...in bare feet.
What is the photographer's ideal when sighting a new wildflower to snap? Perhaps, having a macro lens already attached to your camera body, and that body already attached to a nice sturdy tripod that you can set up perfectly, not a breath of wind and good solid ground to stand on to get a good view in the viewfinder.
HA.
Welcome to the Pilbara. More specifically the Burrup Peninsula which is covered in rocks. Mounds of rocks. And that grass in between? Spinafex. What do I do when I go kayaking up the Burrup? I take my camera...and no shoes.
Here I am, climbing a rock mountain to test out my wide angle lens...in my thongs that I decided to ditch because they were more trouble than they were worth. I take an ordinary photo of the bay, and start to amble down when I stumble across a purple flower I had not seen before. You beauty! Luckily I had the macro in my backpack. Upon sitting down to change my lens however, I discovered not a skerrik of flat rock to keep one lens while I took the other off. I only have two hands, one of which has to hold the backpack and my thongs, the other that has to hold my camera, all the while unscrewing a lens, unscrewing the macro dust cover, switching the lenses, re-screwing everything, all the while not dropping anything to its certain death down the rock hill.
I achieved the impossible and miraculously managed to change to the macro without a single crash. So I set about trying to shoot this purple flower. Tiny they were, under a centimeter across. I had no tripod with me and there was a slight breeze. At 100mm, a slight breeze is all it takes. I don't know how long I sat on that uncomfortable, unlevel rock, precariously clutching my camera at all focal lengths trying to get the depth of field just right...only to have a breath of wind breeze past moving the flower just far enough out of focus to ruin my shot. Incredibly frustrating. I employed a quick shutter and patience....and many many photos. (I had to stop and delete some off my full card...twice). Eventually I got a couple.
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Canon EOS 50D f/2.8, 1/1250, ISO 100. 100mm macro |
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Canon EOS 50D f/6.3 1/400 ISO 100, 100mm Macro - Cropped |
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Canon EOS 50D f/6.3 1/400 ISO 100, 100mm Macro |
I really quite loved playing with the depth of field. The tiny branches taught me a lot about focus...and patience. Hopefully next time it will continue to be better than ever!Still can't believe these guys were growing on a rock mountain.