Mostly Cosmoses

As with my last post I don’t know that I can put any words in this post that would add value so I will keep my mouth shut.  That reminds me of a saying my dad frequently quoted:  “It’s better to keep your mouth shut and let people think you are fool rather than to open it and remove all doubt”.  I looked the quote up once and it appears the quote (not necessarily the exact words used here) is usually attributed to Mark Twain or Abraham Lincoln, but others too.  Not a very satisfying answer.  Okay, so much for today’s lesson on quotes, let’s move on to the photos.

Wait a minute, I do have one more thing to say which pretty much negates what I said about keeping my mouth shut.  All photos in this post were take with a Nikkor AF-S 80-400mm telephoto zoom lens.  The first or second time I posted pictures taken with this lens I commented on how heavy it was (3 1/2 lbs).  So this zoom lens combined with the 1 1/2 lbs weight of the Nikon D7100 means one is carrying around 5 lbs and that is no small amount especially if you are holding it up to you face for a long time waiting for the insect to take off or the wind to quiet down so the flower stops flopping around.

I had said that this weight makes this a destination lens, one where there is a specific photo goal in mind requiring this focal range and not a lens for just walking around in the botanical gardens looking for something to shoot.  Well lately I have been taking it out just walking around the neighborhood and my yard looking for something to shoot.  I was getting bored using the Sigma 105mm macro all the time.  With a different focal length lens, especially one this different, I am forced to think differently about where and how I stand for a close up and I have to remember to look for opportunities other than close ups.  It’s still a pain as a walk around lens but it’s worth the extra effort getting to do something different.

As an example of having to do things differently with the zoom vs. the macro:  with the Sigma I can get as close as 12 inches to my subject, and I normally do try to get as close as I can, but with the Nikkor the closest focusing distance is 5.7 feet.  That means I’m not sticking my head in the flowers trying to get a shot but I am pretty far away from my close up subject and often with not as many angle options.  This adds a whole new level of working for close ups that’s a nice change of pace.

But there are advantages using the big zoom for close ups.  I’ve taken numerous close ups of dragonflies sitting on lotus flowers and water lilies just a few feet out in the water.  I’d never be able to get these shots with the macro lens.

Now, for real, it’s time for the photos.

Nope, didn’t notice the crab spider up there until editing the photo on my PC.

 

 

 

 

End of cosmoses – begin Shasta daisies.

 

I’m not sure what this insect is.  Maybe some kind of parasitic wasp?

 

Thank you for stopping by.

David

All photos taken with a Nikon D7100 and a Nikkor AF-S 80-400mm  zoom lens.