Images: U.S. Botanic Garden in DC

Shots from my macro photography field trip to the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, DC. All photos were taken on a Sony a7R IV with a Sigma 105mm Macro Lens.

Bulbophyllum Pecten-Veneris Flowers | Sony a7R IV | 105mm | ISO 2000 | f/2.8 | 1/80

Bulbophyllum pecten-veneris flowers taken handheld in the orchid room. Quick tip - the orchid room is pretty dark. I was able to capture this and minimize the noise by using fill-flash. This is one of my favorite shots of the day. I like how the composition captures the trailing lip of the flowers in the bundle above as it adds pops of color throughout.

Cactus | Sony a7R IV | 105mm | ISO 500 | f/8 | 1/13

Cactus from the desert room, possibly of the Mammillaria type. Note to self: take pics of placards next time so you can identify the subject. Taken using a tripod.

Gasteria Flowers | Sony a7R IV | 105mm | ISO 320 | f/11 | 1/10

Delicate Gasteria flowers that most people walked right by because they were low to the floor and hidden under neighboring plant leaves. I love the way these flowers both curl in opposite directions. I wanted to keep it soft, but if I had a better angle, I was trying to get both blossoms in focus a touch more with this tripod shot. Maybe next time.

Ironweed Flowers | Sony a7R IV | 105mm | ISO 320 | f/8 | 1/160

Handheld - which is hard to believe. I get shaky when trying to take macro photos which is why I try to use a tripod when and where I can. However, this was around 1:00 p.m. so there was a lot of natural light to work with and I was able to get my shutter speed up higher. These native Veronia noveboracensis flowers, or Ironweed, are literally glittering. Gorgeous!

Orchid Flower | Sony a7R IV | 105mm | ISO 3200 | f/4 | 1/60

I think this is a Miltonopsis orchid, but I could be wrong (placards, placards, placards). Handheld in a dark room and captured using a fill-flash. Not exactly what I wanted, but there is something hypnotizing about that color pattern.

Madagascar Periwinkle Flower | Sony a7R IV | 105mm | ISO 1250 | f/4 | 1/125

I grabbed this last shot handheld at one of our breaks where they had a bunch of Madagascar Periwinkle planted. It's a flower I see all over the DMV, but there's obviously a reason. The color is stunning.

Thanks to Capital Photography Center for another great class!