Nicole Glenn Photography Blog » Macro Monday

MACRO MONDAY | FOR SYLVIA

Nicole — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 02:25:04 +0000

Kind of a hodgepodge of images, but nature is incredible. Always. Weeds, flowers, succulents, all of it.

For a dear friend that pushes me when I need it the most. Love you!

Hope your week is perfect!

xoxo

Nicole

MACRO MONDAY | BERRY BUSH

Nicole — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 17:01:41 +0000

Ok, I’m not really sure if this is called a berry bush haha. However, I felt the description fit. Say hello to the berry bush. : )

I absolutely love the tones created by the overcast day.

Happy Monday!

MACRO MONDAY | LOVE IN THE MIST

Nicole — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 10:10:37 +0000

Love in the mist. With it’s tangled web of greenery, I thought it was a weed. But with a name like that, how could one not fall in love…

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!!

xoxo

Nicole

MACRO MONDAY | CORNFLOWER

Nicole — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 04:05:33 +0000

Apparently these flowers have a slew of names: cornflower, bachelor’s button, basket flower, and lastly, the old-fashioned blue-bottle. None of which I knew about until this weekend. I always learn a new flower name, one benefits of Macro Monday. If nothing else, you learned a flower name today too. Whoop! Ok, on to the pictures, so you know what they look like too : ) …

Pretty in pink…

I love the layers of color…

Fluffy!

Guess what!?? You made it through Monday! : )

MACRO MONDAY | AGAPANTHUS

Nicole — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 04:12:01 +0000

Yes. The Agapanthus. I didn’t know it was called that until recently, but these flowers are a pretty common sight in San Diego. I really think they are purple, however mom says they are blue. So, to settle the score, we will call them purple blue, or, blue purple if we must. : )

The beginning…

Little flower fireworks!

Bloom…

Loved capturing the pollen…

This past week was crazy hot in San Diego. Luck for me the 9-5er is heavily air conditioned. : ) Sprinklers are a great way to water the lawn AND stay cool. Reminds me of childhood, and I’m not even sure that I ran through the sprinklers all that much haha.

Have a wonderful Monday and stay cool wherever you are!

Nicole

BEHIND THE SCENES | MACRO MONDAY

Nicole — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 07:25:25 +0000

I have been meaning to post some behind the scenes insight to my macro photography for the past few months. I am not an all knowing expert, and of course, there are many different styles and ways of doing things, but if this helps someone then I’m all in! Here we go…

Before we go too far and I forget to mention the lens, the lens used in all of the pictures is the 60mm f/2.8 from Nikon. : )

I think one of the most important things in any photograph is lighting. In all of the macro shots I use available natural light. The majority of the time I am shooting in the early afternoon and tend to work with whatever the lighting situation may be. Occasionally, I ask my assistant (aka my momma) to come and shade the subject to evenly expose the picture.

On to some picture…

The calla lily below is in a planter placed in direct sunlight. This allowed the background to be highly underexposed and all of the focus to be on the deliciously curvy flower…

f/3.2, 1/2000 sec, ISO-125

The sunflower below is part of a bouquet and sitting in a vase next to a large sliding glass door. I used my chocolate colored sofa to create a solid dark backdrop, allowing the focus to be solely on the flower…

f/3.5, 1/125 sec, ISO-400

The bunch of orchids below is hanging over a concrete patio and the sun is hitting it from the side, which is actually the top of this photo. The concrete is over exposed to create a solid white backdrop…

f/3, 1/1250 sec, ISO-200

The passion flower below is in complete shade, which made it easy to evenly expose all parts and colors of the flower.

f/4, 1/160 sec, ISO-400

For me, the most difficult thing with macro photography is focusing. The optics in a macro lens create an extremely shallow depth of field when wide open. Shooting in an uncontrolled environment can be hard, especially when even the slightest breeze makes focusing seem impossible. As with many things in life, patience and practice are key. : )

If you have any particular questions email me at nicole@nicoleglenn.com or leave a comment below!

Happy shooting!

Nicole

MACRO MONDAY | PASSION FLOWER

Nicole — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 06:00:42 +0000

I went to the San Diego County Fair (AKA the Del Mar Fair) this weekend! Don’t worry, I didn’t eat any deep fried butter. Promise. : ) As expected, my parents purchased a few plants. Lucky for me, one is already blooming! I was excited to see that one of the passion flower blossoms already opened up! This is THE most complex flower I have seen. So many layers, colors, and textures. It’s beautiful!

Speckled.

Love the curly cues.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend! We had a blast eating our way through the fair (I am paying for that now ha!). Here is my crazy dad enjoying himself on a few rides. Notice I am not sitting next to him. : )

We have plans to see some sweet concerts this summer (BB King, Gladys Knight, and Smokey Robinson)! It should be epic, I can’t wait!!

Dad, thank you for everything this past year. I don’t know where I would be without your wisdom, love, and support. I can’t thank you enough! Happy Father’s day!

Nicole

MACRO MONDAY | DUSTY MILLER

Nicole — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 13:23:17 +0000

The bright yellow caught my eye, so dusty miller is up next for Macro Monday!

Stowaway #1…

I didn’t notice how the leaves really do look dusty until I shot this! It’s amazing what you see with a macro lens…

I was really excited when I saw these stowaways! Love the red and black!

Sneak peek: As I was culling images from a family session this weekend, this made me smile…

Hope you have an exciting week!

xoxo,

Nicole

MACRO MONDAY | CALLA LILIES

Nicole — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 00:49:16 +0000

A little calla lily lovin’ on this Memorial Day!

I’m starting to think I am partial to flowers that include yellow, red, and orange. All in one, please. : )

Calla lilies are curvy! Even the leaves….

It’s amazing how lighting can completely change the mood of a picture. Shot about 4 hours after the first photo…

Special thank you to all the men and women who serve(d) in our armed forces! That’s you Will! I am so grateful for your efforts and sacrifices. Thank you!

Happy Memorial Day!!

Nicole

Macro Monday | Orchids

Nicole — Mon, 17 May 2010 16:31:56 +0000

The orchids are bloomin’ up a storm, so I figured they earned the next spot for Macro Monday!

I love the yellow and purple combo…

I bet you didn’t know orchids had lips!I love these next two (in color and B&W)…

CLEARLY I need to check my priorities. I guess I had a date with a two headed tennis ball and Sandy. Every where I went she was right there…reminding me. : )

I adore her sweet little face.

Hope you have a fabulous week!

Warmly,

Nicole