First Macro Shots, thoughts? (C&C)

tmL · Jul 19, 2011

Here's a flower that caught my eye on a walk today. Luckily, a little friend came by to join in the fun!

1:

2:

My own thoughts:
1. I'm sad I cropped out the bottom petals on this shot. Also, I wish the petals were more focused. My original thought was to intentionally have them out of focus but now I kind of regret that decision >.<
2. Is this picture a little over-saturated?

Comments and criticism appreciated!

Tomasko · Jul 19, 2011

I think saturation is OK. Bigger problem is the focus. Maybe it's just me, but I'm having problems finding a focused clear spot. They seem too soft to me.

Compaq · Jul 19, 2011

I agree, they look soft. Tripod or handheld?

Also, if you backed up a little on the second photo, you would have gotten the entire flower and the stingy insect devil in the frame. Always pay attention to your edges and corners

tirediron · Jul 19, 2011

They are both a bit soft; there are a couple reasons for that. One is the relatively low shutter speed (1/80) which is perfectly hand-holdable, but does take a little practice. There is also the fact that you're very close to your subject (14") so any movement will seem more pronounced, and lastly, the DoF is very thin (only about 1/4") so if your focus isn't spot on, your images will appear soft, as these do. Especially when shooting macro/close-up work handheld, move back a little further to gain DoF, and try and boost your shutterspeed if at all possible.

jake337 · Jul 19, 2011

I agree with the above statements.
If you would have moved to your right and slightly up on the second photo and removed the rear flower prior to taking the photo it would have been a superb shot.

Great first attempts. Keep shooting and posting.

tmL · Jul 19, 2011

Thanks for the comments guys. These were handheld. I see what you're saying about the softness and lack of focus now. Next time I'm going to try to bump of the shutter speed, and ISO to compensate. And damn, I keep forgetting that I can change the picture by moving things around...will have to keep that in mind as well next time.

One question: When shooting macro shots, do you use Macro mode or stay on manual? I don't remember which I ended up using but I remember having a hard time figuring out good manual settings and also getting my camera to focus correctly. What aperture range is best for these kinds of shots?

tirediron · Jul 19, 2011

I prefer to shoot fully manual for macro & close-up work. As far as aperture goes, usually somewhere around the middle, that is, f8 - f11. You will get slightly more DoF if you increase to f16 - f22, but your pictures will degrade as a result of diffraction, and when you're down to a DoF of ~1/4", 1/32 one way or the other doesn't matter much.

jake337 · Jul 19, 2011

With macro your DOF will be very thin, in the milimeters at times. You will want to use a much smaller aperture(bigger F#). But be carefull as diffraction will occur as your aperture gets smaller.

Try setting your camera up on a tripod indoors or even on a table if you don't own one yet. Set your focus to the minimum focusing distance. Let your subject be a ruler. Take a properly exposed photo at each F# and you will see your DOF increase and diffraction set in.

I would say try on aperture priority first and work your way to manual.

Compaq · Jul 19, 2011

At such close distances, you are having shallow DOFs, even at f/16. If these terms are unclear to you, google them. What you want is your subject in focus, and not just the mid part of it.

Learn to use manual to set your exposure. You'll benefit greatly from deciding your exposures by yourself. It's not enough to get good shots, you need to know how you got them.

Tomasko · Jul 19, 2011

Interesting method to look at is "focus stacking".

AgentDrex · Jul 19, 2011

Be careful about the diffraction issues mentioned...I have been cured of it thanks to the medicinal properties of ... TPF ... one word of note...when you're going macro...an instinct will be to open the aperture...do this until you find the focus...try to keep the focus...find a smaller aperture that doesn't assist with diffraction and then shoot...for future reference...this is referred to as stop-down focusing...of course I use old glass...so really...if you don't shoot like me...I suppose its best not to pay attention to what I say as it won't necessarily be relevant for your situation...

GooniesNeverSayDie11 · Jul 19, 2011

What lens were you using? Its possible that you weren't using a macro with enough magnification and were within the Minimum focus distance. Sometimes its hard to notice that in a small viewfinder. You think everything looks decent but you don't realize you inched forward just a tad too close.