Backyard Beauty

Like many folks I often venture out away from home to capture photographs of various plants and flowers. Recently I reminded myself that all I have to do is open the patio door to find some backyard beauty to photograph.

NOTE: Click on images to enlarge.

Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6 @ 57mm, efov 154mm, f/5.6, 1/160, ISO-800, 21mm MOVO extension tube
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6 @ 57mm, efov 154mm, f/5.6, 1/160, ISO-800, 21mm MOVO extension tube

I grabbed my two Nikon 1 J5s. I fitted one with a 1 Nikon 10-100 mm f/4-5.6 zoom and the other with a 1 Nikon 30-110 mm f/3.8-5.6 zoom and a 21 mm MOVO extension tube. Then I headed out to explore my yard.

Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 100mm, efov 270mm, f/5.6, 1/500, ISO-360
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 100mm, efov 270mm, f/5.6, 1/500, ISO-360

This quick, little article features a selection of images captured that morning.

Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 100mm, efov 270mm, f/5.6, 1/320, ISO-800
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 100mm, efov 270mm, f/5.6, 1/320, ISO-800

It serves as a simple reminder that we can find interesting photography subjects in our own backyards.

Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 100mm, efov 270mm, f/5.6, 1/500, ISO-560
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 100mm, efov 270mm, f/5.6, 1/500, ISO-560
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6 @ 83mm, efov 224mm, f/8, 1/200, ISO-1600, 21mm MOVO extension tube
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6 @ 83mm, efov 224mm, f/8, 1/200, ISO-1600, 21mm MOVO extension tube
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 100mm, efov 270mm, f/5.6, 1/500, ISO-160
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 100mm, efov 270mm, f/5.6, 1/500, ISO-160
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 100mm, efov 270mm, f/8, 1/400, ISO-1600
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 100mm, efov 270mm, f/8, 1/400, ISO-1600
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 100mm, efov 270mm, f/8, 1/500, ISO-640
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 100mm, efov 270mm, f/8, 1/500, ISO-640
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6 @ 77mm, efov 208mm, f/8, 1/1250, ISO-1600, 21mm MOVO extension tube
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6 @ 77mm, efov 208mm, f/8, 1/1250, ISO-1600, 21mm MOVO extension tube
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6 @ 110mm, efov 297mm, f/8, 1/125, ISO-400, 21mm MOVO extension tube
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6 @ 110mm, efov 297mm, f/8, 1/125, ISO-400, 21mm MOVO extension tube
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6 @ 62mm, efov 166mm, f/8, 1/320, ISO-1600, 21mm MOVO extension tube
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6 @ 62mm, efov 166mm, f/8, 1/320, ISO-1600, 21mm MOVO extension tube
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6 @ 57mm, efov 154mm, f/8, 1/500, ISO-800, 21mm MOVO extension tube
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6 @ 57mm, efov 154mm, f/8, 1/500, ISO-800, 21mm MOVO extension tube
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6 @ 86mm, efov 233mm, f/8, 1/1250, ISO-1600, 21mm MOVO extension tube
Nikon 1 J5 + 1 Nikon 30-110mm f/3.8-5.6 @ 86mm, efov 233mm, f/8, 1/1250, ISO-1600, 21mm MOVO extension tube

The next time you feel a bit uninspired, grab your camera and explore your immediate surroundings. What you find may surprise you!

Technical Note:
All images in this article were captured hand-held using Nikon 1 J5 cameras and either the 1 Nikon 10-100 mm f/4-5.6 zoom or 1 Nikon 30-110 mm f/3.8-5.6 zoom with a 21 mm MOVO extension tube. All photographs in this article were produced from RAW files using my standard process of OpticsPro 11, CS6 and Nik.

My intent is to keep this photography blog advertising free. If you enjoyed this article and/or my website and would like to make a modest $10 donation through PayPal to support my work it would be most appreciated. You can use the Donate button below. Larger donations can be made to tom@tomstirr.com through PayPal.

Article and all images are Copyright 2016 Thomas Stirr. All rights reserved. No use, duplication or adaptation of any kind is allowed without written consent. If you see this article reproduced anywhere else it is an unauthorized and illegal use.

45 thoughts on “Backyard Beauty”

  1. All our garden is well and stay silent it’s common framework, yet we are crushing it. I get a kick out of the chance to see your garden. A debt of gratitude is in order for sharing it.

      1. Amazing photography. Hello Thomas which camera is perfect for this nature photography? Here all of your publish photos looks nice. I think you have more photos which is great like this. Your photo shooting technique is good also.

        1. The camera used for this type of photography is not as important as the time of day. Creating flower and foliage images in overcast light helps to bring out the subtle colours. I happened to use a Nikon 1 J5 to create the images in the article but almost any camera can be used for this type of subject. The key is to try to isolate individual blossoms when framing an image and getting in close. To accomplish that I used the 1 Nikon 30-110mm zoom lens with extension tubes, or the 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 lens. Many photographers like to use macro lenses for this type of subject matter.
          Tom

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *