Busy
Busy The background in this image seems a bit busy. Still, f/2 really isolates.
Sandhill Cranes
A nesting pair of Sandhill Cranes make their summer home in a thicket next to a small lake close to my home. Although their distinctive calls can be often heard, these two rarely come out to be easily seen. Then, there they were; just ambling along in the grass along a lightly traveled road.
Flowers, Bee, & f1.4
Flowers, Bee, & f1.4 Showers are coming our way so I managed to get a few shots before the rain; busy as a bee. Flowers and bees just go together, but what about f1.4? Well, when you put a 50mm f1.4 lens on a Nikon 1 V1 body, what you get is a 135mm f1.4 lens. So, it’s time to experiment with the f1.4 on depth of field. It’s relatively easy to shoot a couple dozen shots of a bee on a flower and get a vastly different image each time; just be varying the DOF for each shot. This image provides a good example of the wafer thin DOF with the aperture set at f1.4.
Praying Mantis
Sometimes, the best camera is the one in your hands. This Praying Mantis was just walking beside the sidewalk on my walkabout.
Working Bee
Working Bee It’s hard to miss the bees on my walkabouts. Between the color and his hard work, I just had to make the simple click.
Walkabout Birds
Walkabout Birds Identifying birds is not my forte. Still, they sure are fun to encounter on the trail.
Color on Walkabout
Color on Walkabout Like everyone else, my walkabouts continue to become more colorful as fall arrives in Northern Illinois. Again the f1.4 50mm on the Nikon 1 V1 proves to be an effective carry camera. By the way, my entire carry kit consists of Nikon 1 V1 camera, FT-1 Adapter, AF-S 50mm f1.4, AF-S 70-300mm F4.5-5.6, and 1 VR 10-300mm f3.5-5.6 along with a few SD cards, cleaning supplies, and an extra battery. Usually, I’ll carry the body with the adapter and the 70-300mm attached using a sun sniper with the rest of the kit in a small shoulder bag. Sometimes, when I’m really lazy, I’ll leave the shoulder bag out.
Busy as a Bee
Busy as a Bee The bees are out along my walkabout. You’d think is was spring, not fall. The Nikon 1 V1 with the f1.4 50mm lens makes a nice combination for casual walkabout images. Of course, the 50mm becomes a very short 135mm on the V1. What really makes it such a handy lens for me is the f1.4. It just gives me great background, depth of field, control.
Hank Conrad © 2023
