If you live in an area where you are getting snow, get out the camera and shoot some snowy subjects.

It's not as nice being all bundled up and dealing with the cold, but better than sitting in the house all winter, and you can get some cool images.

Join my new online Flower Photography Club. For more information and to join the club, click the link. Flower Photography Club - Michael G Moats

On Facebook a lady had watched a video of me shooting wood worm trails in a tree trunk and commented "Need a camera  so I can take your class"

I responded back that you can do most of what I do with your cell phone camera.

I always talk about shooting at f/32 to get max depth of field so all of the subjects will be in focus.

What do camera phones do really well, gets everything in focus.  It's like you are always shooting a f/32.

So basically, if I'm shooting subjects at f/32 you can get the same results with your phone. So that is why I told the lady that says she needs a camera to take my classes, you really don't if you have a phone camera.

This year I'm planning on doing some of my flower photography with my Samsung S23 phone, the images look pretty darn good with this phone.

Image below shot with my phone.

Join my new online Flower Photography Club. For more information and to join the club, click the link. Flower Photography Club - Michael G Moats

When: Summer

Where: Near a pond, Michigan

How: It was early morning and the sun had just peaked over the top of the trees as I was strolling along the edge of a pond looking for subjects to shoot. As I was walking, I happened to look up into the canopy of a Sycamore tree and saw this interesting combination of backlighting and shadow. The alignment of the leaves was amazingly perfect. I set up the frame with a nice tight shot to eliminate all the clutter of leaves and concentrated just on the main show. I set my f/stop at f32, as I had a lot of depth between the front leaf and the background leaf. I placed my point of focus on the small backlight leaf, which was about halfway between the front and back leaves. It’s all about being in the right place at the right time and always scanning with your eyes for subjects like this. I could have easily walked past this but was lucky on this day that I looked up.

Join my new online Flower Photography Club. For more information and to join the club, click the link. Flower Photography Club - Michael G Moats

Beyond its political implications, tree hugging can also represent a personal, spiritual connection to nature. Many people find solace and peace in nature, and the act of hugging a tree can evoke feelings of grounding and tranquility. It fosters mindfulness and encourages individuals to appreciate the beauty and complexity of the natural world.

While you're out in the woods shooting, why not hug a tree.

Join my new online Flower Photography Club. For more information and to join the club, click the link. Flower Photography Club - Michael G Moats

When: Spring

Where: Field/Oregon

How: I’ve always wanted a chance to shoot the California Poppies, and when the time finally came, I made sure I got plenty of images. With this image I used a technique of shooting though one subject to another. The purple haze you see in the foreground is from Purple Vetch flowers. I positioned the Vetch in between my camera and the poppies. By focusing on the poppies and shooting my lens wide open at f/3.5, the shallow depth of field totally blurred the Vetch, and turn it into a purple haze. It’s a very cool effect and most the time this technique is hard to accomplish, but every once in a while, you get lucky. I positioned the large poppy in the left third of the frame as it looks less composed then placing it in the center of the frame.

Join my new online Flower Photography Club. For more information and to join the club, click the link. Flower Photography Club - Michael G Moats