Stepping out of program mode...

and into creative mode.

This photo is of a wild purple sage bud about to bloom, and the fragrance is just awesome. It's about 1/4" in diameter and is one of many that line the stalk, some of which have already bloomed. I am tempted to go back where I found this sage bush and collect as many stems as I can and bind them together to make a scent brush.

Canon EOS Drebel with Sigma 28-80 lens in macro mode, aperature value mode, f/22, 1/8th, ISO 100, custom white balance. I used a black foam board for the background and lighting was a single 250 watt tungsten bulb wtih 10" aluminum reflector. Straight out of the camera except for a bit of sharpening in ps.

Okay, enough photos from me for a while. I think I owe some feedback.

Ray

Tremendous clarity and detail found here, Ray, so good job. Regarding Program Mode ... getting and staying out of auto modes will help the creatives juices greatly, in my opinion, forcing YOU to make decisions about DOF, exposure, etc., instead of the camera. Nice work.

Thank you, Charles. I appreciate your input very much. And you are absolutely correct about being forced to make decisions yourself instead of letting the camera do it. As the song goes, I've only just begun.:)

By the way, I was mistaken on the identity of this species of flower. This flower is actually called a Wooly Blue Curls. Here's the real purple sage below.

Ray

Amazing clarity!

Damn! Just....damn! Excellent work Ray.

Danielle

I'm with Mig---WOAH! it looks unREAL! :D

Thank you Rick, Danielle and Nat! I truly appreciate all of your comments. It's very encouraging to see how some of these photos are actually starting to come out as I get more familiar with my gear. It lets me know I've made the right choice in a camera.

Ray