Greg Molyneux Photography

Tag: 100mm

Made with a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM.

  • Timeworn

    A low key black and white macro photograph of single aged and wrinkled Japanese maple leaf—curling up reminiscent of an old hand.
    Timeworn — 100mm | f/3.5 | ISO 640 | EXP 1/250

    The late day sun was pouring in. Casting a splendid glow upon the withered remains of my Japanese maple leaves. I’ve got a hundred or so of these bad boys that refuse to let go and find their final resting place in the dirt. At about an inch and a half in size these tenacious leaves make an excellent macro subject. Inspired I ran inside and fetched my camera, fixing my macro lens as a soldier would fix bayonets. Of course that’s a ridiculous notion but my mind can get pretty ridiculous. I digress.

    From the get go I knew I wanted to go black and white. Even with the rich golden light, I figured a low key black and white would really accentuate the story being told by this leaf. I wanted to set a sharp focus on the leaf tips alone, which struck me as the fingertips of an aged hand. The soft focus allows the eye to fade back into the picture, filling in the wrinkled, gnarled details for ourselves. Our own lives and our own mortality are inextricably linked to the unstoppable passage a time. Time being a concept that will forever fascinate me until the moment I can know it no more.

  • Day 1 of 5: Flat out

    A low key black and white macro photograph of a late season daisy in Autumn.
    Flat out — 100mm |f/4 | ISO 400 | EXP 1/400

    Last night I was tagged on Google+ to participate in the #fivedayblackandwhitechallenge that’s been running strong for the past couple of weeks. If nothing else it’s coincidental that yesterday was the first day it popped in my mind if I’d somehow get tagged for this. I was on my way to work. Sure enough that thought was manifest by day’s end. For anyone unfamiliar with Google+ it’s a wonderful place for photographers. It’s where this hobby started for me, and for that alone it will forever be remembered fondly by this guy, ghost towns be damned.

    Onto the challenge: I love me some black and white. I really do. Back in my Studio Art days in high school it was my wheelhouse. Colors were scary. Black and white might as well have been the blanket of one Linus Van Pelt. 15 years later and suddenly into photography, color has, perhaps ironically, taken me by storm. Past inhibitions are strangely gone and color has become a strength. Life is nothing if not odd.

    All that setup being said, black and white remains a passion of mine. As much as I’ve learned to harness the power of color in all its vibrant glory, nothing takes me away (sorry, Calgon) like a stunning black and white. That’s where my envy rears. In that vein I am very excited about this challenge. My inner critic, though, is concerned that it will be hard to make great black and whites on purpose and on demand.

    I guess we’ll see what the next five days have in store.

    Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5

  • Grooving on some sunshine

    A cross processed macro photograph of a late season quick fire hydrangea, its white petals fading to pinks and purples.
    Grooving on some sunshine — 100mm | f/3.5 | ISO 100 | EXP 1/60

    I took this on Friday so I’ve been a little lazy in getting this posted. My plan was to post this for #floralfriday but hooray laziness. That was sarcasm. Mostly.

    Each season, for the past three seasons anyway, I make a point to photograph my backyard quick fire hydrangea in the early Fall; after its white petals bleed out to soft pinks and purples, but before said petals fall to the ground for winter quarters. This was the product of my annual rendezvous.

    I’ll miss you flowers. Until next year.

  • Just a Silver-Spotted Skipper snacking on some sedum

    A shallow depth of field macro photograph of a Silver-Spotted Skipper dining on sedum nectar.
    Just a Silver-Spotted Skipper snacking on some sedum — 100mm | f/4 | ISO 100 | EXP 1/160

    Here in New Jersey we’re just about out of scenes like this for the season. As the Autumn veil descends life begins its annual retreat. Through the ebb and flow photography encourages the capture of singular moments that otherwise slip by riding the sands of time. These moments simultaneously give us both something to remember and something to look forward to. It’s wonderfully circular.

    This shot pushes the soft focus about as far as I like to go. Perhaps too far. Given a mulligan I’d try to bring the eye into sharper focus. As it stands it’s the wing edge that gets the very narrow field of sharpest focus. Which is interesting in its own right. Photography doesn’t always have to be perfect to be beneficial. Sometimes things are just good enough.

  • I’d love to see you in that dress

    I’d love to see you in that dress

    A minimalist high key macro of a Klondyke Sunny Red (cosmos sulphureus) flower that creates the look of a woman spinning a dress.
    I’d love to see you in that dress — 100mm | f/4 | ISO 500 | EXP 1/1000

    I’d be lying if I said I consciously set out to get this kind of shot. What started as a run of the mill macro shoot turned into a shot I’ll proudly claim as my own. Just looking—and falling into—this shot overwhelms me with flowing imagery; a striking ballerina spinning that stunning dress with a confidence all her own.

    What’s interesting is this shot represents several departures from my shooting norms. Rarely do I center a subject, and rarer still do I go for the brightness and glow of the high key style. But once again breaking the mold rewards with unexpected dividends. I’m sure there’s a lesson in that. In the meantime let’s all celebrate her dance.

    Interested in buying? Purchase

  • The last of us

    Low key macro photograph of a late season purple coneflower (echinacea). Buttery bokeh and shallow depth of field tell the story here.
    The last of us — 100mm | f/4 | ISO 100 | EXP 1/250

    Just a guy getting in the very last his purple coneflowers have to offer. My potted echinacea are last men standing (barely), and I wanted to get in some eleventh hour shots before final decay.

    As afternoon light was pouring in over the rooftop I grabbed the camera and went for a slightly upward perspective shooting from a crouched position. With one good flower left I wanted to really go for a sharp cut-off with respect to depth of field, drawing attention to the ends of the front four petals. From there I’d let a low key workflow and buttery bokeh tell the rest of the story.

  • Tucked away in there that’s the Fall

    A low key fine art black and white photograph of a small pine cone tucked away between pine tree branches. Sharp contrast and shallow depth of field add to the mood.
    Tucked away in there that’s the fall — 100mm | f/3.5 | ISO 400 | EXP 1/250

    I’m not sure why but when I see pine cones I automatically make the association to Fall. A quick googling tells me this is the time of year said cones are approaching their max size and thereby most noticeable (even though the subject here is a little guy—no more than an inch in length), so I reckon it’s as simple as that. Not much mystery to this passing observation.

    I’ve had my battles with the Fall but this year I’m going to focus on its upside. Most notably: the pictures I’m going to take. Heading into Fall and Winter I know that fog, foliage, amped up sunsets, and snowfall are in store for my camera and I. And moving out of Summer, which for me is the least interesting time photographically, I am excited at what the future holds. I’ve been jonesing to get out there and shoot more. Here comes my chance.

  • There’ll be nobody home

    This square format photograph features a cross processed treatment of a painted lady butterfly at three quarters perspective and from the rear. The buttery smooth bokeh and shallow depth of field draws attention to the butterfly as it rests on a freshly bloomed sedum.
    There’ll be nobody home — 100mm | f/4 | ISO 100 | EXP 1/160

    I arrived home from the foothills of eastern Pennsylvania stretched and worn. Bettered but battered after a long weekend celebrating my cousin’s pending nuptials. A good yet exhaustive time was had by all.

    Leaving the cousin’s shiny new F-150 my mind clung to the imminent hopes of a hot shower and a nap—here it is, victory. Or so I thought. Immediately out the truck I noticed 1) my sedum have finally blossomed, and 2) a butterfly had finally come to rest on one my flowers. I’d seriously been waiting all season for this.

    With the shower and nap plan on hiatus I grabbed my gear and tried to get a capture. I only got off two shots before this common butterfly was scared away for good—my approach wasn’t exactly one of stealth—and neither of which were from a frontal perspective. Even still I connect with the story this image tells. One of time. The never ending story of the inescapable passage of all things. And somewhere out there is the future we can’t quite see.

  • Working under cover

    In this low key macro photograph of a Black-eyed Susan (yellow daisy), miniature insects are working in unison under the cover of the illuminated yellow flower petals and rich bokeh fades out the background.
    Working under cover — 100mm | f/4 | ISO 100 | EXP 1/400

    Yellow daisies. Shoot ’em while they last.

    Last week I was taking advantage of the late afternoon sun to create some dramatic flower macros with my Black-eyed Susans backdropped by a Japanese Maple. Some folks find too much sun a bad thing with their flower macros while I find it to be a most useful ally. It affords me stark contrast in lighting, muting the background to a smooth, dark bokeh.

    Now that’s all well and good but it wasn’t until I got behind the viewfinder that I saw what was really going on down there; roughly a dozen as of now unidentified insects dutifully consuming what I can only guess is some kind of sugar on the flower stem—please someone correct my ignorance: I’d love to know the type of bug, and what they were doing there. Thanks! Their legs were awful close to an ant’s however the abdomen was much different; oblong, elongated and raised toward the rear.

    At the end of the day shooting macro once again reminds me just how much is going on right under our very noses (all hail the mighty cliché). This is what drove me to become a photographer. Before I ever dreamed of shooting wide angle landscapes it was macro and macro alone that fueled my initial instruction and experimentation behind the lens.