that maybe a particular image was given a huge boost in saturation, that this flower is made that way, … and that just maybe it’s the way it is seen in the world of macro photography and with the right kind of lighting involved.

© 2008 – Michael Brown
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Red Daylily – Abstract

Thanks for stopping by everyone,
Michael

Michael Brown – Photographer
“Macro Art In Nature” – Website

Daylily Abstract – “Silent Whispers” Series

This is a image that was recently added to my “Silent Whispers” Series, a series of images that is slowly coming along, … a series that I am picky about.

This was taken out in my garden among the dozens of daylilies of various sizes, shapes, and colors.
I had plenty of time to plan things out, surrounding this particular daylily with 3 white reflectors and using the Lensbaby.
Using the Lensbaby and a version of the old “Cram It” method works well with floral abstracts.
Fun, … and easy to do!

© 2009 – Michael Brown
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Daylily – “hemerocallis”
“Silent Whispers” Series

Everyone take care, and thanks for stopping by.
Michael

Michael Brown – Photographer
“Macro Art In Nature” – Website

“In Their World” Series – Macro Silhouettes

I decided to take a break from some of the back breaking landscaping being done here at home yesterday, and to grab the camera gear and head out to the ponds late in the evening.
The lighting was wonderful for some macro type silhouettes!

© 2009 – Michael Brown
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“In Their World” – Series
Robberfly Silhouette

There were numerous compositions to be found along side the ponds with the hazy late evening sun showing in the waters, presenting silhouettes in the grassy areas and the occasional insect gazing about and into the world in which they live.

© 2009 – Michael Brown
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“In Their World” – Series
Dragonfly Silhouette

Using the 100-400mm lens gave me plenty of room to play from the shoreline.
The trick in most cases was to find a appealing composition and to create the right kind of depth so that the detail of the main subject (the insect) would not blend together with its surroundings. To let the drop off of depth to start right behind the insect, … to fall off into a blur.
Only a very slight curves/contrast adjustment was used in both images.

Hope that everyone has been doing well, and that your creativity is always in high gear!

Thanks for visiting everyone,
Michael

Michael Brown – Photographer
“Macro Art In Nature” – Website