It is hard to believe that summer is already winding down - at least from an academic year standpoint. It was a fun-filled summer for us, and one of the things I got to do was spend a little time out in our yard taking pictures of the garden.

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A vibrant garden bed filled with clusters of purple phlox and bright orange daylilies, intermingled with tall, feathery ornamental grasses and lush green foliage.
Nikon Z6iii • 500mm • f/4 • 1/640s • ISO 720
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Now, I can’t claim that the above image is our garden - that is our neighbor’s garden and it is stunning every year! However, what I can claim is that for some reason my 500mm lens has become my favorite flower lens of all time! This was a surprise as I reviewed the images for this post - they were all captured with a lens most photographers wouldn’t think is suited for flower photography.

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A slender green flowering stalk bears several pale lavender-white trumpet-shaped blossoms and pointed buds, set against a soft, blurred green background.
Nikon Z6iii • 500mm • f/5 • 1/800s • ISO 1400
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2026/07/20260718-0810-NZ1_7003
A deep maroon daylily (Hemerocallis) blooms with a bright yellow-orange throat and dark, prominent stamens, set against a soft, blurred green garden background.
Nikon Z6iii • 500mm • f/5 • 1/800s • ISO 3200
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There are a few reasons this happened. First, just by chance, most of these images were taken randomly while I was trying to do other things. I spent a fair amount of time this summer photographing songbirds and once I got bored my focus would drift and I would wind up finding some flowers - hey, it happens!

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A deep purple daylily with orange stamens blooms among feathery green cedar foliage, set against a soft, blurred green background.
Nikon Z6iii • 500mm • f/4 • 1/640s • ISO 560
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2026/07/20260718-0843-NZ1_7086_raw-denoise
A slender green plant with narrow, alternate leaves and small yellow flower buds at its tips, sharply focused against a softly blurred natural background.
Nikon Z6iii • 500mm • f/4 • 1/1000s • ISO 3600
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But the second reason is the rendering - the combination of a very wide front element and being up close gives the images a certain ethereal feel that I love. And, since photography is not logical in any way, the gear that just clicks with you is what you reach for. And I think this summer that held true for me. I spent the majority of the summer with a 500mm or a 35mm.

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A hosta (*Hosta* species) flower stalk bears pale lavender-white, trumpet-shaped blooms and closed buds, rising against a softly blurred, dark green-brown background.
Nikon Z6iii • 500mm • f/4 • 1/1000s • ISO 500
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And so, an accidental but joyful set of images from around the yard this summer — a gentle reminder to find the gear we love and not stick to conventional wisdom about what works and what doesn’t.