{"id":436,"date":"2007-04-25T13:30:29","date_gmt":"2007-04-25T04:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2007-04-25\/436"},"modified":"2007-04-25T13:32:10","modified_gmt":"2007-04-25T04:32:10","slug":"tightly-packed-blossoms-of-some-sort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2007-04-25\/436","title":{"rendered":"10 Gallons of Blossoms on a 5-Gallon Branch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
<\/a>Nikon D200 + Sigma 30mm f\/1.4 —\n1<\/sup>\/<\/big>350 sec, f\/6.3, ISO 100 — full\nexif & map<\/a><\/span>10 Gallons of\nBlossoms on a 5-Gallon Branch<\/span><\/div>\n\n

Imagine taking 10 gallons of white and pink blossoms, and forcefully\nshoving them onto a branch<\/span> capable of holding at most half that amount, and\nthat's the feeling you currently get from two trees in my neighborhood.<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f\/2.8 @ 200mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f\/8, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>Approaching Critical Mass<\/span><\/div>\n\n

I don't<\/span> know what kind of trees these are. If they are<\/span> cherry trees, they're blooming long after all the other cherry trees in this neighborhood.<\/p>\n\n

Update<\/b>: thanks to Aaron and Andy for identifying them as “yaezakura” or “botanzakura” cherry blossoms.<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/a>Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f\/2.8 @ 170mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>400 sec, f\/4, ISO 200 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>Current State of Most Cherry Trees Around Here<\/span><\/div>\n\n

These blossoms range from almost pure white to a mildly<\/span> deep, rich pink,\noften the whole range being found on a single<\/span> branch. Yet, they seem to\ncongregate in cliquish bundles of like-minded blossoms, with one pom-pom's\nworth mostly one shade, and the neighboring one another. Perhaps they were\nhigh-school girls in a former<\/span> life?<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>Nikon D200 + Nikkor 17-55 f\/2.8 @ 44mm\n— 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f\/5.6, ISO 200, P.P.\nboost: +0.20EV<\/span> — full\nexif & map<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>White? Pink? Why not Both<\/span>!<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n

From afar, the trees look to be adorned with enormous, discrete puffs of\npinkish cotton or pom-poms, as if these trees were populated by gaggles of\n9-year-old girls fresh from the mall, invisible except for their hair\ndecorations.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f\/2.8 @ 70mm\n— 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>180 sec, f\/8, ISO 200 — full\nexif & map<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>Tree #1, From\nAfar<\/span><\/div>\n\n
<\/a>Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f\/2.8 @ 70mm\n— 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>500 sec, f\/5.6, ISO 320 — full\nexif & map<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>An Edge of Tree\n#2<\/span><\/div>\n\n

The individual blossoms are huge... perhaps two inches across\n(substantially larger, deeper, and more full than common cherry blossoms).\nHuge quantities of these two-inch blossoms are then grouped tightly to form\npom-pom-like clusters. Close up, they appear quite fake, as if an overly\ncrafty Martha-Stewart-type made them from vast quantities of the most\npretty, delicate crepe paper.<\/p>\n\n

The pom-poms seem to be more tightly bunched (if\nthat's at all possible) on the second tree compared to the first. There's a\ndefinite<\/span> difference in overall look and feel between the two, as can\nperhaps be seen when comparing the first two pictures on this post.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>Nikon D200 + Nikkor 70-200mm f\/2.8 @ 95mm —\n1<\/sup>\/<\/big>250 sec, f\/9, ISO 320 — full\nexif & map<\/a><\/span>Martha's\nHandiwork?<\/span><\/div>\n\n\n

I tried some pseudo-macro work by interposing a Kenko<\/span> 12mm extension\ntube between my D200 and my Sigma 30mm f\/1.4. The resulting<\/span> magnification\ndoesn't quite reach the 1:1 ratio required to be called “macro,” but the\nblossoms fill the frame well enough.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>Nikon D200 + Sigma 30mm f\/1.4 + 12mm\nextension tube — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>350 sec, f\/6.3, ISO 100\n— full\nexif & map<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>“I am<\/span>\nBlossom. Worship Me!”<\/span><\/div>\n\n

I don't<\/span> have any experience with macro\nphotography, except when I put<\/span> a bunch<\/span> of extension tubes on my Nikkor\n70<\/span>-200\/2.8 the other day (see the last two pictures on this blossoms and buds<\/a> post). The picture<\/span> above was taken while I was<\/span> straining to be three inches\ntaller, on my tiptoes, holding the blossom steady with one hand, the camera\nin the other, and focusing by adjusting my distance from the blossom. Rube\nGoldberg<\/a> would have been proud.<\/p>\n\n

The result is not too bad for such a cheap<\/span>\nsolution. It had some<\/span> pretty severe chromatic aberration<\/a> in the upper-left corner, but that\nwas tamed to a good<\/span> extent in Adobe Lightroom<\/a> by\nslapping both chromatic-aberration sliders to their max.<\/p>\n\n

I took<\/span> the pictures shown here yesterday. This\nmorning on the drive to preschool, while waiting at a traffic<\/span> light, I noticed<\/span> that a roadside<\/span> shrub right outside the window had the most\nwonderful, vibrantly red\/pink flowers on them. I want to<\/span> foster in Anthony\nan appreciation of nature and of beauty, so this short exchange ensued:<\/p>\n\n\n
Me:<\/td>Wow, Anthony, look at those flowers. Aren't they beautiful!?<\/td><\/tr>\n
Anthony:<\/td>I know<\/span> you want to take a picture<\/span> of it. You do.<\/b><\/td><\/tr>\n<\/table>\n\n

\nAh, he knows me well. More blossom posts here<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n\n\n