Sunday, April 6, 2008

Coltsfoot--One Of The First Flowers Of Spring

Coltsfoot is one of the earliest spring flowers to bloom in Fulton County. It bears a remarkable resemblance to dandelions, but it blooms much earlier than they do, I saw the first one around the middle of last week and finally took time out on Saturday afternoon to photograph them.

This flower is most often seen along roadsides and other disturbed areas where moisture is present. All of the below photographs were taken by the roadside.


Canon 40D: 17-40mmF4 L


Canon 40D: 100mmF2.8 Macro

Canon 40D: 100mmF2.8 Macro

The macro shots were taken by resting the camera on a "bean bag" for support. In this case some type of grain such as wheat was used, but most people take a small bag and fill it with beans, hence the name "bean bag. This makes a passable substitute for a tripod for low level shots, when one must lie on the ground to get the correct angle on the subject.

I was thinking about purchasing a tripod especially for this type of shooting as my Gitzo with Wimberley Head is not the right tool for this type of shot, but then I remembered an old Slik U212 that I no longer use and modified it for macro photography. I have had no chance to use it yet. If it works well, I will post a picture of it and give some more details.


12 comments:

Michele said...

Beautiful... the snow is melting fast here and I'm looking forward to finding treasures as these on the forest floor here in the Rocky Mountains....

Tom said...

Great shots and a interesting post..
I saw such a 'Bean Bag' in the camera shop and was taken back by the price.. I thought then about making one. Now I have read this I think I will.
The camera I use as a twisty flip-out display, which means I do not have to lie flat but simply kneel. I have took shots of the underside of mushrooms like this. A Bean Bag would come in very handy to rest on. When out and about it would also do to rest on walls and branches while getting a shot off.
Great Idea Willard..
Now then wheres that thread and needle.

Anonymous said...

Tom has got the ideal thing with the flip out LCD. I wish my new Canon had it but I will have to be satisfied with more dirty knees. My problem is that I have to roll around on the ground looking for something to grab a hold of to be able to get back up. I also bought a tripod for macro shots and it would not stand up but wanted to fall over. I still have it and its worthless gooseneck head.

I like the photo you posted today. Nice work.

Abraham Lincoln in Brookville, Ohio where you can see a tiny fly on a honey bee's wing.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Willard: I guess I would have thought it was a dandelion because of the color and shape. Thanks for the camera and flower lesson.

Stacey Olson said...

Willard, great macro shot. I believe that coltsfoot is also an herb, used for lung dissorders.. Thanks for sharing, and i agree with fishing guy. I would have guessed dandelion also, :)

Anonymous said...

Fantastic macro shot.

DeeMom said...

Glad you got the picture, as I have driven past the Coltsfoot these last couple of days, always a JOY to see cause then I know SPRING is here

Unknown said...

what the grat shoot!! can i join u??

Kerri Farley said...

These are FABULOUS! WOW!

Larry D said...

Super macros! I like the idea of using a bean Bag I will give that a try.

Anonymous said...

Nice flower pictures. I love macro shots;-)

Jeanie

Marvin said...

Nice shots, Willard.

I use a "bean bag" quite a bit, though I think ours is filled with grains of rice. If I remember correctly, it started out as something my wife made to apply to aches and pains. Stick it in the freezer for a while if you want cold; zap it in the microwave if you want warm. Now it is camera equipment. It works great for supporting the camera but doesn't help keep the ticks off while I'm laying around out in the woods.