Wildflower

One of the benefits of living here on the mountain is that the Appalachian Trail is in our backyard. Cam and I often hike the surrounding trails in the spring, exploring new areas, searching for mushrooms, wildlife and flowers. A portion of the acreage surrounding our house was selective cut last year. Although it’s sad to see all the tree stumps left behind, it’s been a boon for the flowers and other plants that thrive on the abundant light now shining down upon them.

I took the Nikon 105mm macro lens on this hike and concentrated on photographing the early spring flowers in these open spaces. This one is quite small, maybe 1/2″ in diameter, so I got down on my knees to shoot it. I experimented with the camera settings looking for a dreamy effect. Due to the heavy overcast, I turned on the VR and kept the shutter speed low so I could keep my ISO at 250. This one was 1/50th at f 4.8.

I’ve found some useful tutorials and helpful macro hints from photographer Mike Moats, who specializes in “tiny landscapes.” It’s fun to see the world through a different point of view, and it’s a great reminder of the amazing subjects that may be discovered in your own backyard.