although pesky, once you start to explore the common housefly, all sorts of amazing discoveries can be made. this is a super-closeup shot of the shiny metallic area on a blue bottle fly (blue housefly) capturing an area about the thickness of a playing card. the surface contains deep dimple-like cavities (similar to a golf ball) with an ultra tiny hair (about 1/8000 of an inch) in each one. the blue metallic colouring is mirror-like and reflects our lighting around like a highly polished automobile.

unique purple lily blooms in southern China

In front of the local Post Office someone took the time to prepare a rather large display of summer flowers and foliage. It is well cared for and quite impressive to the many passersby picking up their mail. Although a rather common flower, this gladiolus had exceptional form and I couldn't resist capturing on film. The bright pink row of buds in varying degrees of development against the surrounding dark green plant life created a very nice balance.

One warm and misty afternoon, the sun peaked out for just a moment to generate one of nature's most spectacular events... a rainbow. With the exception of this beam of sunlight, the surrounding area was dim and wet. I immediately pulled off the road and started setting up to capture this colourful phenomenon touching down into a nearby field. By the time I was prepared, the intensity picked up and I captured the entire essence on film. The air was still very misty, but the vibrant bands of colour showed through quite well and really shows off a natural work of art.

closeup texture shot of a purple Iris

This is an up-shot of some colourful scale-shaped rock layers on the side of large cliff. To capture this amazing natural art, i had to setup as low as possible to get enough room between the camera lens and rock layers. There was just enough room for me to lay on the muddy ground and get my head in place to see the focus screen and prepare for the long-exposure.

a picture-perfect passage between cliffs in southern Illinois

ruffle and stripe details on a giant Bearded Iris