It is a new year.  And this first blog features my recent practice with a new lens, the Fujinon aspherical lens, 30 mm macro, 1:2.8.  The smaller the number on the lens after the 1, the bigger the aperture or opening, and greater amount of light the lens allows in.  This is important in a close-up or macro lens because often, the smaller the subject matter, the less light might fall on it, particularly in circumstances where light cannot necessarily be controlled.  Enough on the technical. One thing is certain, I am already smitten with this lens.  My thrift has kept me from ever purchasing a macro.  Another one of those things that makes a person say "I should have done this a long time ago."

Pomegranates and bromeliads were the unwitting subjects.  Luckily, they didn't mind.  As a fellow photographer said when I was working with her on a spontaneous photo shoot, "You shoot in circles around your subject".  That is true.  I circle it, change positions, get down on the floor or ground, shoot from above, basically trying to get as many angles as I can, and change backgrounds.  It is all a grand experiment.

The pomegranate's skin looks like a cross between a dyed, treated piece of leather, and a planetary surface.  The "crater" in this planetary image is the calyx, in which the stamens (male fertilizing organ of a flower) are housed.  

Food - pomegranate 1 2022

Here are a few of the backgrounds on which I placed the fruit, each showing different streaks and splotches of color in it.

Food - pomegranate 5 2022

Food - pomegranate 6 2022

Food - pomegranate 9 2022

The next subject is a bromeliad.  For most in the United States, these are houseplants, but in coastal California and desert areas, they are outdoor plants.  Much to my surprise, the bromeliad is in the same family as the pineapple, as well as Spanish moss and some epiphytic orchids.  They are native to the tropics and subtropical areas of the Americas, and one is native to tropical areas of west Africa.  (Thanks to the folks at Wikipedia for the information.) 

Although the above photograph shows what most people would recognize, I wanted to capture something different, and thus, went for the leaf stalk.  These are three different images made as I turned the pot in the incoming light.

Flowers - bromeliad 2 2023

Flowers - bromeliad 3 2023

The acuteness of focus is revealed in different parts of the inner leaves because of the shallow depth of field.  Thanks for your patience as I share, photographically, the reason I love the macro lens.

Thanks to TTT, Barbara F. R., Lisa, Steve, Kay C., Catherine S., Pauli, Robert, Sara, Char, Jean & Sam, and Ingrid for your comments on last week's blog.  

My wish for 2023 is that it is full of creativity and learning as you pursue life's secrets and challenges.

until next Monday,

DB

      a passion for the image©