RETURN TO THE DOMES--AGAIN

Last week I paid yet another visit to the Mitchell Park Domes to do a little macro.  Here is what I got.

This was a flower in the Desert Dome that I have shot numerous times before.  To give some perspective, each of the orange flowerets is about an inch long.  On this visit I attempted to do an extreme closeup to enhance the abstract quality of the image.  I experimented with different apertures to vary the depth of field.  In the end I chose this shot that featured a very narrow aperture of f/40 to maximize depth of field.

This was another plant in the Desert Dome.  What caught my attention was the contrast between the dark centers of the "leaves" and their very light margins.  To emphasize this contrast, I converted the image to a black and white.  Again, this was shot at f'40 to maximize depth of field.  Just so-so, I thought.

Yet another specimen in the Desert Dome.  The individual "grapes" of this succulent are perhaps a third of an inch long.  In post processing I significantly softened the look of this shot while retaining a sharpness at the margins.  I placed the spot where there is a single missing "grape" in the upper left in accordance with the "rule of thirds."  Maybe no one else will notice, but I did.

This was  fern from the Show Dome.  Again, I transformed it into a black and white to emphasize the pattern, and I increased the contrast to reduce any distraction from the fronds behind.

Yet another black and white.  Here my goal was simply to flood the image edge to edge with the plant.  Once again, I used a very narrow aperture (f/36) to maximize definition throughout the image.

This was a simple cascade of leaves in the Tropical Dome.  The leaves certainly have their flaws, particularly the one in the lower left, but I thought that might be part of the composition's charm. The background was dark to begin with and I was able to darken it further to isolate the leaves.

Finally, I took a couple of non-macro shots (but with my 90 mm macro lens).  The first was of a prop in the Desert Dome consisting of a large spool of rope.  The original shot was really quite boring, so I cropped it, rotated it 45 degrees, and converted it to a black and white.  More interesting, I think.

The Domes include a reception and display area between the individual domes that is populated with tables and chairs, and I caught this shot.

I liked the contrast between the black table and chairs and the bright light reflecting off the polished floor.

John