It's a Small World (share your macros!)

[mythlady]

I searched quite a ways back but couldn't find a thread dedicated to macros. Please share your work here, and any details about the shot that might help us do better. I'm having my camera club over to do some macro work in a few weeks, and would love to know more before they come!

Here are a couple I did the other day:


f/5.0. 1/400 sec, ISO 100


f/7.1, 1/30 sec, ISO 100

These were taken outside on my porch with the Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens on my 40D.

C&C always welcome.

[Katy Noelle]

Great idea, Elise!!!

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Elise,

Great idea, I don't think we have had one - until now

Except initially I'm going to break the rules and repost your #1, which I felt lacked a little 'bite', I hope you don't mind.



I did an Auto Contrast, Local Contrast Enhance (LCE) using USM (UnSharp Mask) with 30%, 88px, 0th, followed by a normal sharpen with USM 90%, 0.3px, 3th - all in CS5, but could just as easily have been Elements or GIMP (if GIMP,regarding amounts - my 100% = GIMPs 1.00)

I liked the gradient on right in yours, but I think working on an 8 bit jpg has spoiled it a little in my edit.

Like your #2 as is.

I will post a new macro of my own later - I promise

Cheers,

[mythlady]

Thank you, Dave! I think your improvements are great. I am never sure about what's "enough" in PS, and have been backing away from my natural tendency to overdo the contrast and sharpening and so on. The gradient was one of those serendipitous appearances -- I was shooting the flowers outside, against the side of my house, and that gradient just showed up, don't ask me how.

Looking forward to seeing your efforts!

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Elise,

Thanks.

In trying to find a shot not seen here at CiC before, and it being late, I stumbled on this;


Nikon D5000 + Nikon 70-300mm VR: 1/2000s, f/5.6, iso400 (19683)

About my only bee in flight (bif) that has come out (half) sharp

I'll PP something new in due course, this was shot back in May,

[Peter Ryan]

I searched quite a ways back but couldn't find a thread dedicated to macros. Please share your work here, and any details about the shot that might help us do better. I'm having my camera club over to do some macro work in a few weeks, and would love to know more before they come!

Here are a couple I did the other day:


f/5.0. 1/400 sec, ISO 100


f/7.1, 1/30 sec, ISO 100

These were taken outside on my porch with the Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens on my 40D.

C&C always welcome.

Hi Elise,

I do like the compostions, textures and colours here. The placement of the subject in the frame works really well.

[Peter Ryan]

Hi Elise,

Thanks.

In trying to find a shot not seen here at CiC before, and it being late, I stumbled on this;


Nikon D5000 + Nikon 70-300mm VR: 1/2000s, f/5.6, iso400 (19683)

About my only bee in flight (bif) that has come out (half) sharp

I'll PP something new in due course, this was shot back in May,

And Dave, your isn't bad

[Dave Humphries]

And Dave, your isn't bad

Thank you Peter, you know how sensitive a soul I am

I do wonder whether I should have cloned out the diagonal brown twig though?

Cheers,

[Camellia]

Love your shots Elise. I like the sense of 'there is more to see but this is all I'm showing you'.

And great idea for a thread.

[mythlady]

I like your bee, Dave, and yeah, I probably would have cloned out the twig (and done a bad job at it). Bees are so difficult because the little buggers just won't hold still. Here's one I did very early in my photographic career, with a point-and-shoot:



Here's one I did more recently, with the help of my friend, who acted as beetle-wrangler until I said, "Okay, let him go . . . "



I'm very happy with the narrow band of focus in this one, though I have to say it was more the result of serendipity than careful planning. To me, that's often the case with macros of moving creatures -- luck plays a big role. Although in the workshop I recently took, one of the teachers revealed to us that some folks get really good macros of bugs by putting them into the freezer for a while, so they don't move! I wonder whether my family would mind my freezing the giant spider I've been frustrated in photographing lately --

[Katy Noelle]

I am such a macro wannabe. I only have the kit lens (Canon 18-55mm); so, when I attempt a macro, I look closely, make an educated guess and, then, I crop in. It's kind of pitiful. I've learned a lot, though, about DOF, lighting and the need for exactitude in composition when you get this tiny. I'm still trying to apply it, though. There is a faint hope for that 60mm macro for Christmas. We'll see..... (if only things would stop breaking down, around here!!

Anyway, here are a couple of bees that I took back in July when I'd first gotten my camera. I had no idea what I was doing and those dudes don't hold still - just like you said, Elise! I had fun trying, though.





You know, comments and criticism are ALWAYS welcome with me! Although, on these.... well, I think I'd be too embarrassed to tell you what settings I shot these with.

[carregwen]

here's an old one of mine. A stacked macro of a house orchid.

[mythlady]

Very nice, Donald -- orchids are one of my favorite subjects.

Katie, I think your bee pics are great! If Santa doesn't bring the macro lens for Xmas, have you thought about Kenko tubes? A set of 12mm, 20mm and 36mm tubes costs about $170 (don't know how that compares to the 60mm lens, but I imagine favorably). They are empty rings that you attach between the lens and camera; they do have electronics in them so that your autofocus still works. You can stack them to be able to move in very close, although at that point good light becomes essential.

[carregwen]

Very nice, Donald -- orchids are one of my favorite subjects.

?You got a thing going with him?

[Donald]

Very nice, Donald

Thanks Elise. But you better acknowledge his skill. He gets terribly upset. It's probably an age thing.

[Geoff F]

During the summer, a lot of my photography is macro shots of insects for identification. A small selection is here http://www.pbase.com/crustacean/coas...ly_2010&page=1

For anybody wishing to get interested in macro photography I would advise reading the macro tutorial on this site and additionally there is a lot of information here http://www.ronbigelow.com/articles/f...flowers-1.html although with 3 sections it will take a bit of reading.

Katy, if you want to try some serious macro (and your first attempts look good) I would say from my experience that if you are thinking about extension tubes for use with a zoom lens, you only really need one tube.

I started macro with a Canon 70-300 lens and a 25 mm Canon tube (I originally bought a 12 mm which wasn't sufficient) and this arrangement worked well, although it does require good light.

A 60 mm macro lens will produce good results on flowers, preferably with a tripod of course. But you are already getting good flower photos.

If however, you want to shoot small live insects, my advice would be to get a much bigger lens. I use the Sigma 180 mm and often find that to be a bit small when attempting to approach some of the more timid little creatures.

I usually find that if I can get within 2 ft of them I am doing well. Yes you can sometimes creep up within 6 ins of a sleepy insect, but I find the majority fly away before I reach 1 ft.

A 180 mm lens is expensive though, and heavy to use. The Sigma 150 mm is a popular alternative which works out a bit cheaper, but it still isn't in the 'bargain bucket department'.

One word of warning about macro photography - It is addictive and soon becomes expensive! Also, if you do get hooked on insect photography there are all the insect identification books that will become essential reading. A fascinating subject though, if you have the time.

[mythlady]

Oh, sorry -- yes, I kind of do have a thing for Donald, but it was your picture I thought was good. Rob.

[Jim B.]

5DII Sigma 150 macro f/14 ISO 100 1/125" 580ex off camera on a macro bracket fired with ST-E2.Handheld.

[mythlady]

I recently got the Canon 100mm f/2.8 lens, and it's wonderful. But I took a workshop once that was sponsored by Canon, and they let us use the 180mm f/3.5 lens, and that was a pretty fabulous lens. A jump in price, though, from the 100mm.

[Donald]

Oh, sorry -- yes, I kind of do have a thing for Donald

Perfectly understandable.

, but it was your picture I thought was good Rob.

He can occassionally produce an acceptable image!