I photographed this Swamp Rose Mallow one beautiful, crisp, fall morning while waiting  entry into Jesse Jones Nature Center.   The beads of dew and  saturated colors of this flower drew my eye's attention.  This same year, I made my first submission to Nature Photographer Magazine.  I was extremely shocked to see it appear in their May '99 issue on the Table of Contents page! 

Minolta 600, Tamron 90 Macro Lens, Gitzo 1228 Tripod, Cable Release, Fujichrome Provia, f/22

Conditions were too windy for photographing almost anything, so I went to the Houston Arboretum's forested area. Nothing seemed to grab my attention until I spied this turning leaf.

Minolta 800, Minolta 200 mm Macro Lens, Gitzo 1325 Tripod, Cable Release, Fujichrome Velvia,  f/22

I searched a dew-laden meadow at Brazos Bend State Park to find a bud which symbolized the beginning of Spring.  With my tripod lowered to the ground, I tried many compositions and used a silver reflector to fill in shadows.

Minolta 800, Minolta 200mm Macro Lens, Gitzo 1325 Tripod, Cable Release, Fujichrome Velvia,  Silver Reflector,   f/16