Description of the NCBG Exhibit
I like to take pictures of flowers, insects, spiders, birds, and other wildlife. In keeping with the mission of the Garden, this Exhibit includes only a subset of my photographs, namely flowers native to the southeastern US, and some of the pollinators so critical to their existence.
Many of these photographs were taken in the Chapel Hill garden of my wife, Betsy. The remainder, with a few exceptions, were taken in spots that Betsy and I frequent in the North Carolina mountains, mainly in Transylvania County.
I like taking pictures of flowers up close. I find the anatomical details of flowers fascinating, and only by getting up close and “tack-sharp” can one see the fine structure often missed in casual observation. So I concentrate on getting the photograph right technically, with respect to sharpness, lighting and color. For example, when photographing flowers, you have to be very careful to avoid overexposing whites or areas of strong color, because overexposure means loss of interesting detail. To get a picture really sharp, a tripod is essential to eliminate camera-shake, and you must be patient and wait until the wind stops. Any motion, by camera or subject, degrades sharpness.
Each photograph is labeled with botanical (or scientific) name, common name, location and date. The location “Tenney Circle Garden” refers to Betsy’s garden in Chapel Hill.
John Pringle
September 1, 2015
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For those interested in technical matters:
In taking these photographs I used the following equipment, all made by Canon: Digital SLR Cameras: Canon model XT, later the T2i, and most recently the 6D. Medium Zoom Lenses: EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS early on, and later the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS; Macro Lenses: EF-S 60mm f/2.8 macro; later the EF 100 mm f/2.8L IS macro. Almost all of the photographs of flowers were taken using a tripod, or in a few cases a monopod. For the two photographs of birds, lenses used were Telephoto Zoom Lenses EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS; and EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS.
Many of these photographs were taken in the Chapel Hill garden of my wife, Betsy. The remainder, with a few exceptions, were taken in spots that Betsy and I frequent in the North Carolina mountains, mainly in Transylvania County.
I like taking pictures of flowers up close. I find the anatomical details of flowers fascinating, and only by getting up close and “tack-sharp” can one see the fine structure often missed in casual observation. So I concentrate on getting the photograph right technically, with respect to sharpness, lighting and color. For example, when photographing flowers, you have to be very careful to avoid overexposing whites or areas of strong color, because overexposure means loss of interesting detail. To get a picture really sharp, a tripod is essential to eliminate camera-shake, and you must be patient and wait until the wind stops. Any motion, by camera or subject, degrades sharpness.
Each photograph is labeled with botanical (or scientific) name, common name, location and date. The location “Tenney Circle Garden” refers to Betsy’s garden in Chapel Hill.
John Pringle
September 1, 2015
---------------------------
For those interested in technical matters:
In taking these photographs I used the following equipment, all made by Canon: Digital SLR Cameras: Canon model XT, later the T2i, and most recently the 6D. Medium Zoom Lenses: EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS early on, and later the EF 24-105mm f/4L IS; Macro Lenses: EF-S 60mm f/2.8 macro; later the EF 100 mm f/2.8L IS macro. Almost all of the photographs of flowers were taken using a tripod, or in a few cases a monopod. For the two photographs of birds, lenses used were Telephoto Zoom Lenses EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS; and EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6L IS.
