Echinacea Water Drop, photo by Harold Davis. View this photograph larger.

This water drop, on a hybrid coneflower ( Echinacea Big Sky “Sunset”) has obviously been highly magnified. I used a combination of a macro lens, extension tubes, and a close-up filter, with the most depth-of-field I could get. The trick here is to focus accurately, and to be patient enough to wait for the subject to be still. If you’ve ever carefully observed water held in place by surface tension—like this water drop—you’ll realize that is seldom totally motionless, even when there is no wind.

I like most about the photo the way you can see a second reflection of the coneflower petal if you look down in the reflection to the right. Echoes of endless depths, endless reflections, and world without end.

The Echinacea Big Sky “Sunset” was hybridized by Richard Saul of ItSaul Nurseries from two strains of echinacea for its showy cone and wonderful colors. The flower is trademarked, and I think copyrighted. Does that mean I shouldn’t be photographing it? Actually, I plan to take many more photos of my trademarked echinacea as they grow in my garden, and just try and stop me! Here’s a close-up of the cone of the flower (looks like marching soldiers with spears to me!):

View this photograph larger.