photoartflightPlant Panorama
I liked the shape and curves of this plant. But I wanted a clean background, so I used a long lens but shot wide open so I had a soft clean green background. Also 3 overlapping images which I then assembled in Photoshop. I did not want to back up and get it in one shot because then I would also have more depth of field which means more background detail which I did not want. The closer you get with a long lens, the smoother the background when you shoot with the aperture wide open. I liked the curves and details on the plant and the arched shape. Shot with a close focusing 300mm lens @ f/4.
photoartflight 
Beauty and grace – nice work!
Thanks! It is fun to see what you can find in your own yard!
Very nice image! I’ve had some good luck with a 300mm lens too once in awhile, but that’s another couple of pounds in my pack so I seldom take it on steep hikes unless I have a pretty good idea that I’ll see some wildlife.
Thanks! This was shot with a 300mm f/4 stabilized lens. It has very close focusing, but if I need more, I add extension tubes. And I have a nice working distance from my subjects. Plus it does not weigh much so easy to carry all day. I like the softness it gives the background and still gives me the sharpness on the subject so I get a nice combination of effects. With a 1.4x teleconverter and a couple of extension tubes (which I hardly use) it is a Great all round carry companion for subjects near & far. From plants to Dragonflies and birds. I stopped using my macro lenses most of the time now because it is so versatile.