Looking close on Friday!

 One of the Flickr groups that I belong to is called "Looking close... on Friday!"  It's a venue for close-up or macro photographs, where each week calls for a different theme.  This week's theme was "bracelet on white background."

I usually spend way to much time trying to come up with an idea for a submission.  I took a few shots of various bracelets that wife had in her jewelry collection.  I finally decided on this:

This pair of gold bracelets has an interesting history, especially so now that Iran is back in the news.  These were brought back from Iran in 1979 by my wife's brother, who had been employed there as a helicopter technician prior to the fall of the Shah of Iran.

AK Diffuser

 I got my father's day gift a few days early.  My AK Diffuser arrived today.  Everything that I've read and seen about this sounds good.

I assembled the pieces, which are custom made according the the equipment being used.  I only tried it out briefly and I haven't shot anything worth showing.  It's rather strange looking.  Here's an image of one that I snagged off of Reddit:

As you can see, it's build so that the camera lens protrudes from the bottom, and there's a hole at the top for the flash to poke through.  It also comes with an LED light that can help you focus when there's dim light around the subject.  It's up to you to provide the power source.  For my power source, I finally got to use a small rechargeable bar that I got as swag from a Microsoft Ignite conference.

This diffuser is a departure from the Sigma ring flash that I got some years back.  Most of what I've read so far indicates that it shouldn't work with my camera.   It hadn't worked at all with my Canon 77D, but I've sort of got it working on my Canon R6 Mark II.   Problem is that it's a hit or miss chance that it's going to work reliably at any given moment.  From what I've read, the diffuser provides a much softer light on the subject.

A Long Pause

 Since retiring in December 2021, I've stayed busy -- more or less.   So much has happened in the interim, that I'd be hard pressed to recall it all for these pages.  I look upon this new blog entry as my commitment to recording the remainder of my life.

Where to begin?

My hobby as an amateur photographer has remained my focus.  I still have my old Canon 77D and I still use it.  In the interim, however, I bought my first full-frame DSLR -- an EOS Rebel 5D Mark 2 that I purchased used.  I was a great camera and it took some great pictures.

I've since replaced that camera with an EOS R6 Mark 2, a full-frame mirrorless.  It would be an understatement to say that this is a fantastic camera.  I've copied out some of its features from B&H Photo site:

Key Specs

Lens Mount	Canon RF
Effective Sensor Resolution	24.2 Megapixel (6000 x 4000)
Image Sensor	Full-Frame
Image Stabilization	Sensor-Shift
ISO/Gain Sensitivity	Native: 100 to 102,400 (50 to 204,800 Extended)
Max Recording Modes	H.264/H.265/MPEG-4 4:2:2 10-Bit Up to UHD 4K at 23.98/25/29.97/50/59.94 fps
Max Video Output	Raw 6K up to 59.94 fps
Media/Memory Card Slot	Dual Slot: SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II)
Video I/O	1x Micro-HDMI Output
Audio I/O	1x 1/8" / 3.5 mm TRS Stereo Headphone Output 1x 1/8" / 3.5 mm TRS Stereo Microphone Input
Power I/O	1x USB-C Input
Other I/O	1x 2.5 mm Sub-Mini (Remote) Input 1x USB-C 3.1/3.2 Gen 2 (Data) Output (Shared with Power Input)
Wireless	Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) / Bluetooth 5.0
Display Type	Articulating 3" Touchscreen LCD
Battery	1x LP-E6NH Rechargeable Lithium-Ion, 7.2 VDC, 2130 mAh (Included)  • Approx. 760 Shots

Exposure Control

Shutter Type	Mechanical Focal Plane Shutter and Electronic Rolling Shutter
Shutter Speed	Electronic Shutter 1/16000 to 30 Seconds Mechanical Shutter 1/8000 to 30 Seconds
Bulb/Time Mode	Bulb Mode
ISO/Gain Sensitivity	Native: 100 to 102,400 (50 to 204,800 Extended)
Metering Method	Center-Weighted Average, Evaluative, Partial, Spot
Exposure Modes	Aperture Priority, Manual, Program, Shutter Priority
Exposure Compensation	-3 to +3 EV (1/3, 1/2 EV Steps)
Metering Range	-3 to 20 EV
White Balance	Presets: Auto, Cloudy, Color Temperature, Custom, Daylight, Flash, Fluorescent (White), Shade, Tungsten
Continuous Shooting	Up to 40 fps at Maximum Resolution for up to 75 Frames (Raw) / 190 Frames (JPEG)
Interval Recording	Yes
Self-Timer	2/10-Second Delay

Focus

Focus Type	Auto and Manual Focus
Focus Mode	Continuous-Servo AF, Manual Focus, Single-Servo AF
Autofocus Points	Photo, Video Contrast Detection, Phase Detection: 1053
Autofocus Sensitivity	-6.5 to +21 EV

Imaging

Lens Mount	Canon RF
Effective Sensor Resolution	Effective: 24.2 Megapixel (6000 x 4000) Actual: 25.6 Megapixel
Image Sensor	35.9 x 23.9 mm (Full-Frame) CMOS
Sensor Crop (35mm Equivalent)	Crop Factor: 1x Additional Modes: 1.6x *Additional Crop Occurs in Select Video Modes
Image Stabilization	Sensor-Shift, 5-Axis
Built-In ND Filter	No
Capture Type	Stills & Video

Interface

Media/Memory Card Slot	Dual Slot: SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II)
Internal Storage	No
Video I/O	1x Micro-HDMI Output
Audio I/O	1x 1/8" / 3.5 mm TRS Stereo Headphone Output 1x 1/8" / 3.5 mm TRS Stereo Microphone Input
Power I/O	1x USB-C Input
Other I/O	1x 2.5 mm Sub-Mini (Remote) Input 1x USB-C 3.1/3.2 Gen 2 (Data) Output (Shared with Power Input)
Wireless	Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) / Bluetooth 5.0
Mobile App Compatible	Yes: Android & iOS App Name: Canon Camera Connect Functionality: Access Stored Files, Adjust Settings, Firmware Update, Remote Control, View Live Feed
Global Positioning (GPS, GLONASS, etc.)	GPS *Via Connected Smartphone

This is pure technical jargon.  The features that I find most useful is that it has several custom modes that I can program.  For instance, I have a custom setting for bird photography that features high electronic shutter speed.  There's a focus feature that automatically detect the eyes in the subject.  The camera can handle extremely high ISO,  but at least to an ISO of several thousand my Lightroom software can remove the noise and restore detail.

Over time, I'll feature some of my favorite shots and get into the various lenses that I've been using.

TTFN

Time for us to pause

The time has come for us to pause
And think of living as it was
Into the future we must cross (must cross)
          "Genesis" by Jorma Kaukonen

After 42 years working in West Virginia higher education, I'm going to pull up my stakes and retire on December 29^st this year.  

Since I won't be tied to a computer for 7-1/2 hours a day, five days a week, maybe I might have time to update this blog more often than I have in the past.

Working on the Pipevine

 A few days ago, the weather was fine and I had decided to play hooky from my job. Don't worry, I requested the time  I grabbed by camera gear and set out for nearby Coopers Rock State Forest.  Out near the trout pond, I came across a beautiful butterfly that I managed to shoot with my telephoto lens:

Meet the Pipevine Swallowtail (Battus philenor).  

The angle of this shot must have been just right, because the blue iridescence isn't always apparent, as noted in the following shot:

Same butterfly at a different angle.

The name of this butterfly got me curious.   Pipevine Swallowtails aren't all that common around here, and what is it with the name "pipevine" you ask?

Well, I'm glad you asked.

After a bit of Googling, I came across this site Butterfly Garden and Habitat Program, which gave a bit of background on the history of the pipevine in American horticulture.  It explained that the pipevine is the sole food of the Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillar. It turns out, however, that the pipevine genus, Aristolochia, has more than 500 species.  But there is only one native American species upon which the Pipevine caterpillar will dine: Aristolochia macrophylla.

These day, my go-to for natural science is iNaturalist.  Here is what they have to say about Aristolochia macrophylla.   Now one of the neat things about iNaturalist links is that the page for a specific species has links to a map, which shows the locations where something specific like Aristolochia macrophylla.  have been found.  Zooming in on the North American continent and down to West Virginia, we find many sightings.  Some of the local sightings are at the West Virginia Botanic Garden  along the Access Road Trail.  Sadly, there is only one other sighting, and that is along the Mon Chateau Trail from Coopers Rock.  My goal is to go back to the trout pond and see if I can spot the wiley Aristolochia macrophylla near where I took my photos.

 

I found a few more interesting links, among which are

• Missouri Botanical Garden
• The Aristolochia page in Wikipedia, where *ahem*, you might see a very suggestive picture and link to the  Aristolochia labiata. 

 

Fern, Interrupted

 On my hike around Coopers Rock state park last weekend, I came across some interesting looking ferns.  They had typical green fronds, top and bottom, but the middle was taken up by a dark green band of spores.

I've identified it as an Interrupted Fern (Claytosmunda claytoniana).  According to Wikipedia, 

The Claytosmunda genus has only one species, Claytosmunda claytoniana .  The interrupted fern is native to Eastern Asia, Eastern United States, and Eastern Canada.

Fragmentary foliage resembling Claytosmunda claytoniana has been found in the fossil record as far back as the Triassic.   C. claytoniana is a paramount example of evolutionary stasis. Paleontological evidence indicates it has remained unchanged, even at the level of fossilized nuclei and chromosomes, for at least 180 million years.

Now I want to talk a little bit about the picture, itself.  I had a bear of a time capturing a decent image.  I was trying to take a hand-held shot in somewhat low light, and a slight breeze gave the image even more shake.

I wanted decent depth of field with my macro lens, so I tried to shoot at f/18.  This was one of those rare times when I changed the ISO to 3200.  I was able to use a shutter speed of 1/100 sec.

You can well imagine the amount of "noise" in the original picture.  This was one of those time that I appreciated the image editing software from Topaz Labs.  This was definitely a job for DeNoise AI.   I followed up that process with Sharpen AI.  The results up above really speak for themselves.

Here's what it looked like before the DeNoise and Sharpen:

Slipper Time

 This past weekend I took a drive to Coopers Rock state forest in search of the elusive Pink Lady's Slipper orchid.  In previous years, I had found the orchids just below the handicap parking sign of off the large parking lot.  I was disappointed that there wasn't a single one.

I drove on to the head of the trail that leads down to the Henry Clay iron furnace.  It was here that I had hoped to catch the Rattlesnake Plantain orchid in flower.  Go figure, I didn't see a single one this time of the year.   What I did see, however, was a lovely stand of Pink Lady's Slippers.   I had a field day with my camera there.

I seem to have captured them at their peak.

Another plant that I recognized is the Halberd-leaved Violet (Viola hastata):

I also took this shot of a pair of mushroom growing out of some moss: