Macro shoot tips needed

Chile Chef

Ok I've been doing some "OK" macro shooting for my website and for some recipes, but I need to know what I'm doing wrong.

Some times the photo comes out good example here

And like here, The bad example

Any tips would be gratefully appreciated!

nikmolson

the bottom one looks like it has to low a depth of field so you didnt get the entire subject in focus, stop down your aperture and try to focus more towards the middle of the food as much as possible is the only tips i can give.

and lighting is a big part of it, any chances you have to play with lighting, go for it. the cheese on top looks over exposed so watch for that

i cant be much help but hey i tried!

Candid Arts

First one isn't really a macro shot as the second one is. It looks like the focus point is not where it should be. Are you auto focusing or letting the camera pic the focus point? What is your equipment that you're using? What were the settings of these shots? i.e. shutter speed, aperture, ISO, focal length, etc...

Gonna need some more info one what you did so we can figure out what went wrong or what to do better.

Good place to start asking questions though. Welcome to DGrin!thumb

eminart

I think the main issue in #2 is that you have too much contrast for your camera to capture. Either the cheese is going to be overexposed, or the.......pepper? is going to be underexposed. You might try HDR in those cases. If not, you'll probably want to expose for the cheese and let the darks be a little underexposed.

aj986s

What type of camera/lens are you using?

If using autofocus, you may be encountering some contrast/surface issues which could be fooling the camera. Try manual focusing.

Are these handheld or on a tripod. Sharpness may be improved on a tripod.

Also, does you camera have a "depth of field" preview button? If so, you try smaller f-stops to increase depth of field and confirm results. Although with digital, its almost as each to shoot a pic and check it, too. Note that with smaller f-stop, while DOF increases, you'll need slower shutter speed which means a tripod may be more necessary. With a tripod, you can also avoid using a flash which might be too much unless you have something appropriate for macro work (macro ring flash or flash setup off camera).

Skippy

Chile Chef wrote:

Ok I've been doing some "OK" macro shooting for my website and for some recipes, but I need to know what I'm doing wrong.

Some times the photo comes out good example here

And like here, The bad example

Any tips would be gratefully appreciated!

Hi Chile Chef,

Tell us about the gear your using, are you using an SLR? or a point and shoot?

On board flash or external falsh?

The more information you give, the easier it will be for folks to give you some tips.

The first shot is not a MACRO shot, is the second one a crop?
or small version of full sized shot?

Details will be very helpful .... Skippy
.

Chile Chef

Thank you to every one who has replied. Eminart, They're called Poblano's and they're very tasty pepper.

Here's my camera gear I use for the shoots!,

Camera Canon 450D D-SLR.
Lens A Tamaron 17-55mm lens
Flash Speed lite 430 ex with auto syn @ 200 enabled.



Thank you for the welcome everyone.