Immensely complex.
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The previous version is here.
I moved in closer for this one, using the 80mm El Nikkor f/5.6N, reversed on the Nikon PB4 bellows on the Leica SL2-S with 3 strobes, ISO 100. You get a good sense of just how sharp those thorns really are, and my fingers testify to their effectiveness. 34 images focus stacked in Helicon Focus, which has delivered an exceptional result here.
Prickly Customer.
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I took heavy leather gloves and Felco pruning shears to cut this puppy down and still managed to get injured by the finer-than-hypodermic thorns. The stalk is woody and very hard, precluding my usual technique of inserting a bamboo skewer for mounting in the home studio. I had to resort to a couple of cable ties instead. You can just see the skewer at the base of the stalk.
Talk of a passive defense mechanism. Thorns everywhere. Whoever named this the ‘Cotton’ Thistle had a pretty warped sense of humor.
Here is the plant in its natural habitat, already some 6 feet tall:
Owing to the considerable depth of the plant I had to expose no fewer than 113 images for focus stacking, spanning the complete 6″ range of movement of the lower rack of the Nikon PB4 bellows.
A remarkable – and dangerous – plant. For a closer look, click here.
Macro – Leica SL2S, 135mm El Nikkor, Nikon PB4 bellows, three strobes, ISO 100 at F/22. 113 images focus stacked in Helicon Focus. Habitat – iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Community fun.
My community stages an annual July 4th parade in honor of the nation’s independence. A low key affair with neighbors greeting neighbors and dogs greeting dogs, an occasion replete with warmth and charm. Like the America I joined 49 years ago, and rather unlike the America I know today. It’s a flashback to a kinder, gentler time when America was respected and trusted. Neither applies today.
Some snaps from the parade – Nikon D800, 28-300mm AF-S Nikkor:
Snap!
In the 1960s Pontiac Bonneville.
Dressed for the occasion.
Vee Dub by Karmann Ghia.
The kids’ favorite – a good soaking!
And, later, on the green – Leica M10, LLL 35mm f/2 8-element:
Roughhousing. No fat kids here.
Lonely.
Lost in thought.
Back in my day ….
Veterans special, where you get a discount for losing yet another war.
Water slide.
Old time game.
A fine time.
Time for a new one.
My Mac Mini suddenly lost the ability to drag and drop files. Given the frequent use of this function and its general indispensability, this fault rendered the computer near useless.
I set about reinstalling the Tahoe operating system – no change – then restored files from my Time Machine sequential back-up. Still no joy.
That left the mouse and trying a basic old Microsoft two button mouse had drag and drop working once more, so the old Logitech G500 had to be replaced. As it had served me well I went with its replacement, the Logitech G502, and stuck with a wired design as that’s one less thing to go wrong and one fewer battery to recharge. At $38 it’s some 50% less than the G500 was 13 years ago, in inflation adjusted dollars, so no complaints here.
Like the G500 the G502 has installable weights to add heft and I loaded up the G502 with all six. There’s also one spare provided. Each weighs 36 grams/1.27 oz, so fully loaded you are adding 216 grams/7.6 oz, which confers just the right heft for my use. Also, like with the G500, the scroll wheel’s click-stops can be disengaged for smooth scrolling, much my preferred setting.
There’s a downloadable app which claims to do all sort of magic things, including changing the color of the LED logo (how dumb is that?). Well, it is a gaming mouse, which explains a lot about the typical user, I suppose. Rather than mess with that I stuck with the well supported SteerMouse which recognized the G502 immediately and programming the several buttons – there are seven – took a couple of minutes. After some use I had to turn down the pointer sensitivity and speed to get the settings I was used to. Simple to do. The G502’s buttons are located in a manner similar to that on the G500 which makes transition easy.
If the G502 lasts as long as the G500 I will be a happy camper.
Deposited in my front yard.
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This was formerly the property of a Great Horned Owl – the one with ‘ear’ tufts. The bird can be heard – and occasionally seen – at dusk in my neighborhood.
I used just one strobe to transilluminate the feather from the rear with a reflector next to the lens to confer some front lighting.
Leica SL2S, 135mm El Nikkor at f/16, Nikon PB4 bellows, ISO200, 1 strobe. 9 images focus stacked in Helicon Focus. The ‘floating in air’ effect was obtained by inserting a thin bamboo stick into the base of the feather and subsequently removing it in post. Take a look at the large version, by clicking the image above, and you will see that the El Nikkor enlarging lens does not disappoint.