-
Menu
Tech specs
An Ohio spiderwort flower, also known as a bluejacket, is nestled between wet leaves after a spring rain in Inniswood Metro Gardens, Westerville, Ohio.
I’m quick to admit that the vast majority of flower photos in my files are what I call “happy accidents,” scenes captured when I’m out photographing wildlife.
Often it’s because I’m not seeing much wildlife to photograph, so I grab some flower shots just to have something to show for the morning. The phrase “happy accidents” might translate to “boredom photography.”
Instead of using a macro (or close-up) lens, a tripod for stability, and flash units to provide controlled lighting, like I would if I had planned to photograph flowers, I use the long, heavy 600-millimeter super telephoto lens and a 1.4x teleconverter that I use when photographing wildlife. It’s ideal for wildlife photos, but it means I’m shooting close-up photos of flowers from more than 15 feet away. It’s not the typical way to shoot flower photos, but it works.
This photo is not one of those happy accidents. I had actually planned a visit to Inniswood Metro Gardens, a central Ohio park known for its flowers and landscaping. And I carried my macro lens and a tripod. My goal was to add some flower photos to my collection.
I found a clump of Ohio spiderwort, also known as a bluejacket, blooming in one of the gardens. I liked how the bluish-purple petals and bright yellow anthers contrasted with the green background, but the challenge was finding a flower not hidden by multiple long, green leaves.
I failed.
So I tried to find a flower only partially hidden by long leaves. When I looked at this flower through the camera’s viewfinder, I knew I had my shot. The leaves, which framed the flower nicely, were still dotted by water drops from the morning rain, and the background was a defocused green, which made the flower pop.
Ohio spiderwort is native to eastern and central North America. Plants can be found from Maine to Minnesota, and as far south as Texas and Florida. Ohio spiderwort can grow as tall as four feet and is covered with clusters of flowers. The flowers open up during the morning and close by the afternoon in sunny weather, but remain open longer on cloudy days.