spring | At Home with Tech

March 29, 2026

Capturing Spring’s Early Flow with My Microscope Lens

That anything living can break through the barren, winter-scarred ground always seems like a miracle. Yet, of course as the fading winter releases its brutal grip and the temperatures begin to rise, early spring begins this annual rebirth.

I’m always delighted during these first days before spring really kicks in. That’s when you need to make an effort to spot the signs. Though tiny, they’re everywhere. The trees are still barren, but the first flower buds are already starting to make their move.

Look Closer

I think we’re likely a week or two away from ‘opening day’ here in southern Connecticut. (That’s when you look out the window and almost fall over from the impact of spring’s stunning return.)

I took my Panasonic Lumix mirrorless camera outside this week to take a few early-spring test shots but found my results underwhelming. Maybe it was too soon.

Then, I thought for a moment and realized I just needed to get a little closer to nature’s magic. So, I pulled out my SANDMARC microscope lens for my iPhone and screwed it onto my iPhone case (also made by SANDMARC).

When I bought this lens system last summer, I wasn’t sure how often I would use it. Well, this was clearly one of those moments.

So, I set out to try again.

Early Days

The images I captured were not your typical bright and colorful spring collection. The shots were necessarily darker with my microscope lens pressed close to the flower buds.

But this framing style also created a more intimate result, revealing a view of a young spring not yet fully formed.

Time to Expand the View

My microscope lens provides an especially narrow depth of field. Much of each image blurs away from the tight focal point. As a result, I think I’ve captured more of nature’s organic flow in action.

And this flow will soon burst onto the landscape. Then, it will be easy to expand the view.

I couldn’t be happier being able to see this preview.

Hello, spring!

April 6, 2025

Raindrops Shouldn’t Make You Miss Spring’s First Colors

If you don’t mind getting caught in a rain shower, now’s the perfect time to snap some photos of early-spring flowers. Here’s what I saw.

Spring is always a magical time as nature’s colorful energies reemerge. But early spring in New England can be a cold and rainy period. This year in Connecticut is no different.

You can tell that the real spring surge is still at least a week away. But there are plenty signs that the big bloom is already underway. Early spring flowers have their date with destiny. As far as they’re concerned, it’s show time! Lots of rain? No problem.

But that’s not an enticing set up for a photographer to take the camara out for a walk in the neighborhood. That said, you’d be surprised with what you might see. Just don’t forget to wear your raincoat.

That’s exactly what I did, and here’s what I spotted shining through the dreary weather…

Get Close… Really Close
I like to position my camera up close to the spring colors.
(It’s never about zooming in on a flower. You’ve got to really press your lens in.)

Look for Daffodils
They’re among the first flowers to show up and always great to practice on.
To be fair, the sun did peak out to illuminate this moment.

Find the Raindrops
If the opportunity presents itself, I always enjoy composing my shots to include a raindrop or two.

Use your Narrow Depth of Field
I used my old Panasonic Lumix LX-10 in manual focus mode to help me narrow the focus and play with some blur. That’s fun, but also challenging, because flowers don’t exist on a flat plain. So, you need to choose your focus point carefully.

Join the Celebration
There’s nothing wrong with waiting a bit longer until spring is in full force to snap your photos. But I feel these moments of emergence are particularly special and shouldn’t be missed.

It’s been a long winter. Now’s the time to soak in some early color.

May 12, 2024

Chasing the Bloom to Capture the Magic of Spring

I always enjoy the experience of capturing blossom bliss with my camera. Here are a few of my photos.

When the flowers begin to bloom, and the spring cherry blossoms pop, it’s absolute magic. But it’s always too fleeting. Days. Maybe a few weeks. And then suddenly, summer is just around the corner.

That’s not so bad, but I think no other season can beat spring in New England.

Each year, I grab my Lumix camera (or simply use my iPhone) to capture the arc of this annual display throughout my neighborhood. It’s all so beautiful, from the early buds to the fallen blossoms near the end.

Here’s what nature graciously presented to me this year…