three lenses, one flower

July 19, 2026 • 7 Comments

"Gardening is an active participation in the deepest mysteries of the universe."
Thomas Berry

Last week, the weather was a bit more gentle, with occasional fitful light rain showers that brought the temperatures down, even if temporarily. A friend of mine says that rain is nature's fertilizer. And so it is. All living things seem to come out of a languorous place, each expressing joy in their own way.

Mystery in the garden comes in one package where the Echinacea purpurea flower is concerned. I have long enjoyed the look of them, with their long petals or ray florets leading to the starburst center or disk. The orange/yellow/red/bronze colored spikes within the disk are scales. The specs of yellow in the photograph below is pollen. This photograph was made with a Fujifilm X-T5 camera, using a 16-80 mm lens.

Flowers - echinacea detail 1 2026

The pollen seated on the anther of the stamen (male reproductive part) is much more evident in the next three photographs, taken with the Fujifilm, X-T5, with a XF 30 mm F2.8 macro lens. It is a burst of brightness from the center that attracts numerous pollinators, including bumble bees and hummingbirds.

Flowers - echinacea detail 2 2026 Flowers - echinacea detail 3 2026 Flowers - echinacea detail 4 2026

I was going for the flower as a whole in the next two images, with the big disc and flower rays given almost equal attention.

Nikon D5200, 18-55 mm lens.

Flowers - echinacea detail 5 2026 Flowers - echinacea detail 6 2026

Certain colors translate to black and white more willingly than others, and I wanted to give the fuchsia-colored Echinacea a try.

Flowers - echinacea detail 7 2026

Thanks to Christina, Tim, TTT, Marilyn G., Steve, Jean & Sam, Catherine, and Sara for writing about last week's blog. In the middle of a busy summer season for so many of you, your time and comments are most appreciated!

July seems to be flying by, and with luck, each of you has been able to find some mystery and excitement in your surroundings with your favorite photography tool.

until next Monday,

a passion for the image©

Keywords: Blacks Crossing Photography, Daryl A. Black, Echinacea purpurea, flowers, gardens, macro lens, nature, New Mexico, photography, Thomas Berry

Comments

Catherine Sobredo(non-registered)

These beautiful closeups portray the skill of the photographer, Daryl, where you manage to keep the viewer’s interest starting with a very strong first gorgeous image and gradually lead us to the delightful grace of the echinacea. And in between these images, the interesting technical details of cameras and lenses add a full display of opportunities! Kudos to you!

Catherine Sobredo(non-registered)

Steve Immel(non-registered)

It's great to see you experiment with lenses, design and depth of field. You led with a killer. The pollen specks take the image to another level. Beautiful without them. Special with them. The same is true in images two and three where the circle of light makes the photograph soar. In the full flower the petals and big disk vie for attention. One's eye jumps back and forth between the two.

The monochrome is a surprise and appears more abstract. And the very shallow depth of field is amazing.

Simply fantastic!

Ingrid(non-registered)

I ditto the other comments. Absolutely stunning close up!

Lawrence T. Jones(non-registered)

The first photograph hit me like a psychedelic light presentation. Intense and brilliant photography from a studious and delightfully talented photographer.

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