Project Wide Open Where Old Tech meets New Tech

This project was inspired by Jared Polin of FroKnowsPhoto.com who recently had a project called "Wide Open." The purpose was for photographers to take pictures of their subjects with the f/stop wide open. So thanks to Jared Polin for the inspiration and thanks to Cantigny Parks and gardens for hosting a tour of their greenhouse.

In this, my project, I added a twist of old technology meets new technology. In other words, I used my old manual 50mm lens from my Pentax K1000 on my Pentax K7 DSLR body. My 50mm lens has a close focus at 17.7 in and at wide open the f/stop is set at f/2.

While on the tour at the greenhouse I physically  moved the camera until the subject was in focus in order to take the pictures below ...

Now the image above is cropped and I liked the outcome. The image could have been a bit more in focus if I closed down a stop or two on the lens, but that was not the purpose of this project.

This image (above) was not cropped and is not a spectacular photo but it is an example of the specific focus capabilities of a wide open lens at close focus.

I like what is going on in the in the image above in regards to all of the background colors. Again, due to the limitations of this specific project, the fern tips are not all in focus. This could have been corrected by closing down on the f/stop but it is worth noting that the background effects would change also.

In the image above there is a lot of color and background color melding going on. This is my favorite image from this project.

Spring is in the air even though it is only March here in the Chicagoland area. Take some time to get out and capture the beauty that is around and share it with your family and friends. Also take some time to explore your aperture. With all of the flower beauty and plant life you may capture a spectacular image.

For all of us in the U.S. the clocks spring ahead this weekend. Not sure that I am ready for that but I guess I'll have to deal with it.


Enjoy Life, Take Pictures!


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