Dusting off little-used macro lens to shoot new flower gardens at home

It had been a long time since I last used my Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro lens for anything. A primary reason is that the last time I used it, the auto focus quit on me unpredictably. I purchased the lens about 13 years ago and have used it a couple dozen times.  I really liked the pictures I got from it, but the focus mechanism frustrated me more than I cared to deal with.

Lee Ann and her daughter Lea have worked a lot this spring to develop some flower gardens on our property, and even though they're not close to being finished with everything on their check list, they are already seeing some fruits of their labor.

The bed of Asiatic lilies, for instance, is already showing gorgeous colors of orange, reds and yellow/reds, illustrated by the photo leading off the post.

So, I decided to pull out the Sigma 105mm Monday and see what kinds of pictures I could make with it after a long hiatus. We had some variable clouds throughout the day, a preamble to the band of fierce storms that would chew through our area for a couple hours later in the evening. I found myself adjusting my ISO quite a bit to adapt to the changing light conditions so I could hold my f/stop at 10 or smaller for the majority of my shots. On this day, I was most interested in maximizing the depth of field throughout the focal flower and petals. 

In North Carolina, April and May are heavy pine pollen periods, and considering that our property is populated or surrounded by a good number of pine trees, it's hard not to see the yellowish dust everywhere you turn. Including on the plants. So that's the "dust" you see on the plants in these pictures.

As always, to view a larger, sharper version of a photo, just click on the image. This is particularly helpful when accessing the blog on a mobile device. To view a full gallery of images from my shoot, click on the link in this sentence.

Closeup (above) and perspective (below) shots of the red Asiatic lilies.

Closeup (above) and perspective (below) shots of the yellow and red Asiatic lilies.

Above: Foliage from a cool burgundy and raspberry colored coleus plant.

Above: One of several pansies recently planted. 

A columbine bloom above, and a bright yellow Erysimum "orange glow" plant 
below.

Above: Blooms from clematis plants. 

Above: A closeup from a bleeding heart. 

Above: A pink Armeria Ballerina plant. 

Above: A hyacinth plant, whose blooms are known for their pleasant aroma.

 Above and below: Two different viola plants. 

Above: Blooms from a yarrow plant, which Lee Ann has learned is a key ingredient in the recipe for a potion to treat itch and rash from poison ivy, which we see a lot of in these parts. She mixes yarrow with plantain -- a common yard weed -- to make her potion.