PHOTO Ready for Your Close-up?
STORY AND PHOTOS BY NEIL HOUGHTON, NEW YORK
TIP #2
“Macro” is a term for an extreme close-up
lens that has always seemed counter-intuitive to me.
Macro refers to a large overview. I did some research
and the term stems from looking at a small feature
and making it large, sometimes to
the point of rendering an object
unrecognizable. Perhaps you have
seen “guess what this is” photos?
Technically these photos may not
be “macro,” but they do take a
close-up look at a small feature or
portion of an iris.
As the requirement for images
for registration is implemented, we
suggested alternative views. Iris in
catalogs show us the bloom, but
many of us would like to see more.
The stalk and the clump growth add
to what we know about an iris and a photo of these
would be helpful. We also suggested a close-up of
unique features. A flounce, the ruffled and laced edge
of a fall, or an unusual style arm can distinguish a new
introduction from something that we’ve seen before.
I am fascinated by ‘Action Packed’, Paul Black’s 2011
Tall Bearded. Its rococo features provide ever new
investigation. When it blooms I race, camera in hand,
‘Action Packed’ (Paul Black 2011, TB)
to explore this intricate beauty. Taste is a personal
thing of course. My husband finds it “too busy!” It’s
one of my earliest acquisitions during the year of
introduction, which makes it a sentimental favorite.
Here are two intimate shots. The
first focuses on the throat. The
gold and burgundy stripes of the
style arm remind me of a circus
tent. A swirl of motion is created
by the various components of this
photo. The second is focused on
the heart of the bloom, rich and
clean. The surrounding heavily
veined standards frame it nicely.
Rococo, don’t you think?
The final photo is the flounce of
a seedling from the guest gardens
at the Des Moines Botanical
Leroy Meininger seedling #S-11
Gardens. This feature is a work of art by itself. The
small visitor enjoying it adds more interest and an
object of known size adds perspective. Harden garden
labeling indicates this is seedling # S-11, from Leroy
Meininger.
When you are taking that closer look, take a picture
as well!
d
24 AIS Bulletin Fall 2018