Macro Math

[DanK]

Hi Andrew,

If you want interesting subjects that will stay put so you can experiment, I recommend cut flowers. I do most of my flowers that way, to have the control and time to think that work in the field does not offer.

Not to focus too much on gear, but a really useful and cheap thing to get is a Wimberly plamp, which is a plastic gooseneck clamp you can use to position your macro subject. I often attach it to a leg of my tripod or to the table I work on. (For the latter, it's helpful to add the optional extension.) The only problems are (1) you can't make really fine adjustments, so I end up moving the camera or tripod too, and (2) it vibrates. I have gotten really good at standing stock still long enough for it to settle down between images.

Dan

[Andrew76]

That's a pretty cool clamp! I can see how one, or a couple of those would be handy. They've been added to my 'list'!

I've read that quite a few people use cut flowers, not only for the cold months, but it is an easy way to access variety that is not available. I do quite prefer the 'studio-type' set up to, and the control I have. I find it nicer to be able to use whatever gear I need, and not to have to lug it around with me!

I'm still having a bit of a learning curve with all of this, but enjoying the journey! Thanks Dan!

[DanK]

Andrew,

It's great to see you getting so interested in this kind of photography. It's one of my favorites.

I'll paste two photos below. The first is an iPhone shot of my 'studio' for flowers. The flower in this case is held by the plamp. The trumpet case, printer toner, and stat book piled up is how I handle things not held in the plamp: I just pile stuff up and put a vase on top of it. I use two "hair lights"--cheap boom lights that are adjustable. These are sometimes called "hair lights" because they are used to add light to the top of the head of a studio model. I put 50W or 75 halogen floods in them rather than the 250W incandescents they come with, and I tape some kind of diffuser onto them. A very good, inexpensive diffuser is the parchment paper sold for baking. Manfrotto also sells plastic diffuser sheets. I sometimes use an umbrella to get more diffused, indirect light. The B&H boom light comes with an umbrella holder, but the one in the photo is a smith-victor umbrella (about $15). There is a cable release dangling from the camera--with macro, any hand motion would matter. The background is just a black fleece jacket. The stuff to the left is a small whiBal to get a starting point for white balance and a set of Kenko tubes. The lens in this case is an EF-S 60mm macro, so you can get an idea of the working distance that focal length with give you with a crop sensor camera.

The second shot is one of the stacked images I was taking when I broke to photograph the setup.

Have fun. Keep posting if you run into questions. There are several macro photographers who are active on this site and can answer questions.

Dan

[rtbaum]

A very inexpensive plamp can be made with heavy gauge electrical wire, a battery clamp, and an alligator clip.

[Andrew76]

That's a pretty good idea Randy - may just have to give it a try!

Dan - I think I may have you beat when it comes to 'Studio-Crudeness'!! But let's not turn this into a competition!

[Andrew76]

And here's the result of that shoot - not sure how I feel about how the flower turned out, maybe some C & C from you guys would help out. But, I was trying a new backdrop, and lighting it differently.

This photo is 6 shots stacked, 1/200 f8 @ 100mm. One strobe on the flower, and one illuminating 1/2 of the background, as you can see in the image above.



Sorry, my subject matter is a little repetitive, I haven't made it to the florist yet!

[ktuli]

Andrew,

A quick recommendation...

Use your center column on your tripod as little as possible. When you extend the center column, it is like putting a monopod on top of your tripod thus reducing stability. When you're dealing with super-macro work, you really need every bit of stability you can get.

- Bill

[Andrew76]

Good call Bill - That makes a lot of sense. I will employ that from now on!