Todays macro mix

gluwater

I got my new to me 180L a couple days ago and got to go out and use it today. So far I'm pleased with the lens but frustrated with myself. I still have not figured out how to use the flash in a pleasing way, and also I need to use a higher shutter speed due to the extra length of the lens. These shots are alright but I know I can do better.

I hate the plant in this shot but I love the wing blur, especially over the body.


Cropped from a landscape shot.


I like the colors a lot in this shot.


Im not sure about this one, what do you think?

Awais Yaqub

That 2nd is absolutly fantastici love all motion blur dont bothers me

Skippy

gluwater wrote:

I got my new to me 180L a couple days ago and got to go out and use it today. So far I'm pleased with the lens but frustrated with myself. I still have not figured out how to use the flash in a pleasing way, and also I need to use a higher shutter speed due to the extra length of the lens. These shots are alright but I know I can do better.

I hate the plant in this shot but I love the wing blur, especially over the body.
Cropped from a landscape shot.
I like the colors a lot in this shot.
Im not sure about this one, what do you think?

Geezzz Nick those are really cool yeah I really like that Second shot that ones a really beauty ..... Macro looks easy but as you know it's not, it's really quite hard to do, I followed Brians advice for the Flash.

Set the Camera to Manual Mode shutter speed of 200, F stop of around F11 to F14 and the Flash is on Auto seems to work okay so far.

Good Stuff Nick ..... thanks for sharing........ Skippy (Australia)

pathfinder

You snagged that 180 L from Windoze, eh Nick?! I was considering it when I saw it was sold. Way to go!!:): You're gonna have fun with it, I betcha!!

I think the secret to macro, like most other types of photography is lighting. Not any real secret of course, but frequently overlooked in macro work. Using flash gives you great freedom to control the lighting.

The shooter needs to get the flash off the camera if it is to be the main light source, or use existing light in a pleasing manner ( sidelighting, backlighting, highlighting etc ) and maybe add flash as fill to control contrast.

Keeping your backgrounds clean and simple can also be a big help. That is one real advantage of the 180 macros - it is much easier to control the backgrounds and keep them simple. Closeups shot with 400mm lenses allow lovely background bokeh - May need an extension tube to get close enough.

Sidelighting with flash can be very useful with a diffuser over the flash like TML was doing with a Fong Light Sphere. If you shoot in manual mode in the camera in High Speed Synch with a small aperture, you can light the forground with flash and let the background go black due to underexposure which is helpful shooting bugs in bushy vegetation also.



Contrasting colors can also work - I like skippers too:):


Simple backgrounds isolate the subject and can offer nice color contrast


Or the image can be monochromatic


You've got good tools, Nick, and a good eye. I look forward to what you start capturing and creating.

I think I like your second shot the best.

gluwater

Awais Yaqub wrote:

That 2nd is absolutly fantastici love all motion blur dont bothers me

Thanks Awais. I saw two Robber flys today and got a couple shots off of one but I trashed them after remembering how great your shots were.

gluwater

Thanks for the advice Skippy. I tried those manual settings but my shots always seem to dark. I think it has something to do with the angle of my flash or maybe a setting on it I accidentally set. I'm working on it though.

gluwater

Thanks for the excellent advice Jim. Right now I'm using a 580 EX without a diffuser. I have it mounted on an RRS flash arm, so it is off camera. I think I'm going to get a stoffen to throw on the flash and see how I like the look of it. I tried using the GFLS once but it seemed to diffuse the light too much. Maybe I'll check my settings and give it another go. Your shots are all excellent. You should post more of your macro work on here. I got my first Skippers last weekend in Souther Illinois. I haven't seen to many of them up here though. I'll have to keep an eye out for them.

Swartzy

Wow...great captures!
Nice shots! This last one is superb....how far away with that new lens? I was goofing around yesterday after an appointment and this lady had these in her front yard, so I took a few shots. This one I focused on the middle pod...there are like little flower shoots growing from the top of the pod...have no idea what kind of plant this is.

gluwater

Swartzy wrote:

Nice shots! This last one is superb....how far away with that new lens? I was goofing around yesterday after an appointment and this lady had these in her front yard, so I took a few shots. This one I focused on the middle pod...there are like little flower shoots growing from the top of the pod...have no idea what kind of plant this is.

I had the Tamron 1.4TC on so I was a little bit further away than with just the lens. I would say I was about a foot away. Those little flower shoots in your image are pollen. If you are looking for bees on plants then look for the plants with these little shoots of pollen on them.

Dalantech

Get one of these diffusers for your flash: http://www.lumiquest.com/lq951.htm -infinitely better than the Sto-Fen for shooting macro!

As for the high shutter speed: If you use a balance of flash and natural light then the shutter speed is irrelevant. Let me explain...

If you are shooting at 1/3 life size or higher magnification the "Sunny 16" rule doesn't really apply so even on a bright sunny day you can set your camera to 1/250, F11, and ISO 100 and you'll be using the sun as "fill flash" for the background and the flash on your camera as the primary source of light for the subject. Since the subject will be dark if the flash doesn't fire the duration of the flash becomes your shutter speed -around 1/1400 of a second. At that "shutter speed" it's easy to hand hold any lens...

John Mueller

Cool stuf Nick,Im sure you will perfect it soon:):

pathfinder

Dalantech wrote:

Get one of these diffusers for your flash: http://www.lumiquest.com/lq951.htm -infinitely better than the Sto-Fen for shooting macro!

As for the high shutter speed: If you use a balance of flash and natural light then the shutter speed is irrelevant. Let me explain...

If you are shooting at 1/3 life size or higher magnification the "Sunny 16" rule doesn't really apply so even on a bright sunny day you can set your camera to 1/250, F11, and ISO 100 and you'll be using the sun as "fill flash" for the background and the flash on your camera as the primary source of light for the subject. Since the subject will be dark if the flash doesn't fire the duration of the flash becomes your shutter speed -around 1/1400 of a second. At that "shutter speed" it's easy to hand hold any lens...

My point exactly - your aperture controls the amount of light from the strobe on the near subject, and the shutter speed ( in manual mode ) limits the amount of fill light from the sun, and hence, by adjusting the shutter speed higher, you can force the background clutter to go black due to underexposure. Not something you always choose to do, but something that is nice to have available.:):

This is particularly useful when you use two strobes or a strobe and a reflector for near, and want the background darker than the subject.