(Pardon the pun.)
You can see the entire collection of photos in the Saucer Magnolia Project gallery.It's been a long time since I've taken on such a large photo project (that didn't involve portraits). It was a great opportunity to involve several of the tools I have at my disposal:
Sometimes using such applications feels or appears forced, but in this case each offered a different perspective on the subject. I hope you enjoyed it.
I wrote a few years ago about shooting close up with a macro lens. I used the same lens to capture some detail on the saucer magnolias and their bloom petals.
We planted a saucer magnolia ourselves this year. One of the blooms appears in this gallery. Sadly, the tree did not survive the summer.
Ever since I moved to Pennsylvania, I've been enamored with the saucer magnolia trees (Latin name Magnolia x soulangiana) that blossom each April. This year, I indulged my love of those trees and photography and created what I call the Saucer Magnolia Project.I located several saucer magnolia trees in the tri-county area (Perry - Cumberland - Dauphin) where I reside, and kept an eye on some particularly interesting ones so I could catch their blossoms when they peaked.When those days came, I set out with a full arsenal of tools (Canon 5D, tripod, and several lenses) to capture them from different perspectives. This encouraged me to become familiar with the trees from a variety of angles, and to capture them in a way that allows the viewer to come away with an appreciation and familiarity of the subject that a single lens might not allow.In this series of posts, I'll share photos taken with a few different lenses and techniques. I'll begin with some taken with a Sigma 28-70mm zoom lens.