newbies interested in macro - aquatic life

[jcloudia]

Hi all,
I'm completely know nothing on macrophotography. But, I so impressed with the beauty of some macro photos posted in some forums including CS.
I just bought D90 nikon, nissin flash and tamron 90mm macro len. I have tried at my backyard but the result was so :thumbsd::angry:
Any tips/techniques that I can use?

Best wishes

 

[xcess]

Hi all,
I'm completely know nothing on macrophotography. But, I so impressed with the beauty of some macro photos posted in some forums including CS.
I just bought D90 nikon, nissin flash and tamron 90mm macro len. I have tried at my backyard but the result was so :thumbsd::angry:
Any tips/techniques that I can use?

Best wishes

Maybe post some photos here for us to see then we are able to help you...

 

[spree86]

Hi all,
I'm completely know nothing on macrophotography. But, I so impressed with the beauty of some macro photos posted in some forums including CS.
I just bought D90 nikon, nissin flash and tamron 90mm macro len. I have tried at my backyard but the result was so :thumbsd::angry:
Any tips/techniques that I can use?

Best wishes

Yea photos would help but i would guess its something to do with your flash. In macro, how you diffuse your flash and the strength of your flash is very impt.

 

[weegk]

Welcome to CS . . .

join some of the outings, the seniors will guide you well.

 

[zac08]

Hi all,
I'm completely know nothing on macrophotography. But, I so impressed with the beauty of some macro photos posted in some forums including CS.
I just bought D90 nikon, nissin flash and tamron 90mm macro len. I have tried at my backyard but the result was so :thumbsd::angry:
Any tips/techniques that I can use?

Best wishes

Were you shooting hand-held? Flash correction done?

At close distances for macro, you have little room for error, esp. with flash control and also the focusing distance. And if you wish to enlarge the subject to the maximum, i.e. 1:1 you'll have to move the whole rig (aka camera, lens and flash) back and forth to get the subject in proper focus. In this instance, I would suggest that you consider getting a proper tripod for maximum stability.

Next, get the correct subject for practise. Find some still life first. Practise and get the hang of it before you venture out to shoot insects as they will definitely move and even the perch they are on (i.e. leaves, branches, etc) will move as well, either from your movement or the wind.

Go shoot more, practise more and you'll understand better as you go along.

 

[jcloudia]

Hi all,
Thank a lot for your advice and suggestion.
Very helpful.
I don know how to attach images to this thread. Please help me?

Best wishes

 

[skylover]

Welcome to CS. ^^ :devil:

You are encourage to read more online, and join some newbie outings under the Outings subforum.

Good start here:

Camera basics
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=309544
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/learning-exposure-in-digital-photography

Composition
http://www.amateursnapper.com/photog...position-rules
http://digital-photography-school.co...mposition-tips
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/10-more-quick-composition-tips-illustrated

Landscape Photography
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/11-surefire-tips-for-improving-your-landscape-photography
Hyperfocus

Street Photography
http://www.digital-photography-school.com/10-tips-for-the-aspiring-street-photographer

Basic Night Photography Tips
http://www.schoolofphotography.com/courses/free-night-photography-lesson.html#int

More topics covered here:
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials.htm
Understanding Stops and Exposure

 

[spree86]

Hi all,
Thank a lot for your advice and suggestion.
Very helpful.
I don know how to attach images to this thread. Please help me?

Best wishes

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=94574
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=462896
here u go, this shld help

 

[jcloudia]

Hi all,
These 3 pictures I took with D90 on tamron 90mm (all at iso200 1/125s f5)
Appreciated your comment/suggestion.

 

[zac08]

If you need C&C, post bigger pics. We can't see any details from here.

 

[jcloudia]

Hi all,
Sorry the images were so small.
Hope these two OK. Please...give me advice how to improve it.

iso 800, 1/60s, F4.5

iso 200, 1/125s, F/5


Thank you

 

[zac08]

images are soft and OOF (out of focus)

You'd do better with a smaller aperture and also by focusing on the eyes since this is where we normally look at in the first instance.

As said, try it out with a tripod and a still life subject first. Focus slowly until you get the eyes focused and then try out different apertures to see which works best for you.

 

[jcloudia]

Hi Bro zac08,
Thks a lot for your advice.
I wear glasses and very difficult for me to get good focus. Most of the time I used AF and the results as you seen.

 

[Senifer]

Hi Bro zac08,
Thks a lot for your advice.
I wear glasses and very difficult for me to get good focus. Most of the time I used AF and the results as you seen.

Make use of the diopter, its for people who don't have a near perfect eye sight, and from your 2nd pic, you seem to have a shadow, could be your 90mm hood, remove it and you should be good to go, and your flash seems to be flashing directly on the insect, try to diffuse the light even more by pointing it upwards. aperture keep it around 16, so you get enough DOF.
Also a newbie here but read more to understand.

 

[zac08]

Hi Bro zac08,
Thks a lot for your advice.
I wear glasses and very difficult for me to get good focus. Most of the time I used AF and the results as you seen.

I wear glasses too. You just need some practise.

 

[jcloudia]

Hi all,
Thank you very much. i would like to share a little bit experience since i started this thread. When I read the manual and the same time try it, not much I can get. It is simply because the guidelines are too general. End up i am bored. I must admit that i am lazy to read the manual thoroughly.
But, when i posted my problems thru this thread and your explaination were so great - understandable. I pick it quite fast. You guys so :thumbsup:
I'm proud of you all and appreciated C&C you had gave.
I hope i can get techniques/tips how to take macro from the aquarium - how to control the light reflection etc. I am not going to use waterproof camera.

 

[zac08]

Hi all,
Thank you very much. i would like to share a little bit experience since i started this thread. When I read the manual and the same time try it, not much I can get. It is simply because the guidelines are too general. End up i am bored. I must admit that i am lazy to read the manual thoroughly.
But, when i posted my problems thru this thread and your explaination were so great - understandable. I pick it quite fast. You guys so :thumbsup:
I'm proud of you all and appreciated C&C you had gave.
I hope i can get techniques/tips how to take macro from the aquarium - how to control the light reflection etc. I am not going to use waterproof camera.

For fish tank shots, it's another different way of tackling it altogether.

Always ensure your camera is perpendicular to the tank glass to minimise reflections (use a tripod to keep it at the fixed position). And use external flash(es).

You can try 1, 2 or even up to 5 (if you have that many)

With D90, you can actually use the CLS AWL function (read about it in the manual) if you have remote flashes like the SB-600 and above. Or you can choose to hook them up with wires such as the SC-28 or SC-29.

A simple way to shoot with 2 flashes would be on the left and right side of the tank. Or you can consider lighting from the top and one side.

 

[bobgosling]

For aquarium shots get some black cloth ( matt rather than shiny silk ). Make a hole in the middle for your lens to go through and keep in place with elastic band. Fix edges of cloth to tank with gaffer tape. Also recommend getting an extention cable for the flash so you can place flash to the side or on top ( don't drop it in the water like I did - very expensive mistake !!! ). A piece of glass in the water orientated in the same plane as the front of the aquarium will allow you to temporarily reduce the ability of the fish to move out of the focus zone.

I got some seriously good shots of my marine set-up using this technique, sadly on old fashioned film print and stored in the UK so unable to show them here. I'm hoping to get the same thing set up here.

 

[jcloudia]

Hello CS friends,
Macrophotography is so fun and I am like a crazy man. Shoot any small things!!!:sweat:
Among the many shoots I have (I cannot remember how many - maybe hundred!), this one the best I can get. Please give advice how to improve the sharpness.:think:

 

[zac08]

For butterflies, it's better to shoot them directly perpendiculiar to the wing as you would want to keep the whole side in focus. In your example, the rear of the wing is out of focus and it's slightly distracting.

You can however try different angles to see if you can capture a different image of the butterfly for more impact and you may then use less DOF. But in this case, I would suggest going 90 degrees to the wing and use a smaller aperture for more DOF, i.e. f8 - f11 or f16 if needed.