Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Up Close and Personal

by Leigh



It's spring break in my neck of the woods and I'm looking forward to my Dallas getaway with my kids.  Oh and did I mention that I'm meeting up with Terri Porter, Stephanie Mull, Kelly Ishmael and Susan Case while I'm there?!?  Terri, Stephanie and I met up at the Dallas Arboretum last year around this time for a little photo get together.  I'm so looking forward to it again.  So in preparation for my trip I rented a 105mm macro lens.  Have you ever checked out borrowlenses.com?  It's a great way to try out lenses before buying them.  The 105mm macro is one of my favorites, but I just haven't wanted to spend the money to buy it just yet.


It arrived today so of course I had to get out and play around with it.  I guess it's the landscape designer in me that loves to take the time to get up close and personal with nature.  I love showcasing the unexpected such as these little seed pods on a Carolina Jessamine.  The Jessamine is known for it's beautiful, prolific yellow flowers and the interesting star shaped pods are often overlooked.



I so love the little twists of the Carolina Jessamine stems that are often overshadowed by it's blooms.  It's a beautiful vine that grows quickly and usually remains green in the winter.  In early spring the yellow buds open up to beautiful trumpet shaped flowers.


Lately I have not been paying much attention to my Nikon as my iphone has been my go to camera.  It felt good to get my camera out again and play around with the macro lens.  I encourage you to rent a new lens and give it a try.  A new lens is just what I needed to inspire me again!


8 comments:

Carol said...

Hi Leigh It's so fun that you all can get together again -what a great group of photographers! I can't believe that you are talking about rental lenses ! This was just suggested to me recently and I am going to rent one for the Cape May trip in April. With all the architecture down there, I may rent a tilt shift , or try out the wide angle that I'm planning to purchase when I can . There are a few rental places online. Please let me know how you do with this one. Have fun girls!

heyjudephotography said...

Your photos are Gorgeous! Close up and macro photography are my absolute favorite types of photography. And, like Carol said above, it's so funny that you are talking about borrowing lenses. I follow Borrow Lenses on FB and have been thinking about trying it out for a few months now. I know you will get some fantastic photos to show us from your trip with Terri, Kelly, Steph and Susan. Wow, what a group!! Have fun!

kelly said...

gorgeous shots leigh! and i cannot tell you how excited i am to meet you all in dallas! so looking forward to soaking up inspiration from you and the other gals. but mostly just looking forward to getting to meet you all in person (although i do sorta feel like i know you already). ;)

Dotti said...

I am so jealous about your Dallas meetup! I wanna come!!! Seriously, I know you'll have loads of fun and can't wait to see photos. I love the DoF that 105mm is getting for you. Beautiful photos. I rented a lens from Borrow Lenses for Oasis last fall and was very impressed with their service and the lens. It was in tip top shape. Carol, Judy ... I recommend them, too. (This is not a paid endorsement.) :-D

Have fun this weekend!

terriporter said...

My problem with renting a lens is that it's so hard to give it back! When I decided I wanted the 100mm macro, I rented it for a week and before the week was up, I was at the camera store buying it. After only a few days, I knew I didn't want to live without it! It is a really great way to try something out before you buy it and I used Borrow Lenses as well and was very happy. I can't wait for our meet up! See you on Friday!

CarolHart said...

Beautiful images and how fun to have a new lens to play with! Like Terri, I had rented a 50mm f/1.4 for a week, but wound up buying one before the week was out! Word of caution to anyone considering renting a lens, be sure you are prepared to buy one because you probably will!

stamper2 said...

Such goregous images you've posted. I was delighted to see the information about renting a lens, as I too have been ready to committ to a macro, but not certain which way to go just yet. Thank you for the info and so enjoyed your post.....as well as the comments following :) I am anxious to hear about your trip too~

Roxi H said...

I remember when you guys got together last year at the Arboretum. I was just getting to 'know" one if you. Awesome place. Next year I may have to show up. We seem to end up going too late in the spring for the azaleas. Have fun! My first lens purchase was a 100 macro for my flowers. I also like to shoot them with my 70-300 tho.

Post a Comment

Thank you for sharing part of your day with us. If for any reason you are unable to leave a comment here on this post, please leave your comment on our Facebook page or in our Flickr discussion group. We love hearing from you!

 
© Focusing On Life