Category Archives: Nature

Colorful Reflections

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A scene from 2023’s “Blossoms of Light” at the Denver Botanic Gardens.

Colorful reflections

“Blossoms of Light” is always an enjoyable and visually arresting visit in the run up to the holidays. This view looks south across the Monet Pool toward the Hive Garden Bistro.

EXIF:
OM System OM-1 camera, M.Zuiko 12-45mm f/4 lens
ISO 2000, 19mm, f/11, 0.8 sec

Fully partial

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Folks in a large swath of the western hemisphere were fortunate to have the opportunity to see an annular solar eclipse today (weather permitting, of course). We decided to forgo a drive to the path of annularity, opting instead to watch it as a partial eclipse — from our front porch. We got lucky as a thin layer of cirrus blew out of the way just in time, and I was able to make some photos.

Fully partial -- partial solar eclipse photographed a few minutes past maximum.

This was the eclipse as seen from Denver, about 10 minutes past maximum. Look closely, and you can see a sunspot in the upper right part of the crescent.

EXIF:
OM System OM-1 camera, M.Zuiko 100-400mm f/5.0-6.3 lens, MC-14
560mm, f/9.0, 1/320 sec, ISO 500

Across the channel

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Looking south from Venice proper toward the island of San Giorgio Maggiore.
Across the channel
In 2022, we were able to visit Venice during the “shoulder season” just before the onslaught of tourists in the summer’s main tourist season. Taking a late-day gondola ride was one of our best choices — scenic and quiet!

EXIF:
Olympus E-M1 Mark III, M.Zuiko 8-25mm lens
15mm, ISO 500, f/9.0, 1/60 sec

Strange planet

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The Flatirons, just west of Boulder, Colorado. But seen in infrared, and with some color tweaks in post-processing.

Strange planet

I love the Flatirons, but they’re one of those subjects that is exhaustively photographed here in Colorado. So, how to make a shot of them that doesn’t look like a million others? Oh, and I went hiking on kind of a “blah” sort of morning — light overcast, some snow on the ground (but not enough to really set off the rock). My regular color photos taken with a regular digital camera were… underwhelming.

Fortunately, I also took along my E-PM2 camera body (which I’d had converted to full spectrum imaging), and a 720 nm infrared filter. Do a little color channel swapping, fiddle a bit with levels to separate the rock from the trees, and presto — you’re on a distant world.

EXIF:
Olympus E-PM2 camera (full spectrum conversion), M.Zuiko 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 EZ lens, 720nm filter
ISO 200, 19mm, f/8.0, 1/250 sec