Macro Road Trip

Sunrise at Folly Pier

Old City of Charleston

Private Garden

"Rainbow" Row along the waterfront

Macro Images from Mike Moats workshop

Nautilus Shell

Watch and parts

I decided to sign up for a Macro Workshop put on my photographer Mike Moats. I missed all of his workshops that were close to home, so I found one near Charlotte, NC that I could drive to. In order to make this a more interesting trip I planned stops on the way up in Charleston and the trip back at Jekyll Island. In Charleston, I explored the Magnolia Cemetary, walked over the new Ravenel Bridge, walked around the old city and in the morning took sunrise shots at Folly Pier. By the time I got to the old city it was getting dark, so I returned in the morning to take some infrared photos of the gardens. My next stop was Mooresville, north of Charlotte for the two and a half day Macro Workshop. Good thing it was all indoors, because the morning temperature of 27 degrees broke a record. Mike teaches in a way that is simple to understand and using affordable equipment can be accomplished. Friday night session was an intro into his work and background, an overview of the necessary equipment. Saturday he went over techniques for shooting macro and in the afternoon, we each had a station and a large variety of subjects to photograph. I rented a macro lens for the week but found out later that some of the lenses I already have would have worked. I am still contemplating wether or not I need a dedicated macro lens. The trip home was broken up by an overnight stay at Jekyll Island. More on Jekyll Island in the next post.

More sunflowers before they are gone

Marl Bed Flats, a quarter mile hike from Oakway Lane



North Lake Jesup Tract

Hillsborough River

HDR of Rusted Truck in front of Smokehouse Restaurant on Rt. 301

Class II Rapids on Hillsborough River

 

Long Exposure 3 seconds at f/16 using a variable ND filter

I went to Tampa to participate in the World Wide Photo Walk in Ybor City lead by the Photoshop Guys, Pete Collins and Corey Barker.This photowalk was supposed to be i-phones only and the plan was to shoot lots of textures that can later be used in designs and photo montages. I used my Sony Rx-100 since I don't have an I-phone. We were also joined by RC and Brad Moore. It was a great time and we had some pizza afterwards and shared some of the images. I didn't want to drive home late so I reserved a campsite at Hillsborough River State Park. The benefit of camping is that you can get up early and have the park to yourself for photography. Normally the state parks don't open until 8 or 9 am. Usually too late for the good light. I wanted to check out the river rapids and try some long exposure shots.

In Search of Sunflowers, Part Two

To be more exact, they are helianthus angustifolius, also referred to as narrow leaf sunflowers, and swamp sunflowers. I returned to the North Lake Jesup track a little before sunrise and tromped through the wet, tall grass. My feet and pants were soaked in minutes but it was worth it. The sunrise added some nice color with the sunflowers in the foreground. A small lake (pond) also provided some opportunities for reflections.

North Lake Jesup Tract at sunrise

Next stop was the Marl Bed Flats. I finally found it thanks to a great map I found online. The GPS took me previously to the wrong part of the correct road. It's about a half mile hike out to the flats. I met some people who had a remote control aircraft with a GoPro camera attached. They were seeing what it was filming on the I-Phone. So cool! After that I saw two artists painting picutres. At least they didn't have to worry about shooting into the sun.

I tried not to think of what creatures could be lurking in the dense flowers and high grass. Almost every picture had some jet streams in the sky due to the closeness of Sanford International Airport. If the flowers last I may try one more time getting out there either early or late and see what I can do. After that it won't be until next year to shoot the sunflowers.

In search of sunflowers

"Swamp Sunflowers" at the North Lake Jesup Tract

Shot in the late afternoon at the North Lake Jesup Tract

After seeing a fellow photographers photo of these beautiful sunflowers next to Lake Jesup, I started doing a little research to see if I could find and photograph the flowers. I was pretty sure that he photographed the flowers from off of the highway. I found a blog about photo locations so I went off (with a good friend willing to help me explore) to find some of the locations mentioned. The gps took me to where I thought the trail head was, but it was nothing more than a dead end road. I tried another location where there is a park. We started out on the hiking trail. Before even getting into the woods, a snake crossed my path. I couldn't identify it but it can't be good. Not 30 yards down the trail, it was under water. Time to try something else. I found a couple to fishermen coming out of the woods so I approached and asked if they could help me find the flowers. They gave me directions to another location where I finally took some pictures of the flowers. I hope to get back out and try some other spots before the flowers are gone.

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