Dawn in the Flower Forest, photo by Harold Davis. View this photo larger.

The last week or so I’ve been observing carefully how the sunrise lights up our garden. My idea was the capture the light of dawn within the scale of a small flower, like this tiarella. This flower is a member of the saxifrage family, and is low to the ground (maybe 3″ high from bottom to top). It is planted mostly in the shade where selective sun rays only hit it briefly.

Lying flat on the ground, coffee mug beside me, Julian and Nicky jumping over me, I waited patiently (more or less) for sunrise. The camera was handheld, with a vibration reduction lens at 200mm (300mm in 35mm terms). I used 12mm of extension tube and a +4 diopter close-up lens. As the sun hit the flower I snapped a whole series of photos that are about the play of light and depth of field.

Here are a couple of other recent photos that explore light and depth of field:

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By the way, I’m off to Yosemite tomorrow with Julian for some photography, and I have a great deal of other travel planned this month. So–excuses in advance–my photoblogging is going to be on the light side for a while. Then again, as Yoda might have said, the light side is the reverse of the dark side–and better!

Resurrection, photo by Harold Davis. View this photo larger.

The poppy has a short life span. It starts by emerging from a small pod…

…opening like lucious velvet:

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…becomes mature for perhaps a day:

and keeps in its scarab heart the seeds of its own eventual resurrection:

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Gazania Petals, photo by Harold Davis. View this photo larger.

A French reader of Photoblog 2.0 asks some good questions that you, too, might want answered if you are new to my photoblog (and my life). I blush to translate the entire comment it’s so flattering, but here’s the gist:

Roughly speaking, what equipment do you use? And, how do you get so many different flowers around you to photograph?

Here’s the French original:

Cher Harold,

Vos photos sont si nettes, si précises. c’est abolument magnifique.
Avec quel appareil photo travaillez vous ?
Comment avez vous autant de fleurs différentes autour de vous ?
C’est un plaisir pour les yeux.
Merci.

–Turquoise

Sounds better in French, somehow, doesn’t it?!?

Here’s my response.

Dear Turqoise:

Thank you for your interest in my work and your very kind words.

I use a digital Nikon SLR with a variety of close-up equipment including a macro lens, extension tubes, an extension bellows, close-up filters, and a reversal ring. Most of my photomacrographs of flowers are long exposures on a tripod with high depth of field, but in some cases when I am interested in shallow depth of field I use a handheld vibration reduction lens with an extension tube and/or macro filter.

My belief is that equipment does not matter as much as the eye and spirit of the photographer and having a great love for photography.

Most of my photos are of flowers that I grow in my own garden here in Berkeley, CA. I love to garden, and my young sons are starting to enjoy it as well.

I also photograph in local gardens such as the San Francisco Botanical Gardens, Blake Garden, and Berkeley Horticultural Nurseries. Berkeley has a Mediterranean climate, and plants that are native to Southern Europe, Brazil, South Africa, and parts of Australia all grow nicely here in addition to indigenous California species.

In addition, some of my photos are of cut flower arrangements photographed under controlled indoor conditions.

I dedicate these photographs to you, Turquoise.

Very best wishes,

Harold

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Here’s a translation of my response (thank you Keara for help with the French):

Chère Turquoise,

Merci d’être si interesser avec mon travail et de dire des choses si gentilles.

J’utilise un « digital Nikon SLR » qui a un grand varieté de « close-up equipment » avec aussi un « macro lens », des « extension tubes, » des « extension bellows », « closup filters, » et un « reversal ring. » Beaucoup de mes « photomacrographs » de fleurs song des longs « exposures » sur un « tripod » avec « high depth of field », mais dans certains cas quand je suis interessé par un «shallow depth field» j’utilise un « handheld » « réduction de la vibration » lense avec un « extension tube » et un « macrofilter. »

Je croit que l’equipement n’a pas beaucoup d’importance que l’oeil et l’esprit de celui qui prend le photo est plus importante.

Beaucoup des fleurs que je photographe sont des fleurs que j’ai dans mon jardin içi a Berkeley, CA. J’aime beaucoup beaucoup le jardinage et mes fils aussi commençent a l’aimer.

Je photographe aussi dans des jardins près de moi comme ceux a San Francisco Botanical Gardens, Blake Graden, and Berkeley Horticultural Nurseries. Berkeley à un climat « mediterranean » et des plantes qui sont « natives » à Europe du Sud, Sud d’Afrique, et des partis d’Australie, poussent içi avec les plantes qui poussent naturellement.

J’ai aussi des photos de bouquets qui sont photographiés dans des conditions controllées a l’interieure.

J’ai dedié se photo à vous, Turquoise.

Harold

The photo at the beginning of this story is of Gazania petals in my lower (most sunny) garden. I think it would fit well on the Patterns page of my portfolio.

Technical info: Nikon D70 on tripod, 105mm macro lens with 36mm extension tube, +4 macro filter, ISO 200, f/40, and 1.3 seconds.

The poppy is a Raspberry Breadseed, photographed handheld with 18-200 VR Zoom lens at 90mm with 36mm extension tube, ISO 200, f/5.6, and 1/160 of a second.

White Poppy, photo by Harold Davis. View this photo larger.

I’m pleased to present this triptych of poppy photos: white, red, and yellow. These flowers are all on one poppy plant in Julian’s garden. Here’s red:

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This is an Icelandic Poppy, “wonderland,” Papaver nudicaule. It has been specially created to produce flowers of multiple colors off one plant. Here’s yellow:

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It would certainly be possible to take the Frankenstein approach to this kind of thing: if humble poppies are genetically engineered to produce many colors in one plant, what happens when the genetic designers get human beings in their clutches? But I’ll leave such profound topics to others, and merely express myself delighted in the rainbow variety of Papaver nudicaule.

I think these three poppy images will make a great triptych when I print them up (about 20X24′ inches each print). If anyone is interested in acquiring a set of these prints, please contact me.

On another note, this is post number 400 on Photoblog 2.0.

Young Leucospermum Profile, photo by Harold Davis. View this photo larger.

This is the leucospermum “scarlet ribbons” plant in my garden that I photographed earlier from above.

This photo shows a side view, which helps to explain why the common name of the plant refers to ribbons. I also think the petals-to-be look a bit like waves on the sea (if waves were red).

I was really close to the bud, using my D70, my PB-6 extension bellows, an extension tube to get the thing in place (I explain the mechanics of why I had to do this in an earlier post), a reversing ring, and my 105mm macro lens mounted in reverse. I think the setup works pretty well for extreme macros.