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  • The centre of attention

    Still trying to get to grips with the macro lens, so hints and tips will be much appreciated! I'm getting better results using it for portraits and animals though...

    carolannphotos.smugmug.com / webleedmusicmedia.com

  • #2
    Re: The centre of attention

    it's pretty and i love the color but i am having a hard time finding sharpness. depth of field is extremely thin in micro photography and sharp focus on the center of attention is vital. stopping down one or two stops on the aperture would have helped.

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    • #3
      Re: The centre of attention

      super image, but as kennykodak says, the DoF is so small, it distracts a little, if looks like you have focused in the right spot, but I would advise playing with the aperture size, gradually increasing.

      If you struggle to do it hand held, you may want to try a tripod, and shelter the flower from any wind movement.
      sigpic

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      • #4
        Re: The centre of attention

        Thanks for the comments - as I said, all advice gratefully received, especially in macro flower photography where I'm still struggling.

        A tripod is on the "wish" list when I can afford it..
        carolannphotos.smugmug.com / webleedmusicmedia.com

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        • #5
          Re: The centre of attention

          well, if your in the mood for sacrificing a flower, you could always try laying it on the table with the cam in front
          sigpic

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          • #6
            Re: The centre of attention

            Originally posted by coupekid View Post
            well, if your in the mood for sacrificing a flower, you could always try laying it on the table with the cam in front
            I could... but they're just about over now so I'll have to go and find what's out now...

            This one isn't perfect, it's one I took for my brother just before Christmas as the dog was dying. I had great difficulty getting down to his level because I'd fallen out of the loft the day before - and even more difficulty getting up!
            carolannphotos.smugmug.com / webleedmusicmedia.com

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            • #7
              Re: The centre of attention

              Originally posted by Caz View Post
              I could... but they're just about over now so I'll have to go and find what's out now...

              This one isn't perfect, it's one I took for my brother just before Christmas as the dog was dying. I had great difficulty getting down to his level because I'd fallen out of the loft the day before - and even more difficulty getting up!
              I can't see any exif info in your gallery, Caz. For a shot like this you need to get down to around f/11 or f/16 to gain that extra depth of field sharpness.

              Ian
              Founder/editor
              Digital Photography Now (DPNow.com)
              Twitter: www.twitter.com/ian_burley
              Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/dpnow/
              Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/ianburley/

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              • #8
                Re: The centre of attention

                Originally posted by Ian View Post
                I can't see any exif info in your gallery, Caz. For a shot like this you need to get down to around f/11 or f/16 to gain that extra depth of field sharpness.

                Ian
                Ian - I don't know why, but I've been having trouble uploading to gallery direct from my computer, which is why I've been bringing in recent uploads from my flickr stream - and hence losing the EXIF data.

                That said, I really have been listening to what's been said on this thread and it's made me realise that I need to get out of my f2.8/f5.6 comfort zone and learn how to use a narrower aperture to get a greater depth of field (and to invest in a tripod!)

                I was in Rugby yesterday (whilst car was being serviced) and wish I'd asked for help before I went, as I experienced similar problems...

                And that picture of Tetley was at f2.8, 1/125 in TV mode
                carolannphotos.smugmug.com / webleedmusicmedia.com

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                • #9
                  Re: The centre of attention

                  Hi Caz,

                  I don't know if you are using Photoshop or not, but CS 4 can extend your depth of field by blending several exposures taken at different focus points. It is very heavy on RAM though, this picture of a poinsettia producing nectar started off at 7 exposures, but I had to delete 2 of the layers because CS4 kept saying that I didn't have enough RAM! I'm using a 32 bit Vista which can only use about 3GB, but when Windows 7 is available I shall change to the 64 bit kit to make use of all my 4GB.
                  The process extended the DOF to about 3 cms, shot on a tripod of course using a 55mm micro-Nikkor (fully manual!) that I have owned for over 40 years.




                  Roger

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                  • #10
                    Re: The centre of attention

                    Originally posted by Caz View Post
                    I could... but they're just about over now so I'll have to go and find what's out now...

                    This one isn't perfect, it's one I took for my brother just before Christmas as the dog was dying. I had great difficulty getting down to his level because I'd fallen out of the loft the day before - and even more difficulty getting up!
                    i love this picture, getting down to eye level is definately the key for animal shots.

                    To be honest, youll struggle to get anything better than this without an external flash.

                    Try using AV mode if your camera has it, it makes it much easier to play with the aperture for experimentation, and use the narrowist (is that a word?) aperture without dropping below around 50th sec.
                    sigpic

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                    • #11
                      Re: The centre of attention

                      Thought I'd post one of the files I blended to show what a difference it can make.





                      Roger

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                      • #12
                        Re: The centre of attention

                        Originally posted by rogleale View Post
                        Thought I'd post one of the files I blended to show what a difference it can make.

                        Roger
                        Hi Roger,

                        Could you show us one of the donor images?

                        Ian
                        Founder/editor
                        Digital Photography Now (DPNow.com)
                        Twitter: www.twitter.com/ian_burley
                        Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/dpnow/
                        Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/ianburley/

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: The centre of attention

                          Hi Ian,
                          Sorry, I didn't make myself clear. The second post is one of the 5 shots I blended, and only the very foreground is in focus in it. I can't seem to post larger images now, must be missing something!

                          Roger

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                          • #14
                            Re: The centre of attention

                            Originally posted by rogleale View Post
                            Hi Ian,
                            Sorry, I didn't make myself clear. The second post is one of the 5 shots I blended, and only the very foreground is in focus in it. I can't seem to post larger images now, must be missing something!

                            Roger
                            Apologies - since we upgraded the gallery software last week, some templates modifications were temporarily over-written, so the image posting defaults to thumbnails at the moment - is this the problem you are referring to?

                            If so, simply remove 'thumbs/' from the BBCode and this will show a full size version of your image.

                            Ian
                            Founder/editor
                            Digital Photography Now (DPNow.com)
                            Twitter: www.twitter.com/ian_burley
                            Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/dpnow/
                            Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/ianburley/

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: The centre of attention

                              Originally posted by coupekid View Post
                              i love this picture, getting down to eye level is definately the key for animal shots.

                              To be honest, youll struggle to get anything better than this without an external flash.

                              Try using AV mode if your camera has it, it makes it much easier to play with the aperture for experimentation, and use the narrowist (is that a word?) aperture without dropping below around 50th sec.
                              Sorry about the delay in replying - I've been on holiday to France and haven't been online much since I got back at stupid o'clock on Tuesday morning!

                              This was actually taken with shutter priority - 1/250 F2.8. As I said to Ian, I've had trouble uploading stuff into the gallery lately so have been using the url facility to bring them over from flickr.

                              Glad you liked it - it's one of my favourites. My brother has at last seen it, and it's been printed off and framed.

                              Thanks to everyone for the advice (which I've been trying to put into practice during my visit to France last week - but I'm still editing them...)

                              And my editing programme is Elements 5 - I keep thinking about upgrading, just haven't got around to it yet. CS3 or 4 will have to wait - no pennies available...
                              carolannphotos.smugmug.com / webleedmusicmedia.com

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