Daily Photo 2022: May 16-31
Part of this post is a bit of an early birthday gift for my sister. She's keen on insects, and has encouraged me to turn my macro lens on them.
2022 May 16
I really need to get a grip. Happily, I have the tools to make it happen. Back when I started climbing I found the black "heavy tension" difficult to squeeze. Eventually I moved on to the white-and-grey "extra heavy tension". I'm currently on the cusp of clasping "XX heavy tension"; I can do it if I warm up first.
Olympus E-PL9, 60mm macro lens
f2.8, 1/500 sec, ISO 6400
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
2022 May 17
On May fifth I photographed a mystery flower, wondering if it was a hyacinth. It was not, but I was taxonomically close. Seeing it more mature, I think it's a bluebell.
Olympus E-PL9, 60mm macro lens
f4, 1/100 sec, ISO 2000
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
2022 May 18
This snap is fairly self-explanatory. It's a pizza. As it happens, I am a big fan of Hawaiian, and fruit on pizza in general.
Olympus E-PL9, 60mm macro lens
f2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO 200
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
2022 May 19
Having grown up with diabetes, at-home medical testing is nothing new to me. Here's a Covid-19 diagnostic. I am pleased to report that I have always tested negative. I certainly hope that trend continues!
Olympus E-PL9, 60mm macro lens
f2.8, 1/60 sec, ISO 200
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
2022 May 20
The reason I did the C-19 test was to ensure I could safely attend a work-party. We went to a Wanderers game! I can hear the crowd's roar from my apartment, but this was the first time I got to attend a match.
Olympus E-PL9, 60mm macro lens
f2.8, 1/500 sec, ISO 400
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
2022 May 21
On a somewhat blustery and cool Saturday I met up with my pal Jamie. We walked from Mumford to Horseshoe Island Park. A few boats were out catching the breeze, but is was perhaps too windy for most, which stayed in the docks. After our walk we convened with Erin and her friend Della for an evening of board games. A lovely day!
Olympus E-PL9, 60mm macro lens
f5, 1/1600 sec, ISO 200
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
2022 May 22
On a recent trip to Antigonish I dug out my old guitar from my parents' attic. I never did learn to play it; here's hoping I will put a bit more effort into it now.
Olympus E-PL9, 60mm macro lens
f16, 1.3 secs, ISO 800
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
2022 May 23
Here's a bee. You may notice insects in all but two of the remaining photos for this entry. I made a deliberate effort to photograph them. Several of the pictures are substandard; I clearly needed the practice! I like to think that I am getting better at insect photography, bit by bit.
Olympus E-PL9, 60mm macro lens
f16, 1/250 sec, ISO 800
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
2022 May 24
My sister is an enthusiastic autodidact entomologist; occasionally she can be hyperbolic. According to her, this is the best photo I've ever taken.
Olympus E-PL9, 60mm macro lens
f4.5, 1/1250 sec, ISO 200
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
May 25, 26, and 27
Next up we have a trio of ants. I really tried to take clear photos of them, but found it very difficult. They are really, really small, yet move really, really fast! On top of that, they favour environs where they blend in, and they're shiny. All that makes for tricky photography.
Olympus E-PL9, 60mm macro lens
f4.5, 1/640 sec, ISO 200
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
Olympus E-PL9, 60mm macro lens
f5, 1/200 sec, ISO 200
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
Olympus E-PL9, 60mm macro lens
f4, 1/60 sec, ISO 200
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
2022 May 28
The end of May is Apple Blossom Festival time in the Annapolis Valley. I went to visit my brother and his family for the big weekend. We went to a children's parade. The precipitation held off during the event itself, but it rained on our post-parade plans for events in the town square. Later that day, my niece showed me a buttercup she'd picked.
Olympus E-PL9, 60mm macro lens
f4, 1/400 sec, ISO 800
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
2022 May 29
On Sunday afternoon my brother's family returned the visit; we walked through the Halifax Public Gardens. I'd intended to photograph any insects we came across, so I had my macro lens on the camera instead of my telephoto. Lo, we saw a jay! They say the best camera equipment is what's in your hand, so I made do with what I had.
Olympus E-PL9, 60mm macro lens
f3.2, 1/500 sec, ISO 200
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
2022 May 30
Another day, another ant. This one is carting away what I believe to be an aphid. Through these days of formicography, I have been playing around with my camera settings. By this point I'd settled on aperture priority set as far down as the lens will allow, but with a flash. I think that gives me the best shot of getting as much of the insect in focus as possible, while minimizing motion blur.
Olympus E-PL9, 60mm macro lens
f22, 1/160 sec, ISO 800
IrfanView: Crop, Colour
2022 May 31
I'm finishing off with a photo that's rather fly, if I do say so myself. This critter and several friends were sunning themselves on a patio stone in the dahlia area of the Public Gardens. They didn't spook even when I got somewhat close, and stayed still long enough for what I think to be a photographically correct portrait. I must confess, though, I think they looked friendlier before I saw them in such close detail!
