Picture This

Picture This!
Spring Has Sprung

Shutterbug Staff  |  Sep 1, 2008

While the Picture This! topic this month, "Spring Has Sprung," might seem seasonally inappropriate, the assignment was made during the height of the season so we'd get fresh, new images and not have readers sorting through their files from last year. The result was a profusion of amazing images ranging from florals to landscapes to a good deal of wildlife photography showing the activities of animals in that most effusive season. It wasn't easy to pick from the hundreds of images we received, so here are some of those that caught our eye.

Big & Small

Dr. Spencer V. Moore wrote: "This is a tiny lime green cucumber beetle wandering through a thicket...that appears to be massive but in reality is only a small thistle weed flower..." Moore worked with a Canon EOS 40D and a Canon EF 100-400mm IS lens.
© 2008, Dr. Spencer V. Moore, All Rights Reserved

Baby Barn Owl

Sanford Shapiro made this portrait of a baby barn owl in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in California with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5 and a Leica DC Vario-Elmarit 6-72mm lens. Exposure was f/3.3 at 1/80 sec.
© 2008, Sanford Shapiro, All Rights Reserved

Twig For The Nest

David G. Boyd caught this egret in flight carrying materials for its spring nest using a Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III and a Canon 100-400mm IS lens with an exposure of f/18 at 1/640 sec at ISO 400.
© 2008, David G. Boyd, All Rights Reserved

First Prairie Flower

Rebecca A. Helm wrote: "The Pasque is the first prairie flower that appears in the spring. It is often called the `wild crocus,' though it is not in the crocus family." She worked with a Sony DSC-F828 camera with an exposure of f/8 at 1/250 sec.
© 2008, Rebecca A. Helm, All Rights Reserved

The Bench

This park scene with azaleas in high bloom came in the form of a card, a nice touch and use of the image by Susan Bailey. She worked with a Canon EOS 5D and a Canon 100-400mm lens. Exposure was f/22 at 1/4 sec, with some additional work in Photoshop.
© 2008, Susan Bailey, All Rights Reserved

Flooding River

Cheryle Battrum wrote: "The banks of the Bow River bulge with muddy water during spring runoff...Beautiful, massive Mount Rundle borders this section of the river; it has multiple buttresses and extends from Canmore (Alberta) all the way to Banff." This photo was made with a Pentax K10D and a Tamron AF18-200mm XR Di-II lens. Her exposure was f/8 at 1/400 sec at ISO 125.
© 2008, Cheryle Battrum, All Rights Reserved

Flower Heaven

Ron Schoenwald made this shot with a polarizing lens on his Sony DSC-F828 at Yankee Boy Basin outside Ouray, Colorado. Exposure on a tripod was f/8 at 1/40 sec.
© 2008, Ron Schoenwald, All Rights Reserved

Antelope Valley Poppies

Peter Hemming wrote: "Due to drought conditions I waited three years to get this image of California golden poppies. They only bloomed for one month before the heat and dryness made the flowers go to the ground, but it was worth it!" We agree. Hemming shot with a Nikon D300 and a Nikkor 16mm f/2.8 lens; exposure was f/8 at 1/320 sec.
© 2008, Peter Hemming, All Rights Reserved

Claret Cup Cactus

Jeff Dye made this shot of blooming cacti in the Toroweap area of Grand Canyon National Park with a Nikon D200 and a Nikkor 18-200mm lens. Exposure of f/22 at 1 second was made on a Gitzo tripod with an Arca-Swiss head.
© 2008, Jeff Dye, All Rights Reserved

Floral Study #3

This exciting and dramatic close-up was made by Mark Chasin with a Nikon ES200 with an exposure of f/3.2 at 1/180 sec.
© 2008, Mark Chasin, All Rights Reserved
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