Macro Madness – The Colorado Wildflower Bloom

By Rob Moody

It’s a very exciting time in Colorado. The wildflowers are starting to bloom all over Colorado and the neighboring states. Every year this slow and colorful parade starts low in elevation and progresses to higher altitudes as the spring turns to summer. It’s a dream macro playground for both macro enthusiasts and nature photographic professionals! If you don’t yet have a macro lens in your tool kit, this is the time of year to consider adding one. Whether it’s in your own garden or in my backyard, The Rocky Mountains, macro lenses offer you a great opportunity to adventure into a world within a world. In fact, you can find fascinating macro landscapes no matter where you live. They are all around us.

Below I have included wildflower images taken with the Tamron SP 60mm f/2.0 1:1 Macro lens. I love the way you can use very selective depth of field with this lens. Using F/stops like f/2.8 and f/2.0, I can bring unique focus to the subject while at the same time rendering the flowers in the background out of focus with less depth of field. I use f/stops like f/4 and higher if I desire greater depth of field or a more in focus background. I find photographing wildflowers to be incredibly relaxing and rewarding. You see great images of wildflowers all around you from the magazines you read to the websites and offices you visit. If you own your own DSLR, why not make this the year you create your own masterpiece to frame and put on the wall or post on the web? With a macro lens and a little practice, I know you could do it!

Please be careful when photographing wildflowers not to step on or damage the surrounding growth. A good quality tripod and the proper remote or cable release can make avoiding plant damage and macro photographing much easier. It’s likely that you will encounter wet areas as you look for freshly blooming wildflowers. Some form of pad(s) for your knees, elbows and hands comes in handy as you will find yourself resting on all four in back of the tripod for long periods. Practicing with your new macro lens and a tripod in the backyard can be very beneficial before that big vacation wildflower shoot. Whether it’s in your state or mine, I hope to see you along the trail.

Comments

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You are clearly well educated on this topic. Thanks for sharing your views with us in such depth. Have a great day!