Tag: Macro

Sunday (26-November-2017) — New Jersey

Backyard Archaeology in New Jersey: Silver Spoon.

I was out in the backyard using a rototiller to prepare a new section for the expanding wildflower meadow. The land had been a farm years ago, but this section had become overgrown with brush. The brush was cleared last year, and this summer the section was covered with a black tarp to solarize the soil (kill the weeds, especially the invasive “mile-a-minute” vine). The rototiller found lots of rocks, and roots from the brush. At one point, I noticed something silver being thrown back by rototiller. It turned out to be a spoon. The rototiller blades did a bit of damage to the spoon. I brought it inside, and washed it off. The only identification of the spoon was an imprint on the back of the handle “Oneida Silversmiths”. After doing some research online, I think I identified the design of the spool as Oneida silverplate “Clairhill-Fairhill (1978). One site had it on sale for less than eight dollars. So, not an antique 🙁 . The house was built around that time, but how the spoon got 200 feet behind the house is a mystery.

Oneida Silversmiths Spoon. Backyard Archaeology in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens (ISO 200, 105 mm, f/16, 1/3 sec) (David J Mathre)
Oneida Silversmiths Spoon. Backyard Archaeology in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens (ISO 200, 105 mm, f/16, 1/3 sec) (David J Mathre)
Oneida Silversmiths Spoon. Backyard Archaeology in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens (ISO 200, 105 mm, f/16, 1/3 sec) (David J Mathre)
Oneida Silversmiths Spoon. Backyard Archaeology in New Jersey. Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro lens (ISO 200, 105 mm, f/16, 1/3 sec) (David J Mathre)

Ten-Years Ago (22-November-2007) — Hawaii

Gone to See Hawaii. Big Island Photography Workshop with Thom Hogan. Day 5: Volcano National Park.

Peridot Crystals (Pele’s Tears). Image taken with D2xs camera and 105 mm f/2.8 macro lens (ISO 100, f/22, 1/60 sec, flash). Thom was curious what I was taking macro images of in my hotel room while waiting for dinner.

I have always been fascinated by crystals. Before I retired I learned to solve chemical structures using single-crystal x-ray images. I love whenever I ever find a crystal in nature.

alt_title. (David J Mathre)
Peridot Crystals (Pele’s Tears). Image taken with D2xs camera and 105 mm f/2.8 macro lens (ISO 100, f/22, 1/60 sec, flash). (David J Mathre)

Ten-Years Ago (22-November-2007) — Hawaii

Gone to See Hawaii. Big Island Photography Workshop with Thom Hogan. Day 5: Volcano National Park.

While we were out on our morning photography composition lesson outside of Volcano National Park, I found this black volcanic rock with yellow-green sparkles. I brought it back to the lodge where I had a macro lens, and spent the afternoon trying to get some pictures of the crystals. Later on I discovered that the crystals were a semi-precious gem known as Peridot (Pele’s Tears).

Peridot Crystals (Pele's Tears). Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 105 mm f/2.8 macro lens (ISO 100, f/22, 1/60 sec, flash). (David J Mathre)
Peridot Crystals (Pele’s Tears). Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 105 mm f/2.8 macro lens (ISO 100, f/22, 1/60 sec, flash). (David J Mathre)

Five-Years Ago (15-November-2012) — New Jersey

Indoor Autumn Nature in New Jersey.

Be not afraid. These guys eat other insects and spiders. They are very fast, and are not normally out during the day.

House pet (Scutigera Coleoptrata) hunting for a meal. Indoor nature in New Jersey. Nikon D3 + 105 mm f/2.8G VR macro + SB-700 flash (ISO 200, 105 mm, f/22, 1/250 sec). (David J Mathre)
House pet (Scutigera Coleoptrata) hunting for a meal. Indoor nature in New Jersey. Nikon D3 + 105 mm f/2.8G VR macro + SB-700 flash (ISO 200, 105 mm, f/22, 1/250 sec). (David J Mathre)

Tuesday (14-November-2017) — New Jersey

Indoor Succulent Plant with Tiny Red Flowers.

This is the second one of my indoor succulent plants to send up a shoot with tiny red flowers. I think the succulent may be some type of Sempervivum (Hen & Chicks). I have been told that once a Hen blooms, that it will die, and the Chicks will take over.  In addition to the image of the full plant, I have blown up (cropped) the image for a closer view of the flowers. I will try to do some macro images of the small flowers.

Succulent plant with a stalk and small red flowers. [Semlpervivum, Hen & Chicks?] Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro (ISO 200, 105 mm, f/16, 1 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro. (David J Mathre)
Succulent plant with a stalk and small red flowers. [Semlpervivum, Hen & Chicks?] Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro (ISO 200, 105 mm, f/16, 1 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro. (David J Mathre)
Succulent plant with a stalk and small red flowers. [Semlpervivum, Hen & Chicks?] Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro (ISO 200, 105 mm, f/16, 1 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro. (David J Mathre)
Succulent plant with a stalk and small red flowers. [Semlpervivum, Hen & Chicks?] Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro (ISO 200, 105 mm, f/16, 1 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro. (David J Mathre)
Succulent plant with a stalk and small red flowers. [Semlpervivum, Hen & Chicks?] Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro (ISO 200, 105 mm, f/16, 1 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro. (David J Mathre)
Succulent plant with a stalk and small red flowers. [Semlpervivum, Hen & Chicks?] Image taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 105 mm f/2.8 VR macro (ISO 200, 105 mm, f/16, 1 sec). Raw image processed with Capture One Pro. (David J Mathre)