Using Birdwatching Scene Mode - not just for the birds!

Looking at the settings that Birdwatching Scene Mode sets up on my camera, I wanted to view the difference in the settings as I zoom out.  The only thing I have against the Nikon P610 is that the lens is variable in that I can set it all I like at 3.3, but when I zoom out it changes according to what focal length I end up with.  That doesn't happen with the Panasonic FZ200 but hey, not camera is perfect.  Anyway, when I zoomed right out, there weren't any birds outside the window at the time so I aimed at a hibiscus bud.  Oh - the leaves behind it blurred out and gave me a good clean shot.  Aperture down to 5.6 but still nice and clear.

Then
I aimed at a much smaller flower, a seaside daisy.  The aperture went out to 6.5 and I found I really liked the result, with the large ginger lily leaf going right out of focus and leaving the seaside daisy and a few stems (I did crop this a bit because a lot of dead stalks were to one side).

A walk looking for macros

Once I had decided I wanted to do lots more with macros, I picked up my camera and headed out - but first I took a close up of my Mother's Day flowers, chrysanthemums, my favourite flower.

©Christine LintonThis one I took with an F/8 aperture which is the largest aperture I have.  I wanted to get focus over the whole bunch of flowers.

Then I went over to Lochiel Park where I noticed some yellow fungi (mushrooms or toadstools, I don't know which, nor did I touch because I don't know what is poisonous) growing in the approach borders.  Used an aperture of F/2.8 for these, so that I could get a good quality close up.  I also used the Macro setting as I had the camera within a few centimetres of them.

©Christine Linton
F/2.8

I find weeds as fascinating as cultivated flowers, often more so.  They don't have that perfect look, often a bit shaggy and half-eaten, but still showing a strong presence.  I admire their stand against perfection.  Such as this weed, I think a dandelion head shedding it's clock.  This one I also took on the macro setting and with a F/2.8 aperture.

©Christine Linton
F/2.8

Rob Sheppard talks about photographing unexpected things such as weeds on his blog.