What a difference a lens (and some extension tubes) can make!
I went back out to the trial chasing some wildflowers in Sedona, Arizona. But this time I came a bit more prepared for the subject with some extension tubes and a long lens to isolate and magnify the beauty something a wide lens just can’t do. (see images from the day before)
Having trouble finding the correct names for my desert flowers. This might be a Four O’Clock something or other. Any help from you botanical types??
Been trying to identify this flower… Has the shape of a type of Morning Glory but the
pistols extending out from the bell I think are telling me it’s something else. Any ideas for me?
OK enough with the flower naming conventions… Here’s the down low on the gear used.
Because I was on the trail I wanted to stay fairly light so I grabbed the MePhoto Backpacker Tripod. Pretty versatile and folds up to around 15 inches with it’s own shoulder case. Nice ball head with firm controls. Wasn’t sure I would like this tripod but it’s been serving me very well.
I wasn’t traveling to far so the Lumix GH4 was the camera of choice with a 35-100 f2.8 Lumix Vario lens. Extra lenses, extension tubes and other photo stuff was in the Think Tank Mirrorless Mover 20. Good build with enough room for a good selection of gear but still is unobtrusive on my belt.
I added some inexpensive extension tubes from Vello. When you shop for extension tubes make sure you get matched to your system so the auto-focus and exposure are automatic. If you only shoot macro images occasionally extension tubes can work great and save you the price of a dedicated macro lens.
To help control the lighting I used a 20 inch 5 in 1 reflector from FJ Westcott. This is small and light yet big enough to cover flowers fro the sun and give a nice glow to the lighting.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
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Hi, I too was wondering what this purple wildflower was, as I got some nice photos near Bell Rock. After some googling, I discovered it’s the desert four o’clock, mirabilis multiflora. Here’s a link to it: http://www.americansouthwest.net/plants/wildflowers/mirabilis-multiflora.html.