On Saturday my friend and I went to Arbor Hills Nature Preserve.   At first glance, this nature preserve doesn’t look like it has a lot to offer photographers.  Half the population of Plano seemed to be here – walking, biking and jogging – but not many photographers.

Compare it to the Dallas Arboretum and it’s lacking in pretty, showy colors from blooming tulips, cherry blossoms and azaleas.  No, you won’t find those types of plants and trees here.  You have to look much closer.  Looking at the map of the trail system below it’s hard to fathom our little achievement.

(This is taken from the City of Plano website.)

What are the odds…

1. My friend and I spot a ladybug to photograph among all the weeds and grass along the trails.
2. We are able to focus both our cameras on the moving ladybug.  I had a macro lens (I needed to be up close).  He had a telephoto lens (he had to be far away).
3. We are able to use our skills to manage the camera’s settings for this particular situation.  There’s not a lot of time to change the camera settings.  You have to make quick decisions.  We like to challenge ourselves by not using Auto mode – and what a challenge we embraced!
4. We capture the same moment the ladybug stretches its wings.
5. Both our photos turn out.

Here are the photos.

The first photo is shown with permission of Tore Bellis.

My photo below with the macro lens.

Cameras:
Canon EOS 6D
Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Lenses:
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM Lens
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 L macro IS

Date:
April 2015

Notes:
All I can say is, wow.