Moving into the world of Macro

[LungFish]

So I recently decided to do something different and got a macro lens. This is more or less the complete opposite of what I normally do because I'm used to shooting big things. This is what I have come up with so far. What do you think?

1) 1/1250, f/10, ISO 1250


Resting Dragon by clavain1, on Flickr

2) 1/500, f/13, ISO 1250


Paperbark by clavain1, on Flickr

3) 1/800, f/11, ISO 800


Skink by clavain1, on Flickr


All taken with Nikon D5000, Sigma 105 Macro

 

[mjhoward]

Not a bad start but these are not quite macro. To get a true macro, set your lens/body to manual focus and focus all the way in to 1:1. Then move your body back and forth until your subject is in focus... now you'll see how close you must get. You'll also notice that the DOF is razor thin

 

[LungFish]

I've gone closer than that but they didn't really work out. Still working on it though.

 

[cgipson1]

#1 Dragonfly just blends in to the background... add some fill flash, get some "Pop" and some background separation!

#2... meh! no real detail... might be better as a contrasty b&w...

#3 You missed a good shot.. you should have been on that baby.... and got mostly just a headshot.... hi-def... and sharp! As it is... way too much tree / background, not enough skink!

 

[jriepe]

When shooting macro shots of live creatures you will not always and probably most of the time won't be able to focus to 1:1 because getting that close can at times be impossible. I shoot macro with a 180mm lens which helps but I still do some considerable cropping on most shots. Staying back a bit will increase the DOF plus you can still get a lot of detail with cropping. I use an aperture setting of f/16 or smaller, shoot in manual and use off camera flash. I've seen shots on another forum from the Sigma 105mm lens and it does take clear, crisp shots. In my opinion flash is essential otherwise such a small aperture is going to result in a slow shutter speed that will ensure many blurry shots robbing your shots of detail.

Jerry

 

[LungFish]

I don't have any off camera lighting because I've never really needed it - until now. It's on the list.

 

[LungFish]

When shooting macro shots of live creatures you will not always and probably most of the time won't be able to focus to 1:1 because getting that close can at times be impossible. I shoot macro with a 180mm lens which helps but I still do some considerable cropping on most shots. Staying back a bit will increase the DOF plus you can still get a lot of detail with cropping. I use an aperture setting of f/16 or smaller, shoot in manual and use off camera flash. I've seen shots on another forum from the Sigma 105mm lens and it does take clear, crisp shots. In my opinion flash is essential otherwise such a small aperture is going to result in a slow shutter speed that will ensure many blurry shots robbing your shots of detail.

Jerry

Does this mean you think I shot these in Auto???

 

[jriepe]

When shooting macro shots of live creatures you will not always and probably most of the time won't be able to focus to 1:1 because getting that close can at times be impossible. I shoot macro with a 180mm lens which helps but I still do some considerable cropping on most shots. Staying back a bit will increase the DOF plus you can still get a lot of detail with cropping. I use an aperture setting of f/16 or smaller, shoot in manual and use off camera flash. I've seen shots on another forum from the Sigma 105mm lens and it does take clear, crisp shots. In my opinion flash is essential otherwise such a small aperture is going to result in a slow shutter speed that will ensure many blurry shots robbing your shots of detail.

Jerry

Does this mean you think I shot these in Auto???

No, I was not insinuating that, I was just merely stating how I shoot. Something else I've started this year is using auto focus for specific shots if the subject is sitting still. I have found that the focus with the D7000 and Tamron 180mm is dead on. Here's a shot I took using auto focus.

Jerry

 

[jriepe]

Lungfish,

I forgot to mention in my previous post when mentioning auto focus that I have spider shots in the macro section titled "Spider in my shed" that were shot with auto focus. There are many situations when manual focus is desirable but when the subject is perfectly still I find auto focus to be faster and easier.

Jerry

 

[cgipson1]

I don't have any off camera lighting because I've never really needed it - until now. It's on the list.

Even your pop-up flash can help a lot.. just diffuse it a bit. Roll a paper towel into a tube (single thickness all around) just big enough to fit over the pop-up.. and try to leave a half inch to an inch of space between the paper towel and the flash. Makes a big difference. Off camera is DEF better, though!

 

[LungFish]

How 'bout these ones?

1) 1/800, f/16, ISO 1600


White Spider by clavain1, on Flickr

2) 1/160, f/16, ISO 1000


Orb Spider by clavain1, on Flickr

3) 1/30*, f/16, ISO 200 w/flash
(* - that's just silly - but it turned out better than the sensible version so I'm posting this one)


Fly by clavain1, on Flickr

 

[cgipson1]

#1 a little too tight on the crop... but not bad.

#2 is a nice shot... good sharpness and detail on the body... beautiful! Nice web too!

#3.. focus is at the edge of his back "shoulder".....soft in front... and should have gotten the entire fly in the frame.

Keep in mind, that even with spiders and other insects.. the eyes are a good thing to have sharp and "there"... but getting the little buggers to cooperate, that is the fun part!

 

[Natalie]

Wow I'm a nerd - without looking at your location, I knew you were in Australia as soon I saw the skink you posted.

The second batch of shots is better - you have the focus and exposure right, but you need to work on your composition. Right now, all of these photos have a "snapshot" quality to them, like you just aimed your camera at the subject and pressed the shutter button. To let your photos have a bigger impact on the viewer, take time to frame them in a way that is more aesthetically pleasing, a way that adds interest to the subject. There are numerous online tutorials on composition as it pertains to photography, some people on here might be able to recommend their favorites. A good place to start off is the rule of thirds - if you've been photographing big things for a while, you're probably well aware of that rule. Keep in mind it's extremely handy when it comes to macro photography too.

For example, in the shot below, I put the fly in the upper-right corner of the frame, with both the fly and the white, fuzzy twig approximately aligned on the vertical thirds lines. This makes the shot more visually interesting than if I had just centered the fly in the frame.

 

[LungFish]

Right now, all of these photos have a "snapshot" quality to them, like you just aimed your camera at the subject and pressed the shutter button.

That is essentially what I am doing here, but that's hard enough at the moment! I'll keep it in mind.