Some macro angles...testing...testing...for C&C

[IzzieK]

Here is the deal...I got my macro tube replacement and my 50mm so David (deetheturk) asked me to post some experiment. This subject is one of them but on different angles...all of these were shot using only the light from the skylight shining on the kitchen bench -- well, apart from #1.. I had a small flashlight shining on it because it was dark in my kitchenette. This is just an experiment..I will tackle composition later on when I get good at this...

1 an overview of the size



2



3


4


How did I do? Can I go for some bugs soon by the look of these or do I practice some more? I have some flower shots too...but that will be for another day...I want to know if I pass this test first...

NOTICE: No animals or person nor shell denizens were harmed by my shots here...OK?

Thanks for looking...

[chauncey]

Aah, practice what...what are you trying to accomplish?

[IzzieK]

William...this is my first macro post submission. I want to try bugs but at the moment, it is so windy here and the weather is not conducive to finding bugs at the moment, so David (deetheturk) advised me to practice on coins or some other object to practice on. I found this shell in my garden when I was about to wash the mud off my gardening shoes, dried this and shot my 50mm with the 30mm macro extension tube. I was sort of thinking that if I can pull this one off, then I will be ready for shooting bugs. I have time to practice while the weather is not OK around here. This is what I was trying to accomplish here.

I know I am not as good as photographer as you are, but I also want to learn...that is why I am here asking for C&C. I hope you understand this...

[Stagecoach]

Hi Izzie,

Let's see if I can help you along the way to achieving your goal of shooting bugs.

Firstly, a definition and I'm going to use David's flies (you recall his recent set) and assume this is the standard you would like to reach, eventually. I use the standard average fly as it's a perfect size for explaining magnification in achieving a good IQ.

Secondly, I'm not sure if you still have your D300s but if you do, use that for now as it will give you extra magnification. (I am not looking for a debate regarding which is 'best' to use but trying to keep things simple for now)

Thirdly, for close up/macro photography image quality is important and you want to achieve those tack sharp pointed hairs as you see on David's fly images when viewed at a good size on the screen between 1200 to 1400 px width images. To achieve high IQ there is a limit to how much we can crop an image in PP and this will vary somewhat between the camera used, and how well the image was shot. As a general rule to achieve good IQ I do not want to crop my perfectly sharp image in PP by more than 25%.

So now we come on to what you are using, the 50mm and a tube. What I suggest the first thing you do is with the 50mm and tube (I believe 36mm if the kenkos) is to adjust your lens to closest focus move in slowly towards a ruler and at the point where the markings are sharp take a shot. From this you can then see what the highest magnification of your lens/tube combo is which will give you an idea of what you can expect to accomplish.

As an example, using the fly of which I'm going to say is 12mm in length and if using a crop sensor camera with a sensor width of 24mm if using a 1:1 macro lens I would be able to fill half the sensor width with that fly. I could produce a high IQ image with the fly filling between 1/2 to 3/4 of the frame of the finished picture, ideal.

So I will suggest you undertake the test above first with the ruler, post your result and we can take it from there. I believe having this knowledge of what can be achieved with what you have is the first step in your learning.

We can then proceed with all the other bits and pieces re, tripod, handheld, support, settings and lighting etc.

Grahame

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Izzie, from my limited experience shooting macro, I think you're going to find your lighting to be your biggest challenge based on what I'm seeing in your pictures here.

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Grahame I think she's using her D810.

[Stagecoach]

Grahame I think she's using her D810.

Yes Alan Izzie was for these shots but I believe she may still have the D300. But whatever rig it's important to know the achievable.

[AlwaysOnAuto]

I agree with figuring out what is achievable, I just wouldn't think she'd want to go back to the D300 with the D810 available.

[Mike Buckley]

I don't know what you're trying to achieve here, but the shadows are very hard (well defined). For this type of photography, soft shadows (less defined edges) are usually much more pleasing. To make that happen, move the light closer to the subject and/or diffuse it.

[jcuknz]

To continue with your kitchen experiment I would suggest you prop your white message pad against a salt cellar [ or whatever you have ] to reflect some of whatever lighting you use back into the shadows. On the other hand if the light is near the camera you may just let things ride

edit ...
A further avenue of experiment which you could find rewarding is to use the on-board flash which gives a soft overall lighting but the experiment is to see how the camera handles a mix of ambient light and the camera's flash set to a minus strength. I have mine permanently set to minus one stop and this usually produces a result I can handle in editing as the spider I found in my kitchen sink ...

By happy accident, it usually spoils the shot, the bottom of the shot is shaded from the flash by my lenshood which I had forgotten to remove
This is a crop as I was using my 28-280 zoom with a close-up lens to enable the zoom to focus closer than normal. But also to repeat the advice earlier for this stuff it is a good way to work to set the focus and move the camera in or out till it looks good in the viewfinder .... this is probably a slight variation of this that I moved the camera until AF found a distance it could give me a sharp result. I rarely manual focus ever but encourage [ trick] AF to work as I want it to.

[deetheturk]

Hi Izzie, easy or what I think Grahame has explained things as I would have, in fact probably better, his test that he suggests is a great way for finding your set-ups capability when you get this part of the jigsaw mastered then as others mentioned, get the lighting sorted!

Good on you for having a go and don't be put off if you are not happy with first attempts, there are plenty on here who will help if we can I think your biggest drawback is you are using one of those Nikon things go buy a real camera

Joking aside, keep at it pal

[jcuknz]

Now then David none of this Canikon War stuff else I will suggest she gets a Panasonic and be done with the 'big boys'



This was just a bridge Nikon imagine what a DSLR could do

[Rebel]

Light is definitely the biggest challenge for me with macro photography, it seems quite harsh in these.

[bnnrcn]

Hi Isabel I don't shoot macro yet, so I can't help you technically. But I can say that first you should try to take proper images with right focus points and suitable DOFs, then you should deal with the light issue. If I were you I would keep shooting 'not moving' objects till I managed fine. I'm sure experienced members won't leave you alone on your macro journey, so , don't get disappointed easily

[Kaye Leggett]

Hi Izzie - great thread, thanks for starting it. Having sussed your gear's capabilities, Binnur's advice is spot on.

[Mike Buckley]

I would suggest you prop your white message pad...to reflect some of whatever lighting you use back into the shadows.

That's definitely worth considering. However, in Izzie's photos above, she is going to have decide whether she wants to brighten only the shadows on the tabletop or also the shadows in the subject. If she wants to brighten only the shadows on the tabletop, she will need to be judicious about the size and placement of the reflector.

I don't like cutting my medium reflectors into small reflectors because doing so means that I have to then create more medium reflectors and manage a larger inventory of reflectors. My solution is to attach black material that isn't shiny to part of a medium reflector to render the birght, reflective area smaller.

[IzzieK]

Hi Izzie,

Let's see if I can help you along the way to achieving your goal of shooting bugs.

Thank you...

Firstly, a definition and I'm going to use David's flies (you recall his recent set) and assume this is the standard you would like to reach, eventually. I use the standard average fly as it's a perfect size for explaining magnification in achieving a good IQ.

Secondly, I'm not sure if you still have your D300s but if you do, use that for now as it will give you extra magnification. (I am not looking for a debate regarding which is 'best' to use but trying to keep things simple for now)

Grahame...Yes I still have my D300s. I love that lens. Thank you for your explanation. I would assume that that the D810 is good as a pixel peep camera but the crop camera (aka my D300s) will have a better IQ for bug shots? I am keeping my D300s as my crop camera. It is a good one.

Thirdly, for close up/macro photography image quality is important and you want to achieve those tack sharp pointed hairs as you see on David's fly images when viewed at a good size on the screen between 1200 to 1400 px width images. To achieve high IQ there is a limit to how much we can crop an image in PP and this will vary somewhat between the camera used, and how well the image was shot. As a general rule to achieve good IQ I do not want to crop my perfectly sharp image in PP by more than 25%.

So now we come on to what you are using, the 50mm and a tube. What I suggest the first thing you do is with the 50mm and tube (I believe 36mm if the kenkos) is to adjust your lens to closest focus move in slowly towards a ruler and at the point where the markings are sharp take a shot. From this you can then see what the highest magnification of your lens/tube combo is which will give you an idea of what you can expect to accomplish.

As an example, using the fly of which I'm going to say is 12mm in length and if using a crop sensor camera with a sensor width of 24mm if using a 1:1 macro lens I would be able to fill half the sensor width with that fly. I could produce a high IQ image with the fly filling between 1/2 to 3/4 of the frame of the finished picture, ideal.

So I will suggest you undertake the test above first with the ruler, post your result and we can take it from there. I believe having this knowledge of what can be achieved with what you have is the first step in your learning.

Ok..I can do as you said here...perhaps I can work out to photograph something hairy and not moving yet..and put it on top of my ruler later on for effect...so I can practice on hairy stuffs too.

We can then proceed with all the other bits and pieces re, tripod, handheld, support, settings and lighting etc.

Grahame

I will about about these ones later on...it will be nice to do handheld so I can catch a bug without freezing it first... Thanks again for your help...

[IzzieK]

Izzie, from my limited experience shooting macro, I think you're going to find your lighting to be your biggest challenge based on what I'm seeing in your pictures here.

Lighting will come later...I just posed that shell there because I saw sunlight coming from the skylight. I knew I am going to have shadows in the first place, just as I will/may later on when I venture out to shoot ladybugs or something outside, just an exampled thought...

[IzzieK]

I don't know what you're trying to achieve here, but the shadows are very hard (well defined). For this type of photography, soft shadows (less defined edges) are usually much more pleasing. To make that happen, move the light closer to the subject and/or diffuse it.

As I have said to Alan, shadows are not my issue at the moment here, nor composition. I want to be able to achieve closeness first to my lens via my camera. The rest will come easy. I have to start somewhere and macro bugging is an interesting genre I would like to explore while the weather here is lousy...sunshine one day, flooded the next sort of thing. I wish I can do some weather reportage but I am not really that brave so this is one way to spend time with my hobby. Thank yu for your comment.

[Mike Buckley]

The rest will come easy.

Wanna bet?

Seriously, I think your priorities are effective but I doubt that the rest will be easy.