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Jumbo Donut Shop, Uxbridge MA (with miniatures added)
I wanted to find an older looking doughnut shop so that I could “drop” my miniature vintage vehicles into the scene. While out looking for barns to photograph in Uxbridge MA I came upon this Jumbo Donut shop and thought it might work nicely for the image. Once back at my studio I photographed the motorcycle (which was about 12″ long), the police car (which was 1.5″ long) and the green vintage vehicle (which was 1.5″ long) in a studio setting. I used a Nikon D7100 using a 60 mm MACRO lens tethered to Helicon Focus and Helicon Focus Stacking software. I had a three light set up and an…
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Praying Mantis
Interesting facts about the praying Mantis: There are about 2000 species of Praying Mantis but only 18 species live in North America. The remainder live in tropical climates. In 1977 the State of Connecticut named the European Praying Mantis the state insect. It is not native to North America but fairly proflific. They have approximately a 1 year lifespan and females will typically lay their eggs in fall as they develop through winter. Females will frequently cannibalize their male counterpart during the reproductive process. The large majority of Preying Mantis have two eyes but only one ear located on their underside just forward of the hind legs. This ear comes…
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Swallowtail Butterfly
This butterfly was busy jumping from flower to flower. I believe in belongs to the Swallowtail family of which there are over 550 species but I’m no butterfly expert. Fun Facts: Butterflies taste with their feet allowing them to quickly identify food sources. They only consume liquids which are typically nectar. Butterflies cannot fly below 55 deg. F. Their ideal temperatures for thriving and flying are between 85-100 deg. F. On cold days they are forced to either shiver or bask in the sunshine to warm up their body temperatures. The lifespan of a butterfly consists of the caterpillar stage, the pupa stage and the adult butterfly stage. Depending…
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Bumble Bee Closeup
This bumble bee was very busy today making his way from flower to flower. I felt he created a striking image as he contrasted with the purples and greens. Photographed with a Nikon D7100 APS-C, 24.1 MP camera and a Nikon 105 mm, f/2.8 MACRO lens. 1/1000th, f9, ISO 1600
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Black Swallowtail Butterfly (Caterpillar Stage)
This caterpillar, if he’s fortunate enough to come to full maturity, will end up a Black Swallowtail Butterfly. I found him, as well as several others, munching on this dill plant. The dill plant is one of their favorite food choices. Caterpillars are preyed upon by many species of birds as well as, yellow jackets, and some beetles. In some parts of the world man is their worst enemy as they are eaten for their nutritional value. They are found in tree tops, garden plants and sometimes grassy areas where they find food in all these locations. Life cycle of a Black Swallowtail Butterfly: Egg Stage (where a butterfly lays…
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A page from the past……….
As I get older I get more and more nostalgic, amongst other things. So a few years ago Cheryl bought me a small metal, table top, replica motor scooter because it reminded me of the one I rode in high school. It was about 12″ long and 7″ tall. I decided to bring it into my studio and take a close up of it. Mostly because I’ve been stuck at home during this Covid-19 outbreak. I needed stuff to photograph. So we drove to Platt High School where the Oregon Rd. entrance had remained unchanged despite the remainder of the exterior seeing substantial additions over recent years. This was basically…
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Miniature Cops and Robbers, vintage style
Since, like most folks these days, I’m stuck at home almost 24/7. So I’m having to switch direction from my typical barn photography to table top photography. This image reflects my first attempt at forced perspective miniature figurine photography. The scene was photographed in the area of Ludlow MA if memory serves me best. However, the two vintage cars and the men were photographed in a table top light box with an all white background. They are miniatures. The people are about 1/2″ tall and the cars are relatively as small. Once I had the image of the miniatures everything was brought into photoshop where I cut out the cars…
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The Camera Man
This little fella was hand made of felt and wood by my Mother 15-20 years ago. She’s the insanely talented acrylics painter in the family but she went through a spell where she hand made beautiful pieces like this. He’s always been one of my very favorite pieces of photography chotzkie. Mom gave it to me when I was a professional photographer. It was a very thoughtful gift and one I’ve always cherished. He always sits proudly in my home studio and watches over me as I set up my shots. If he likes the set up he gives me a tip of the hat. If he doesn’t he waves…
