Ladybird

The only thing of interest I could find in my garden this evening. Ladybird's make good practice though as they move relatively slowly. I seem to be getting better at keeping a steady hand, but swaying back and forth makes for difficult focusing. Still, practice makes perfect... I won't hold my breath, though maybe doing so will improve my ability to focus on the right part of the subject!

1/160 at F4 105mm

Garden bits

Happily, my increased investment in kit appears to be giving me the desired motivation to get out and take some snaps. My garden is in need of some rather serious attention, but if anything that makes looking for photographic opportunities a little easier. It's usually full of bugs, so I hope that I get some better opportunities to photograph some of them over the next few months. Here are some of the better shots taken this evening.

All images shot on a 5D mk II and Sigma 105mm macro lens.

I'm not totally sure what this is, but I have a few of them. My garden being north-facing helped with the colours here as I was able to shoot in relative shade.
1/250 at F3.2 and 1/400 at F4 respectively.

A bog standard dandelion (as I said, my garden is in need of some attention!) but I like how it is only semi opened up and how the yellow contrasts the stem.
1/400 at F3.2

This isn't exactly spot-on focus wise, but I think it makes quite a nice picture. Definitely need more practice with bugs like this ladybird.
1/125 at F4

Another ladybird (well, the same one actually). Again, not exactly pin-sharp, but I'm trying!

1/125 at F7.1

Spring in bloom?

A walk around Savernake this weekend looking for anything remotely colourful resulted in a few yellows, and little else!

105mm 1/250 at F6.3

105mm 1/400 at F3.5

105mm 1/320 at F4

105mm 1/800 at F3.5

105mm 1/200 at F6.3

24mm 1/2000 at F8

5D Mk II test shots

I bought myself an EOS 5D Mk II in some attempts to both improve on and do more photography. Here are two ok, though hardly mesmerising, shots taken on the first day of ownership. I'm not confident at all with DPP and how to make the best from raw files post-process. Definitely something I want to work on this year, in addition to the photography itself!

300mm1/800 F6.4

105mm 1/800 F5.7