Macro Photography

[Goompa]

Macro Photography can include many varied subject matter

Primarily the images of Insects spring to mind when thinking of Macro images but this is not always the case . Maybe you as a photographer have certain images that do not fall into the topics in the forum but are a keen Macro photographer .

Macro photography is a relaxing hobby to many , and some professionals make an attractive living out of the field of Macro .

This thread is intended to be a bit of fun ( well for some ) I guess , but also I am sure we can learn from the many techniques involved in the process of Macro photography . From the cameras , lenses , applications , shooting styles , subject matter etc.

Please share your Macro Images here and try to include as much Exif data as possible where relevant .

Lets hope that we all can learn a bit along the way .

Thanks

Goompa

I'll start us off ...

Condensation in a water bottle

Fly on Ribbon Grass , EM10 60 mm macro lens 1/125 f4 ISO 500 no flash handheld .

[Goompa]

Striking image Goshawk !

It's not all about bugs really, but they do seem to be more ,.. ahem .. attractive in a larger image .

1/200 F5 ED60mm M Zuiko iso 200

[Goshawk]

^ you're right . . and i do find pen nib macro's dead boring. I'll see what i can come up with . . .

[Tywais]

Something you might want to consider and try out and that is Focus Stacking. Obviously won't work well with a moving subject but otherwise will give you a very significant depth of field which is impossible otherwise with wide aperture on a macro lens.

[Goshawk]

^ perfect for frozen spiders . . . yes, there are people that do that!

[MJP]

You'll need a focusing rail for stacking with a macro lens.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/56053365@N07/15969802259/in/photostream/lightbox/

Some of the cheap ones are worse than useless. But the one above was only around £35 and once I'd tighten up the screws it was okay, not brilliant, but okay.

Also recommend an LED macro ring flash, used in continuous mode. These are cheap, around £25.

[Goshawk]

^ far too tedious and totally impractical out in the field . . . good for coin & dead insect photography though.

[MJP]

^ far too tedious and totally impractical out in the field . . . good for coin & dead insect photography though.

Same as that. It's an arduous task and became a five minute wonder.

[Goompa]

I found difficulty in using the macro led ring flash even set to continuous , yes a focus rail would be ideal for some situations

and garden applications , flowers being one of them , but a bit tricky for me .

I suppose I have to download software to achieve focus stacking as well , not compatable with the editing programme I use now.

You can see those ^ eyeballs ^ inside the eggs , that is reflection of the macro ring

[Goshawk]

Same as that. It's an arduous task and became a five minute wonder.

^ i can tell you've never spent much time in the undergrowth, scratting around for silverfish or salticidae . . .

[Goompa]

Same as that. It's an arduous task and became a five minute wonder.

^ i can tell you've never spent much time in the undergrowth, scratting around for silverfish or salticidae . . .

Now there's a thought !

[Goshawk]

Sunshine permitting (not you..) i'll try & get out this weekend . . . and nail some bugs!

[mrhitchens]

Something you might want to consider and try out and that is Focus Stacking. Obviously won't work well with a moving subject but otherwise will give you a very significant depth of field which is impossible otherwise with wide aperture on a macro lens.

If image stacking, Helicon Focus will do everything you need^^

http://www.heliconsoft.com/heliconsoft-products/helicon-focus/

Edited April 3, 2015 by mrhitchens

[sunshine51]

Sunshine permitting (not you..) i'll try & get out this weekend . . . and nail some bugs!

No worries GH...not doing much shooting this weekend save for

trying to capture 2 baby Bul Buls in a nest (hanging orchid) in

front of our bedroom window. I only have a 4 foot stepladder &

need a taller one to get up to the nest to look inside. Adds a

new meaning to the phrase bird brain...Bul Buls arent dumb.

[shaggy1969]

Marco thread eh? Good call Goompa and thank you for setting it up and also for your first images,setting the bar quite high I see..... Fantastic

Would love to delve deeper into the land of little things myself,I truly find it fascinating and love to see things that can't normally be seen with the naked eye.

I do not have anything much in the way of good equipment that is suitable for this kind of photography,I do however have a Raynox DCR-250 macro conversion lens

which I can pop on the end of my 55-210mm lens,but am still trying to get to grips with it.Look forward to seeing how this topic develops and hopefully I can

learn something along the way

One of my few macro attempts.

[Goompa]

Thanks for the kind words shaggy , nice shot of that weird fungus as well , keep up the good work

I would like to get my hands on one of those Raynox jobbies , I need more incentive ...

[MJP]

Thanks for the kind words shaggy , nice shot of that weird fungus as well , keep up the good work

I would like to get my hands on one of those Raynox jobbies , I need more incentive ...

I've got a couple but I wouldn't recommend using them on a macro lens, best off for normal lenses, 135mm is a good focal length.

But they're superb and make a nice light kit. I do believe Raynox have stopped making them though.

[NeverSure]

Something you might want to consider and try out and that is Focus Stacking. Obviously won't work well with a moving subject but otherwise will give you a very significant depth of field which is impossible otherwise with wide aperture on a macro lens.

If image stacking, Helicon Focus will do everything you need^^

http://www.heliconsoft.com/heliconsoft-products/helicon-focus/

Thank you for posting. I've never seen this. I can see where it would have a lot of applications.

When looking at the pictures I did realize how much I love a really shallow depth of field to pop out the center of interest. In some of the pictures in the bottom link above my eye didn't seem to know where to look.

Especially with the train shot and the rotting log in the forest, my eye never came to rest. I can see the benefit for product and location photos. The ones that had a defined center of interest such as the one with the barn, I was really impressed.

Those weren't macro though and I preferred the stacking with the macro shots, especially the ones that have the background blurred. Some of those are fantastic.

JMO, thanks again, and cheers.

[Goompa]

The Helicon software does look quite impressive to say the least and a free trial might be the way to enlighten one with new techniques as well .

Maybe have to take up the offer myself ...

• SS 1/200
• ISO 100
• F6.3
• Olympus EM10 with 60mm macro lens

[Goompa]

Here is one for the flower lovers , bugs as well F5 , ISO 200 , 1/400ss , 60mm M4/3

Okra Flower

[sometime]

Goompa, thanks for the Macro section, I never thought about out taking out of the ordinary macro photos (can’t compete with the pros on flowers and nature) limited depth of field.

So looking around I looked at a Papaya on the table we picked a few days earlier.

OH HOW DULL, until I looked at what could not be seen with the naked eye, can you spot the little man in the macro shot

.

normal view

Lumix LF1. Macrozoom mode 1/6 sec. F7.1. iso 200

[sometime]

Little yellow bug about 6mm in size, tried to find it online no luck.

[Goompa]

Great shots sometime , looks a little like a Mealy Bug

Yes the world of macro is a fantastic, unseen to the eye, world . And I did spot the little man as well

Cantaloupe

F4 1/40 iso 800 inside shot EM10

[emanphoto]

I was not busy yesterday so I decided to try out focus stacking for product photography using my 6D and Canon 100mm 2.8 macro w/68mm of Kenko extension tubes.

First thing I learned was this lens is crap at f32. Looking at lens tests online confirmed this. I suppose they keep f32 on these lenses in case someone is shooting film and can actually take advantage of the small f stop. Here is a test shot at f32 using a masking method to focus stack. All images are full res so don’t go clicking while on 3G. This masking method is too much work.

Same subject using f18 and Helicon focus stacking software makes life much easier and f18 make things much sharper.

I don’t have a focus rail to do this but the software compensates for the size differences as you change focus. I suppose if you’re shooting insects and you can get them to hold still for 1 minute, you could get a good focus range on them done with or without the rail.

I intend to enlighten myself on the virtues of using a focusing rail for this and hope to hear from anyone who can give more specifics on their benefits. I do realize you start to lose image area via cropping without using a rail.

This was the last test I did and all of these were just a fast simple setup on a table at home w/a Canon 580EXll flash to one side. I mostly wanted to learn focus stacking through these exercises. Because of the extension tubes I couldn’t focus to the most distant links in the chain. I did a range of 9 shots for this one.

Edit. Also learned here that once I “add to post” the full res versions of the photos I uploaded are swapped w/internet sized ones.

Edited April 8, 2015 by emanphoto

[samuijimmy]

Re Sometimes yellow bug, ^^^ never seen b4.... Mealy Bug is usually whitish in colour... and more on the tips of stems..... hmmm?

I'll gaze into my crystal ball .... and see !

Edited April 8, 2015 by samuijimmy

[samuijimmy]

Barbed seed pods!

[Goompa]

This image comes with a warning !

Frog Turd

Well I assume it is , shot wide open @2.8 iso 400 1/125 ss

[Goompa]

Image of rain water from the spouting taken with a zoom lens on macro setting

Canon lens 24-105 F8 1/3200ss iso 6400 ( very noisy )

[Goompa]

Macro Photography cliché 101

When we acquire our first macro lens we get excited about this " New World " and start to find everything fascinating , then we need a tripod !

7 Baht will get you noodles at a 7-11 store , or get you a nice image

This image was taken with a reverse adaptor , a few $ available on the web , but you have to shoot in manual mode only ,

a tripod is essential for a good shot.

Canon 18-55mm reverse lens adaptor 1/125 ss F8

[sometime]

This image comes with a warning !

Frog Turd

Well I assume it is , shot wide open @2.8 iso 400 1/125 ss

Frog and toad poo is very fine and powdery when it dries out, I think what you have is a caterpillar that covers its self in dead leaves, just cant remember the name, sure someone will know.