I often keep flowers in vases long enough for them to dry. Watching their progression made me realize that dried flowers can make for some interesting photos. I also take pictures of plants other than flowers.

The first three in this gallery – the Filaments Sequence – illustrates the magnification differences. The macro zoom lens I use goes from 1X to 5X. The breadth of view at 1X magnification is about 1.4 inches. So for larger subjects, such as Filaments I, I use a nonmacro zoom lens. Filaments II was taken at 1X with the macro lens. Filaments III was taken at 3X. Examples of shots taken at 5X include Parched and Red Spires.

• Filaments I (Painted Lady) (6 in.)

  http://photo.chjonesconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/filaments-1-painted-lady-16x20-FINAL-3p1x.jpg

  I bought this flowering succulent at the Eugene Farmer’s Market from the Plantasies vendor. The flower stalk was about 1½ feet tall on a 3 inch tall plant in a 4 inch pot. I was very careful bringing it home. As much as I enjoyed the long lasting flower, it wasn’t much of a picture until it dried out and got dusty. The stalk segment shown is about 6 inches tall. 3 stacked photos. Common names: Painted Echevaria, Painted Lady

  

• Filaments II (Painted Lady) (1 in.)

  http://photo.chjonesconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/filaments-2-painted-lady-20x16-FINAL-14X.jpg

  I bought this flowering succulent at the Eugene Farmer’s Market from the Plantasies vendor. The flower stalk was about 1½ feet tall on a 3 inch tall plant in a 4 inch pot. I was very careful bringing it home. As much as I enjoyed the long lasting flower, it wasn’t much of a picture until it dried out and got dusty. The dried flower bud is about ¾ inches. 94 stacked photos. Common names: Painted Echevaria, Painted Lady

  

• Filaments III (Painted Lady) (1/3 in.)

  http://photo.chjonesconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/filaments-3-painted-lady-20x16-FINAL-60X-v3.jpg

  I bought this flowering succulent at the Eugene Farmer’s Market from the Plantasies vendor. The flower stalk was about 1½ feet tall on a 3 inch tall plant in a 4 inch pot. I was very careful bringing it home. As much as I enjoyed the long lasting flower, it wasn’t much of a picture until it dried out and got dusty. The width of the subject is about 1/3 of an inch. 136 stacked photos. Common names: Painted Echevaria, Painted Lady

  

• What's In There? (Ragged Lady) (0.55 in.)

  http://photo.chjonesconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/whats-in-there-ragged-lady-20x16-FINAL-30X.jpg

  My friend Barbara turned her yard into a flower garden and this is one of the results. The name derives from the bug’s point of view. This is an improbable picture: 1) The petal curled into a funnel. 2) Dried stamens got caught in the funnel. 3) The funnel got caught in the green scaffolding. 4) The bug stood still for exactly, and for only, the 3 frames and 4 seconds it was in focus. The width of the subject is about 0.55 inches. 426 stacked photos.

  

• Sawdust On Cross Cut Bark (Douglas Fir) (1/4 in.)

  http://photo.chjonesconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/sawdust-on-cross-cut-bark.jpg

  After the severe snow storm during March 2019 in Eugene, I took a hike on the Ridgeline Trail. The trail had started to be cleared of all the trees that had fallen. I found this wedge of Douglas Fir and immediately took pictures of it when I got home. Douglas Fir bark is inches deep and striped in cross section. The sawdust kind of looks like a Chinese character. If it’s close enough that someone could provide me a translation, that would be awesome. The height of the subject is about ¼ inch. 86 stacked photos.

  

• icy moss (1/2 in.)

  http://photo.chjonesconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/icy-moss-slight-adjustment-with-affinity-20x16-1.jpg

  I put some moss on the rail of my deck thinking at some point there would be a good shot. This showed up on one of the few days we had snow. The moss frond is about ½ inch. 29 stacked pictures.

  

• Frost Flower Wave (8 in.)

  http://photo.chjonesconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Frost-Flower-Wave-FINAL-22x17-small-adjustments-with-affinity.jpg

  Frost flowers form under specific conditions where water extrudes from small openings (in plants or pipes) by capillary motion and freezes as it enters the air. This forms petal-like ice formations. (This is a simple example, search for them to see some amazing pictures.) I went hiking at Goodman Creek, OR and saw several of these. I didn’t have my camera with me, so I had to go back the next day to get the shot. Those were the only examples I've ever seen. The subject is about 8 inches. 5 stacked photos.

  

• Milkweed Seed (Asclepias Syriaca) (3 in.)

  http://photo.chjonesconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/milkweed-seed-22x17-FINAL-7012-0p8-crop-9X.jpg

  Barbara and I did a 3 week car trip around New England and New York. She has relatives in Vermont and a little outside of where they live there were a bunch of milkweeds in seed. Because of the delicate hairs, there is no way to take multiple shots to use focus stacking; just the natural air movement in the room caused it move. So I took 100+ shots and found one with no motion. It also took some trial and error to figure out how to hang it. The subject is about 3 in.

  

• Balanced Sawdust (Douglas Fir) (1/8 in.)

  http://photo.chjonesconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/balanced-sawdust-qual-10.jpg

  After the severe snow storm during March 2019 in Eugene, I took a hike on the Ridgeline Trail. Everything was totally soaked but the trail had started to be cleared of all the trees that had fallen. I found this wedge of Douglas Fir and immediately took pictures of it when I got home. Part of the effect is from the sawdust still being wet. It was awesome that I caught this balancing act. This is about as small a subject as I can capture with my equipment. The width of the subject is about 1/8 inch. 66 stacked photos.

  

• Mushroom With Fringe (Stropharia Ambigua) (5 in.)

  http://photo.chjonesconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Mushroom-with-Fringe-16x20-FINAL-4X.jpg

  I was hiking the Marymere Falls trail in the Olympic Peninsula WA when I started seeing these mushrooms with fringes on them. In order to get a clean in situ picture, I had to clear out the brush around it. I found someone to identify the species at the Mount Pisgah Mushroom Festival. Mushrooms have veils around them as they push up through the ground. Most mushrooms lose the veil completely fairly quickly. This species tends to keep remnants. Single picture, not focus stacked. The subject is about 5 in.