Plant - David Mathre Photography

Two-Years Ago (14-May-2009) — California

Gone to See America 2009 Road Trip. Day 7: Spring in Yosemite National Park Photography Workshop with Michael Mariant.

I took this image 2 years ago while driving into Yosemite National Park. I noticed something bright red in my rear view mirror. This was not red flashing lights, but rather something red in the woods. I turned around and found these flowers blooming. I did not know what they were — a plant or fungus. They were later identified as Snow Plants (Sarcodes sanguinea). Although plants, they do not use chlorophyll for photosynthesis, but rather get carbohydrates from coniferous trees via a shared mycorrhizal fungus.

Snow Plant (Sarcodes sanguinea). Yosemite National Park. Image taken with a Nikon D3x and 45 mm f/2.8 PC-E lens (ISO 100, 45 mm, f/8, 1/13 sec). (David J. Mathre)

Sunday (09-December-2007) — New Jersey

Backyard Late Autumn Nature in New Jersey.

Birds and seeds and berries I found while waking around my yard. All of the images were taken with a Nikon D300 camera and 70-200 mm f/2.8 VR lens.

New Jersey Late Fall Backyard Nature. Bittersweet berries. Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 70-200 mm lens (ISO 200, 200 mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec). (David J Mathre) — New Jersey Late Fall Backyard Nature. Bittersweet berries. Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 70-200 mm lens (ISO 200, 200 mm, f/2.8, 1/125 sec).

White-throated Sparrow. New Jersey Late Fall Backyard Nature. Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 70-200 mm lens (ISO 200, 200 mm, f/2.8, 1/400 sec). (David J Mathre) — White-throated Sparrow. New Jersey Late Fall Backyard Nature. Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 70-200 mm lens (ISO 200, 200 mm, f/2.8, 1/400 sec).

New Jersey Late Fall Backyard Nature. Holly berries. Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 70-200 mm lens (ISO 200, 200 mm, f/2.8, 1/160 sec). (David J Mathre) — New Jersey Late Fall Backyard Nature. Holly berries. Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 70-200 mm lens (ISO 200, 200 mm, f/2.8, 1/160 sec).

Northern Mockingbird. New Jersey Late Fall Backyard Nature. Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 70-200 mm lens (ISO 200, 200 mm, f/2.8, 1/400 sec). (David J Mathre) — Northern Mockingbird. New Jersey Late Fall Backyard Nature. Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 70-200 mm lens (ISO 200, 200 mm, f/2.8, 1/400 sec).

New Jersey Late Fall Backyard Nature. Grass Seed. Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 70-200 mm lens (ISO 200, 200 mm, f/11, 1/160 sec). (David J Mathre) — New Jersey Late Fall Backyard Nature. Grass Seed. Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 70-200 mm lens (ISO 200, 200 mm, f/11, 1/160 sec).

New Jersey Late Fall Backyard Nature. Pine Cone. Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 70-200 mm lens (ISO 200, 160 mm, f/3.5, 1/125 sec). (David J Mathre) — New Jersey Late Fall Backyard Nature. Pine Cone. Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 70-200 mm lens (ISO 200, 160 mm, f/3.5, 1/125 sec).

New Jersey Late Fall Backyard Nature. Tree Seeds. Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 70-200 mm lens (ISO 200, 175 mm, f/4, 1/80 sec). (David J Mathre) — New Jersey Late Fall Backyard Nature. Tree Seeds. Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 70-200 mm lens (ISO 200, 175 mm, f/4, 1/80 sec).

New Jersey Late Fall Backyard Nature. Yucca Seed Pod. Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 70-200 mm lens (ISO 200, 200 mm, f/11, 1/160 sec). (David J Mathre) — New Jersey Late Fall Backyard Nature. Yucca Seed Pod. Image taken with a Nikon D300 and 70-200 mm lens (ISO 200, 200 mm, f/11, 1/160 sec).

Monday (19-November-2007) — Hawaii

Gone to See Hawaii. Big Island Photography Workshop with Thom Hogan. Day 2: Morning Session.

We were brought out to a lava field and told at mid-morning and told to find something interesting to photograph. The lighting was very bright and harsh. My initial subject was a spider on its spider web. There were many problems including a slight breeze moving the web in and out of focus (I was using a macro lens with a very narrow field in focus) and the background being too bright and distracting for the image. Thom helped by holding a space blanket to provide some shadow for the background. Unfortunately, by this time the spider got tired of being the subject and left. After the spider web, I took an image of a lava bomb and a Hawaiian flower. As we were walking back to the van, I saw this post along the parking lot where the rope or chain had been removed. To me it looked like a horse head with a green eye. This was my best image from the morning session.