Macro Lens - Help!

[Helen Kolb]

Another intimidating lens So much blur, seems a bit distracting or is this normal? Never realised how much horses moved until I tried to get this shot. Best I start learning to use some Photoshop tools - what tool would remove the long hair across the top? Your helpful comments SO welcome

[JBW]

the tool that comes to mind is the cloning tool. If you are handy with a paint or air brush try setting it at about 10% and see what happens. Blurred background is unavoidable with macro/closeups. Part of the skill set is learning how to create the blur you want. Have fun.

[IzzieK]

My...my...what a beautiful angle you used in this shot...Or you can use the Healing Brush tool on a lower value so you can observe the changes better...

[TonyW]

I like this shot very much. But then I am always fond of horses.

To get rid of that line using photoshop, you can use the spot healing tool Select it from the list of icons down the left hand side (assuming that is where you have them) adjust the size of the brush using the left and right square brackets until its diameter is around three times the thickness of the line. Click on one end (I see the right hand end). Then hold the shift key down and click on the other end. Abracadabra! I tried it on your image and it works.

[JohnRostron]

An incredible shot. You have some fantastic detail around the eye. I would guess that the chocolaty curve around the edge of the eye is the cornea seen side-on.

John

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Helen,

Another intimidating lens

Yes, they usually are quite 'chunky'

Looks like you have the Canon EF 100mm, f/2.8 'L', that's going to be pretty similar to my 105mm, f/2.8 macro lens - it is heavy!

So much blur, seems a bit distracting or is this normal? Never realised how much horses moved until I tried to get this shot.

What you are experiencing is the very narrow Depth of Field (DoF) we experience using this much magnification and short subject distance. Especially as when using the viewfinder, the lens is wide open (f/2.8).

I note you shot at f/4, so not much more DoF when exposed either.
You could have traded some shutter speed (you had 1/250s), and/or increased ISO (you had 200), to give a narrower aperture (and more DoF) when exposing, although each might have brought other issues to greater significance.

If I were shooting/cropping that, I'd consider having the eye on the upper left 'thirds' intersection, so lose some off the left edge - and ideally add some at the bottom, so we can see more of the lower eye lashes.

As others have mentioned, the clone tool is probably best suited to removal of the errant hair at the top of frame.

Cheers, Dave

[HMW12]

Hi Helen - lovely shot - Horses are one of my favorites and the fact that you were able to get this speaks volumes as to your skill and the temperament of the horse . Most of the horses I have worked with would never be at all still enough to allow that sort of close up of the face. You must have a very trusting relationship. Looking forward to seeing many more. Yes they do move alot :-)

[Shadowman]

Nice shot.

[Ken MT]

If you were 1 metre away from the horse then the depth of field (DOF) would be only 1 cm at f4, going out to f22, increases the DOF to 8 cm. Moving out to 2 m increases the DOF to 6 cm and 34 cm respectively. The balance is what you want in focus and what you want blurred.
However the sweet point for many lenses is around f8 to f11

[Helen Kolb]

the tool that comes to mind is the cloning tool. If you are handy with a paint or air brush try setting it at about 10% and see what happens. Blurred background is unavoidable with macro/closeups. Part of the skill set is learning how to create the blur you want. Have fun.

Thanks Brian, will do a few tutorials with photoshop tools ..... one at a time, Helen

[Helen Kolb]

If you were 1 metre away from the horse then the depth of field (DOF) would be only 1 cm at f4, going out to f22, increases the DOF to 8 cm. Moving out to 2 m increases the DOF to 6 cm and 34 cm respectively. The balance is what you want in focus and what you want blurred.
However the sweet point for many lenses is around f8 to f11

Very helpful summary - am slowly starting to understand DOF so this is very useful, thanks Ken

[Helen Kolb]

My...my...what a beautiful angle you used in this shot...Or you can use the Healing Brush tool on a lower value so you can observe the changes better...

Thanks Izzie, don't know much about angles yet, so comments like this help understand what it desirable in a photograph. I did make a weak attempt with the Healing Brush tool but see from Tony's comment perhaps it was too fine. Helen

[Helen Kolb]

Nice shot.

Thanks for the encouragement

[Helen Kolb]

Hi Helen - lovely shot - Horses are one of my favorites and the fact that you were able to get this speaks volumes as to your skill and the temperament of the horse . Most of the horses I have worked with would never be at all still enough to allow that sort of close up of the face. You must have a very trusting relationship. Looking forward to seeing many more. Yes they do move alot :-)

Thanks "another" Helen, don't know whose horse this is actually, just 'borrowed' it for the photo - these Warmbloods however are quite bovine in nature There will be plenty more horses - I took up photography (a few weeks ago) to be able to do the marketing shots for the horse safari company I work for. Did not realise what a momentous task I had taken on!

[Helen Kolb]

Looks like you have the Canon EF 100mm, f/2.8 'L', that's going to be pretty similar to my 105mm, f/2.8 macro lens - it is heavy!

Many thanks Dave, your comments are always helpful. Am still trying to figure out why a lens has an f/ (doing the tutorial but a bit confused as to what to do regarding the lens settings - there are 3 on this lens) Are you referring to the lens setting when you say the lens is "wide open (f/2.8)" as opposed to the camera setting?

If I were shooting/cropping that, I'd consider having the eye on the upper left 'thirds' intersection, so lose some off the left edge - and ideally add some at the bottom, so we can see more of the lower eye lashes..

Great advice - first thing I noticed when I saw the image on the computer was that I had cut the lashes off! Suppose it helps to look at your image when shooting The horse kept fogging up the lens with his breath so it makes sense to get further away and maybe use manual focus as the camera seemed to take a very long time to 'find' the focus, by which time the subject was no longer in the frame. Not an easy lens!

Thanks again Dave

[Helen Kolb]

I like this shot very much. But then I am always fond of horses.

To get rid of that line using photoshop, you can use the spot healing tool Select it from the list of icons down the left hand side (assuming that is where you have them) adjust the size of the brush using the left and right square brackets until its diameter is around three times the thickness of the line. Click on one end (I see the right hand end). Then hold the shift key down and click on the other end. Abracadabra! I tried it on your image and it works.

Like it that so many are fond of horses, Yay! I did tentatively try the healing tool, but see now why it did not work....many thanks for useful description on how to use it properly! Thanks Tony

[IzzieK]

In the address bar, there are some options to choose, I downloaded your image and my settings are --
Brush :300
Mode : Normal
I did not upload it here. I just want to see if I am advising you wrong. I wasn't.

[Helen Kolb]

An incredible shot. You have some fantastic detail around the eye. I would guess that the chocolaty curve around the edge of the eye is the cornea seen side-on.

John

Thanks John - did not notice that edge until you pointed it out. I think its the reflection of a nearby pole - looks very curious... Helen

[Helen Kolb]

Thanks Izzie - will try asap. Am frustratingly swamped so not getting to what I would love to be doing - learning some photoshop skills Helen

[Dave Humphries]

Am still trying to figure out why a lens has an f/ (doing the tutorial but a bit confused as to what to do regarding the lens settings - there are 3 on this lens) Are you referring to the lens setting when you say the lens is "wide open (f/2.8)" as opposed to the camera setting?

On almost all modern lenses, the camera is controlling the lens' aperture, you don't actually do anything on the lens itself.

The camera also keeps the lens 'wide open' while you are composing and focusing, to aid focusing and give a bright image in the viewfinder - it only 'stops down' (to use the vernacular) to the 'set' aperture (f/4, f/8, etc.) at the moment you take the image - and then opens up again. If your camera has a button for Depth of Field preview, you could try that to see the effect, but that's optional.

On most modern cameras, the only controls actually on the lens are usually ones to:
a) turn image stabilisation on/off or select different modes for it
b) switch between AF and MF (auto or manual focusing)
c) on a macro lens, a switch to set how much of the focus range is to be used, all or some, since that speeds up response

That said, I'm not familiar with Canon lenses, so I may be talking rubbish

Cheers, Dave