Wildflowers in Shady Canyon - Irvine, CA

Pentax K10D with Vivitar 105mm f/2.5

Shot about 5 minutes from home

Even Ladybugs Need Their Lovin'

Pentax K10D with Vivitar 105mm f/2.5

I watched these two for around an hour, waiting for just the right shot.

A Grasshopper Hiding in the Reeds

Pentax K10D with Vivitar 105mm f/2.5

"Sunburst" - A Flower's Pistil - Macro Photography

Pentax K10D, with Vivitar 105mm f/2.5

This shot was taken no more than 30 feet out my front door.

Early Spring Flower Bloom

Now that we’ve turned the corner and put the Winter Solstice behind us, I thought I’d start posting some shots of what we’ve got to look forward to. These flowers bloom every year, right on the side of the road here in Irvine. I would never have noticed them, and in fact, hadn’t noticed them in the 10+ years that I’ve lived here (even though I walk past them daily!), until recently when I started looking for interesting Macro subjects. I find it incredible that so much beauty can be found in such small things, so near one’s house, yet so far from one’s attention. Nature is truly incredible.

Butterfly

Pentax K10D, with Vivitar 105mm f/2.5

Shot at Whiting Ranch, in Orange County, CA

The Sanctuary

Pentax K10D, with Vivitar 105mm f/2.5 at 1:1

I’d never noticed before that the growth shoot of of this little plant, only about an inch in diameter, was a sanctuary for a wide variety of different species of insects.

1:1 Macro photography is so amazing because it allows us a near microscopic look at the world around us, allowing us a glimpse of the tiny worlds that inhabit our own gigantic space.

There’s no other Photographic genre that I find even nearly as fascinating. And I love this Image.