First mallard of 2014

MALE MALLARD, LOVELACE PARK, EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, MARCH 31, 2014

Pentax K-3
Pentax 18-135 at 135mm
1/400 sec. f11
ISO 400

It's only a mallard, probably the most common waterfowl in the world, but it's the first I've captured after the long, hard winter and so I'm happy to post this photograph.

First robin of 2014

AMERICAN ROBIN, CHICAGO BOTANIC GARDEN, GLENCOE, ILLINOIS, MARCH 30, 2014

Pentax K-3
Pentax 55-300 at 300mm
1/800 sec. f8
ISO 400

I'm a bit late to the "first robin of spring" party. Having moved to a condo building that forbids putting bird feeders out on the balconies, I've been deprived of my old backyard deck photo studio. Now that the weather is improving, shooting opportunities at the Botanic Garden should be plentiful.

Miniature rose

MINIATURE ROSE, EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, MARCH 8, 2014

Pentax K-01
Pentax 100mm Bellows-Takumar f4
10 sec. f22
ISO 100

I captured this dime-sized rose in a tabletop bouquet while experimenting with a 1970s-era screw-mount Bellows-Takumar lens in a Pentax Bellows K. The source of light was a dining-room lamp directly overhead. The ancient kit does a decent job although modern macro lenses probably would outdo its image quality in a direct comparison.