Berkeley Botanical Gardens Visit

I have been looking for opportunities to practice my macro photography skills.  I had been buying  flower as subjects, walking around my neighborhood, or shooting anything that would stay still long enough for me to get.  After doing some searching for ideas, botanical gardens kept coming up.  I have no idea why that never occurred to me in the past but it didn't.  My initial thought was to go to the San Francisco Botanical Gardens in Golden Gate Park.  A jaunt for me but was going to go anyway until a friend suggested the Berkeley Botanical Garden.  I didn't even know there was one in Berkeley!  Great for me.  Much closer allowing me to spend more time in the garden than traveling.

I set out with the idea of macro photography practice but once I arrived I realized there was so much more to photograph.  It was like idea overload. I did manage to focus on macro initially by keeping my macro lens on the camera.  One of my first images is below.

I am not sure what type of flower this is (I need to be better about taking notes) but I was please with the image.  As I looked closer at these flowers, I also found this Spotted Cucumber Beetle within one of these flowers.

I tried to keep moving on but found myself in a nicely shaded area with running rivulets.  I love using longer exposures to soften the water so ended up spending about 45 minutes making images of the falling water.

Before I realized it, I had spent 3 1/2 hours at the botanical garden and barely scratched the surface of the available photo opportunities.  This trip also made me realize I need to have a plan when going to a photographing location but I also need to be flexible.

I am now a member of the Berkeley Botanical Garden and will plan on many other visits.

The Art of Macro Insect Photography

I recently took a class on macro insect photography.  I love anything macro and think, when doing it correctly, you can really change the perspective of your subject.  Currently the subject I am focusing on are insects, particularly dragonflies.  The detail in this being is fascinating up close.  The eyes and wing are of particular interest because of the detail.  Most flying insects don't stay in one place for too long so you have to have patience.  Additionally, it is helpful if you know a little about the subjects you are trying to photograph.  Knowing your subjects behavior will help you better anticipate what they will do.  This in turn will give you a better rate of success for capturing interesting pictures of your subject.  Below are some of the dragonfly images I have recently made.  I intend to continue practicing the techniques I have recently learned on other insects.