I’m not a flower guy.
I just wanted to get that out of the way first!

Friday afternoons I get off work at 1pm. Do I go to the Armory Show to get inspired by amazing photos or do I go home to create some? Well, a good friend and fellow photographer, Andre Costantini (who works for Tamron), just happened to stop by. He lent me one of the best macro lenses ever made – Tamron Telephoto SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro Autofocus Lens.

When I got home, the diffused light in the house was looking good. The paper whites, or narcissus, that Nancy always plants at the beginning of the year were in full bloom. It was settled – Macro assignment!

I’ve always liked macro photography and all of those digital ‘point and shoot’ cameras do a damn good job with that little flower icon feature. However, nothing beats a dedicated macro lens on an SLR camera! With a macro lens you get a 1:1 ratio, or lifesize reproduction, of your subject matter. You can move in super close to your subject and really select your focus. I chose to compress the depth of field and limit my focus from 1-2 mm.

I love how the green stem in the distance of the first image becomes so delicate. I shot for over an hour, with the slightest adjustments in focus, producing totally different images. The Tamron Macro Lens really was a joy to work with and a whole new way to interpret the world. I’m gonna have to think really hard about giving it back to Andre!

Wait a minute, maybe I am a flower guy after all.

dang!