February’s theme for the UCSD Retirement Association Photography Interest Group was Macro. Since Covid-19 still has many of us sheltering-in-place. Macro photography is an easy theme to do at home since travel is difficult. These are some images I took specifically for this meeting. Ironically, I was at a RV campground without wifi when the group met via Zoom so I was unable to participate.
The snail was moving across our front sidewalk during the stormy January rains that blew through SoCal. He was very cooperative once he was brought under the two LED panel lights. I collected different foliage for him/her to crawl upon that I thought would be complimentary.
The dandelion seed was my attempt at a technique I saw demonstrated on YouTube where secondary images are reflected optically in the water droplets. It was harder than the demonstration video to get the secondary image in focus. In the video, a flower is placed behind and below the droplets and visible. I was only able to get the flower in the droplet by placing it directly behind the misted dandelion. Perhaps, using extension tubes and different focal length lens, as used in the video, might work better. I used my old Nikkor 55mm AI macro lens on my Nikon Z6 using the FTZ adapter. These images are a two-image focus stack needed to get the water drop image and the seed fronds both in focus.
During a trip to Anza, CA, for a second snow day, I brought my Olympus w/ 60mm macro lens and tried some macro photography. Not too successful but I did like the sun stars in the icicle image.
