One subject I enjoy taking almost as much as insects is dandelion seeds. Thanks to the extreme care I give to my lawn, dandelions are abundant. I enjoy finding seeds that are almost ready to fly away and in some cases a tiny bit of Photoshop is all that is necessary to give the illusion that it is already floating away. The following shots were not Photoshopped in that way, though I typically bring the shadows up to emphasize the seeds. I have found that the Canon 180L is the perfect lens for this. Very often 1x is all I need and the MP-E 65 can often disturb the seed if I am not careful.
![](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2317/2511586348_1d569bcf73_o.jpg" width="800" height="533" alt="Dandelion seeds" /></a>)
Recently I have been playing with the 180L when I have the chance - looking for new subjects. In the next few days I’ll discuss other things I found, but in the meantime here’s some more dandelion seed pictures for the day. I would be curious to hear opinions on which one (if any) you like best.
![](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3081/2510755875_1b2578c4fa_o.jpg" width="533" height="800" alt="Dandelion seeds" /></a>)
![](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3165/2510755809_e3b8afb0ce_o.jpg" width="800" height="533" alt="Dandelion seeds" /></a>)
![](http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2251/2510755681_8d89eb0173_o.jpg" width="800" height="533" alt="Dandelion seeds" /></a>)
Related posts:
- Some new bugs for the year I always enjoy getting out and taking some pictures of...
- Canon 180mm 3.5L macro first look This weekend I finally received one of the most coveted...
- Tips for Macro Photography Recently I gave a presentation on macro photography for several...
- Zen and the art of the MP-E 65 Recently I lent my MP-E 65 macro lens to two...
- How Velcro really works A few days ago I was playing with my macro...
Tags: dandelion, floating, macro, photography, seed
May 21st, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Cool!
I featured a couple of dandelion images in my post yesterday, but I’ve never captured a single seed slipping away like this. What a treat to see these!
May 21st, 2008 at 3:05 pm
Such amazing macro shots and they almost look like little umbrellas!
June 2nd, 2008 at 8:01 am
Year after year I can never make it through the entire spring without taking a few dandelion shots. Nice work capturing the tiny individual seeds.