Publication in Biology Textbook What is Life

My flower portrait photography image Pink Orchid from my floral photo gallery was selected for inclusion in the biology textbook "What is Life? A Guide to Biology with Physiology", authored by Jay Phelan. The second edition of this scientific textbook was just released by publishing company W.H. Freeman. My floral photography picture was used in section 18 that discusses Growth and Reproduction in Plants.

I received a copy of the publication and it is an amazing biology textbook that covers all general topics of core biology. The book is very informative, easy to understand and much fun to read. It will be a great asset for refreshing my memory of biology and a perfect resource for some of my nature photography projects.

Das Foto of the Week

Every week I choose one of my favorite photographs of the week from my Fine Art landscape, flower and macro photography collection and offer it throughout that week at a discounted rate. This week's photo of the week on sale is Opening Night displaying Boston skyline photography at its best. The skyline twilight image was captured 30 to 45 minutes after sunset when the sky still showed plenty of blue and the clouds became alive.

Starting today through the week of 23 April 2012 this image from my Skyline Photography Gallery, available as art print, acrylic, or on canvas, is on sale.

Happy Earth Day Everybody!

Our planet, our home is being neglected >>> learn more!

Celebrating 100 Years of Boston Fenway Park

Yesterday was a huge day for the Boston Red Sox and Boston. Boston Fenway Park, the jewel of ballparks and the oldest ballpark in America turned 100 ... what an amazing event and celebration it was. It was great to see the greatest enter the field cheered on by Red Sox Nation in Fenway Park.The weather could not have been more perfect ... all around a wonderful day where History was made.  The romance began in 1912. It's a century of jubilation and heartbreak ... happy 100th birthday Fenway Park!

 

Fine Art America Photography TV Contest

I entered 3 pictures into the Fine Art America Photography TV Contest which encourages vote solicitation. 5 images will be juried in the final round and featured for an advertisement campaign on national TV. Usually I do not ask for votes but since it is allowed and this contest supports vote solicitation I decided to ask for your vote. 

These are the 3 online photography art contest entries and links to them:

1. White Ibis near Historic Naples Beach

2. Spiral Rose

3. Cape Cod Solitude ~ The red boat made the 250 required to enter the judging round .... thanks so uch for voting everybody ... keep them coming for the other too for a triple double!

Once you click the link you can sign in with your Facebook account or Fine Art America account. Thanks for voting and sharing!

My best, Juergen

Daffodil Flower Photography at Hall's Pond

I always love when I find a floral photography object that I can beautifully isolate against an attractive background. My last picture of this kind I found on my last visit to the local Wildlife Sanctuary Hall's Pond in Brookline, Massachusetts. Brookline is more famous for being part of the finishing miles of the Boston marathon, birthplace of J.F. Kennedy, 60 minutes reporter Mike Wallace or late night host Conan O'Brien and I also like living here for its close distance to Boston and natural habitats like Hall's Pond. I captured this glorious Daffodil in the formal garden of the wildlife sanctuary. The contrasting yellow and green colors of these spring flowers in front of the dark really stood out and immediately drew me in. The tall floral that I actually made the main subject was brightly lit by the sunlight. I set up my tripod and camera and started composing around the yellow flower with my fixed focus Canon EF 300 mm f/4.0L IS USM lens and Canon EOS D7 camera. The sunlight made for high contrast between the sunlit daffodil and dark background created by the fast shutter speed. The wind was a little problem but my persistence kept me shooting until I captured my vision. The camera aperture was set to f/8 that resulted in an exposure time of 1/400 sec. and provided the limited Depth of Field to blur out the flowers in the foreground and shrubs in the background nicely. I compensated the underexposed by 2/3 of a step that helped to saturate the colors and make the yellow daffodil spring flower really pop. During the post processing I minimally adjusted lighting, contrast and color saturation before sharpening this floral image.

Want to learn more ~ 15 Flower Photography Tips.

Das Foto of the Week

Every week I choose one of my favorite photographs of the week from my Fine Art landscape, flower and macro photography collection and offer it throughout that week at a discounted rate. This week's photo of the week on sale is Hydrangeas displaying a flower photography macro image of a blooming blue Hydrangea in peak color.

Starting today through the week of 16 April 2012 this image from my Flower Photography Gallery, available as art print, acrylic, or on canvas, is on sale.

Awesome Raindrop Macro Photography

In this nature macro photography blog post I compiled some of my personal favorite Raindrop Photography Artwork. The selection varies from flowers drenched in raindrops to photos of a single raindrop on a blade of grass. All pictures were taken locally in the beautiful natural environment of my home state of Massachusetts where I benefited from my own Exposure and Flower Photography Tips.

Flower Fine Art Photography on Black

In these 2 photos of a purple iris I used a black cardboard as the backdrop. Dark backgrounds really make the colors of a flower pop and give the image a touch of elegance. Usually I choose a large enough black cardboard from Staples that I position behind the floral photographic object using the backrest of a chair for support. As a base I use the chair itself that I place in front of a window. The set up of my Macro Photography studio next to our dining room window provides exceptional and beautiful lighting conditions in the morning. White cardboards are used to enhance the light and direct the light towards the floral when it is facing away from the window. I always use a few hardcover books to stabilize and adjust the height of the flower for an optimal set up and best Backlighting impact. I often adjust the white boards to explore the impact on the lighting and better control the light on the flower. Adjusting the light with the white boards is a great learning experience for us photographers and often leads to more inspiring and beautiful fine art photography artwork. At longer exposure times a Tripod is a must. I captured this purple iris in landscape and portrait format and for me both images work. Landscape versus Portrait Format is one of the first decisions we make when taking a picture and here it worked in both captures. That is not always the case and then we have to decide on the best format to support the strongest composition.

The backlighting provided a beautiful illumination of the iris that keeps the viewer captivated. In the horizontal photograph the aperture of the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro IS USM lens was set to f/20 providing maximum Depth of Field and an exposure time of 5 seconds. The aperture in the portrait style flower photo was f/32 leading to an exposure time of 20 seconds. In both cases an ISO100 setting minimized noise. In the post processing steps I removed dust, minimally adjusted brightness, contrast and color saturation before sharpening the final images of this Iris over Black.

Das Foto of the Week

Every week I choose one of my favorite photographs of the week from my Fine Art landscape, flower and macro photography collection and offer it throughout that week at a discounted rate. This week's photo of the week on sale is Wide Awake displaying a flower photography macro image of a blooming pink Orchid in peak color.

Starting today through the week of 09 April 2012 this image from my Flower Photography Gallery, available as art print, acrylic, or on canvas, is on sale.

Floral Fine Art Photography Artwork

One thing I enjoy most about The Art of Flower Photography is that I often do not know what I will be capturing with my camera. An Easter lily is a good example, here the white narrow conical throat of its petals with the yellow stamens makes for exceptional abstract flower photography.

Once I start composing and photographing, I move my focus point closer and closer into the flower. The Depth of Field becomes shallower and shallower unleashing the beautiful abstract forms of the petals in the back of this flower. I usually try to keep some reference to a flower by keeping stigma, carpel and stamen out of focus in the foreground of the composition and laying the focus point into the back of the trumpet flower where the stamen come together. In this floral picture I used a macro lens and a correct Exposure was achieved at ISO 50 combined with an aperture setting of f/3.5 that resulted in a 1/8 seconds shutter speed. The large aperture setting and the close distance to the flower parts provided me with the minimal depth of field for what I had in mind. Nature keeps surprising me with its amazing never ending supply of photographic Forms, Textures, and Shapes to explore at my door steps!

Diamond Rose Flower Photography

Capturing raindrops on flowers has become one of my favorite photography subjects. My preferred locations are the local Minot Rose Garden in Brookline or the Boston Arnold Arboretum. Overcast sky often makes for best macro photography conditions but in this rose flower photography image I dismissed this rule. I was intrigued by the early morning sunlit red rose flower covered with raindrops. The droplets appeared as bright shiny diamonds.

I tried multiple compositions from all angles but settled on a straight on photo that captured most of the petals allowing the background to be blurred out. With the tripod and camera lowered to blossom level, I adjusted the aperture setting to f/7.1 for maximum Depth of Field. ISO 50 setting combined with aforementioned camera aperture setting provided an accelerating shutter speed of 1/640 second. The camera self timer minimized camera shake and enhanced picture quality further. During the post processing process, I removed dust spots, minimally adjusted contrast, lighting, and color saturation before sharpening the final rose flower image of Full Bloom.

Award-Winning Photography Misty Morning at Jamaica Pond

Misty Morning at Jamaica Pond achieved honorable mention at The Fine Art of Photography juried photography exhibition in Plymouth, MA. The art exhibit is organized by The Plymouth Center for the Arts, supported by the Plymouth Guild, Canon, Lexmark, and Mass Audubon, runs from April 1, 2012 through April 31, 2012. The beautifully restored 1902 Russell Library gallery and 18th century Lindens building are just steps from Plymouth Rock and Plymouth's waterfront on historic North Street. The Plymouth Center for the Arts is located at 11 North St., Plymouth Ma, 02360 and open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sundays, noon to 4 p.m.

Das Foto of the Week

Every week I choose one of my favorite photographs of the week from my Fine Art landscape, flower and macro photography collection and offer it throughout that week at a discounted rate. This week's photo of the week on sale is Lady in Red displaying a full flower photography image of a blooming red Anemone in peak color.

Starting today through the week of 02 April 2012 this image from my Flower Photography Gallery, available as art print, acrylic, or on canvas, is on sale.