First shots with new sigma 150mm 2.8

Chrissiebeez_NL

hope you like them, all 1:1. C&C always welcome

Let me also use the opportunity to ask my fellow photographer a question or two..

How do you guys best get the background light in the shot when using a flash? A lot of the shots i took had dark backgrounds and flashed foregrounds. I tried increasing the exposure time but that ended in motion blur.. DoF decrease helped but not what you want in macro.. what to do? :scratch

R. Scott

Nice shots, Chris! I tried to shoot a green damsel yesterday but scared it off when I got close.

I suppose you could get more exposure in the background by increasing ISO or decreasing shutter speed. Or maybe tilt your flash up a tad and spill some light onto the background. Something to try, anyway.

Chrissiebeez_NL

Thanks! R Scott!

R. Scott wrote: »

I tried to shoot a green damsel yesterday but scared it off when I got close.

Exactly the reason i got the sigma 150, it doubles the working distance compared to my tamron 90mm. Still have lots to learn though, but at least i have something to shoot

DeVil

Congratulations
Very nice shots. You can even more increase working distance with [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Tele Converters [/FONT]http://www.sigma-imaging-uk.com/accessories/tele-converter.htm

ImageX Photography

Chrissiebeez_NL wrote: »

How do you guys best get the background light in the shot when using a flash?

Nikon? Maybe use TTL BL mode on your flash?

Chrissiebeez_NL

Thanks Devil, i was planning on getting one of those for normal use so that would double the value!

@ ImageX: I'm going to see if something like that is available on the canon flash. thanks for the tip though!

basflt

nikon calls it flash-compensation
higher values give more light to subject
lower values more light to background

Lord Vetinari

LOvely captures with the new lens.

Re black backgrounds , fairly obviously you will get this problem if the background is not close to the subject and you are shooting more than 2 stops underexposed without the flash. You could shoot at higher ISO or slower shutter speed but doing this is going to lessen the proportion of flash light vs natural light hitting the subject therefore reducing the motion stopping power of the flash. A second slave flash on the background would solve the problem but not necessarily practical for a lot of macro shooting. I suspect this problem is actually worse for longer focal length macro lenses simply because the flash is further from the subject.
When I'm using my MPE-65 lens, I often hold the the leaf/ twig the subject is on with my left hand and rest the camera lens on my hand. This helps to stabilise the camera but also means you can manipulate the subject a bit and change the shooting angle with respect to background. I even sometimes hold a leaf in my fingers behind the subject.

Brian V.

Chrissiebeez_NL

thanks for the tips everybody, i'm going to experiment with it this weekend

And watch the World Cup Finals Netherlands - Spain (which we will win, obviously ) HUP HOLLAND HUP!!!

Chrissiebeez_NL

Some more from the garden Oh i'm loving this new lens!!

Paul Iddon

Lovely shots Chris - the bug has bitten you now - and you'll go crazy if you don't do a photo a day!



Paul.

DeVil

Bumblebee is a beautiful

GOLDENORFE

congrats on new lens, superb set of shots

phil

rhermans

Looks like a great lens in the hands of someone who knows what he's doing.

Great series, (especially the second part)