Please read if asking for comments or critiques

[tchuanye]

There are now many activity in the macro forum and and thats a good sign! Macro is kind of addictive, and really lets you see the beauty in the macro world.

I think this forum here is very good and pp here are very friendly. We are all here to learn, and I have also learnt much and improved from the critiques here.

Can I suggest that if the TS want some feedback, it would help, if they could post at least the camera, and the settings. Some of course can be checked using the EXTIF data software, but it is easier, that the settings are mentioned so that the commenter can make some comments based on the settings. If you want someone to take the time to comment, it would be nice to at least post your settings. Good for the person to understand how it was taken.

It would also help if the TS could specify what they want any specific areas of their pic to be commented on ...the compo? sharpness? ID etc. That would help too.

Happy shooting!


Now some clarifications of some pts mentioned in the threads I read and hope to clarify.

1) There is NO one standard exposure setting for macro shoot. It all depends on the subject and the lighting condition. Some subjects can get good DOF with a large apeture (see the butt pics) some need a small apeture. Some need a fast shutter speed as the ambient light is harsh while some need lower shutter speed. There is no fix speed, and one must learn to adapt to the situation when the lighting changes. Fast shutter speed will at times just give you a black BG all the time. Main pt: If a setting works for you. Fine and good. But not ALL the time. Have to learn to adapt to the ambiet condition and know what to tweak to get the image.

2) DOF is solely dependent on Apeture setting, and NOT ISO. May have mistook the thread but just to state here in case of misunderstanding.

3) Many experts DO use tripods to shoot. Yes its difficult, and I don't use it too, but many good shooters do and get excellent results....look at NatureTTL, stingrey, leong23, they produce great images with tripod. Tripod allows you to reduce your apeture and reduce your shutter speed to get good BG and a flash fill it to light up the subject. Main point is that tripods can be used and are used by many. Just have to see what works for you. I am fine without it. Some have to use it. At the end of the day is the results you get that matters.

Thanks.

 

[TroyP]

It would be nice if someone could start a general rundown of commonly asked macro questions, as myself and many others i've seen have to repeatedly answer the same questions over and over.
I'm not pro enough to start one myself, and have had limited exposure to hardware (only Nikon D90, 50mm prime, 18-105mm kit, Tamron 90mm macro, raynox 250).
Maybe as a group we could compile our knowledge into a single thread, and eventually make a clean sticky thread of the overall compiled data.

I can jot down everything i've learnt about macro from my own testing and from other users here. Maybe others can write their own or add to what others have written.
I only wished that I had the same knowledge at hand when I started macro!

Stuff I see commonly asked about macro:
1. lens combinations (kit lens, prime, macro, close-up filters, reverse lens)
2. hardware settings and what they do (camera modes, aperture, ISO, shutter speed)
3. Flash and difuers
4. Tripod/handheld
5. Differences between day and night macro
6. Preparation for night macro
7. lighting
8. DOF
9. Differences between PnS and DSLR

 

[tchuanye]

Actually there is one started by Megaweb:

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=261356

 

[TroyP]

Actually there is one started by Megaweb:

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=261356

Yep, but I mean an updated one (thats 2yrs+ old and plenty more to add to it).

 

[Bluesteel]

Now some clarifications of some pts mentioned in the threads I read and hope to clarify.

1) There is NO one standard exposure setting for macro shoot. It all depends on the subject and the lighting condition. Some subjects can get good DOF with a large apeture (see the butt pics) some need a small apeture. Some need a fast shutter speed as the ambient light is harsh while some need lower shutter speed. There is no fix speed, and one must learn to adapt to the situation when the lighting changes. Fast shutter speed will at times just give you a black BG all the time. Main pt: If a setting works for you. Fine and good. But not ALL the time. Have to learn to adapt to the ambiet condition and know what to tweak to get the image.

2) DOF is solely dependent on Apeture setting, and NOT ISO. May have mistook the thread but just to state here in case of misunderstanding.

3) Many experts DO use tripods to shoot. Yes its difficult, and I don't use it too, but many good shooters do and get excellent results....look at NatureTTL, stingrey, leong23, they produce great images with tripod. Tripod allows you to reduce your apeture and reduce your shutter speed to get good BG and a flash fill it to light up the subject. Main point is that tripods can be used and are used by many. Just have to see what works for you. I am fine without it. Some have to use it. At the end of the day is the results you get that matters.

John (Dalantech) has a Blog Call "No Cropping Zone" He handheld all of his Macro shots even with the MPE-65. There are some interesting read there .

Though just 3 over years into Macro , he is highly regarded at NatureScape and FredMiranda on Macro Photography



From one of his article: The Tao of Macro

When I first got into macro three years ago the conventional wisdom was that you had to use a tripod and a focusing rail to shoot macro. If you didn’t then most of the established photographers in the discipline wouldn’t take you seriously. Now it’s generally accepted that a lot of macro work can be done without a lot of gear –kind of hard to argue with the +2,000 images in my Flickr gallery and I’m just one photographer of many who shoots hand held.

Today there is still a lot of emphasis being placed on absolute image sharpness, with people claiming that you have to use small Fstops and focus stacking to get sharp images. I’m hoping that it won’t take another three years for the misconceptions about sharpness to die. If you view your photos at 100% pixels you’re going to see some softness in every photo –not just macro. But since people don’t print 100% crops, or save them to their desktop as wallpaper, evaluating a photo at 100% pixels is pointless. You could take the sharpest image ever, but if the subject is centered in the frame then it’s just one more poorly composed photo –no better than the average vacation point and shoot snapshot...

Am I telling you not to use a tripod, or a focusing rail, or not to focus stack your images? Absolutely not! If you need to use any tool to produce the images that you want to take then so be it! But don’t get it into your head that everyone else must do the same things that you are doing. Or that the only way to get a good photo is to use a certain tool or technique. Don’t get hung up on the way an image was taken –the composition of the final image is infinitely more important…

One final word: I only use a camera, a macro lens, and a flash. I keep the gear count low because I want to let the subject dictate how I shoot it –to not lock myself into a fixed, rigid style of shooting. So the way that I shoot a subject changes depending on the conditions. If I were to fixate on a particular piece of gear or technique then I’d limit what I could photograph or when I could photograph it. Currently the only thing that stops me from shooting is rain –and if I really wanted to I could find a way around it. Don’t hold your breath waiting for my “critters wet and wild” series though…

The way that I shoot is a personal choice based on what I want to do with my photography. Is it the best way to shoot macro? Yes, but only when I’m the one holding the camera –my personal Tao of Macro. Find yours…

His thoughts and mine happen to coincide....


There are endless approach to Macro , there is no best equipment / technique combination , the best equipment and techniques, after mastering the basics, are those that you are comfortable with and can consistently produce good shots.

For newbies, do not get fixated on gears and camera setting , the often ask question at Macro thread here is " Nice shots! what is your setup" ! Even if given the same setup and setting , you are unlikely to produce the same result, as there are variables that are beyond your control. Chuan Yean rightly pointed it out that you will have to adapt to the lighting and environment . In order to do so you need a firm grasp of the basics of photography , there are plenty of resources on the net if you care to search.

Just grab whatever gears you have , if possible approach someone that is able to take you out and show you how it is done, master your equipment , shoot as often as possible and be self critical . And if you need assistance to level the learning curve , post your photos with at least the shooting data and equipment used and request for critique.

Have fun shooting!


Cheers!

 

[sgfreestyler]

For newbies, do not get fixated on gears and camera setting , the often ask question at Macro thread here is " Nice shots! what is your setup" ! Even if given the same setup and setting , you are unlikely to produce the same result, as there are variables that are beyond your control. Chuan Yean rightly pointed it out that you will have to adapt to the lighting and environment . In order to do so you need a firm grasp of the basics of photography , there are plenty of resources on the net if you care to search.

Just grab whatever gears you have , if possible approach someone that is able to take you out and show you how it is done, master your equipment , shoot as often as possible and be self critical . And if you need assistance to level the learning curve , post your photos with at least the shooting data and equipment used and request for critique.

Have fun shooting!


Cheers!

ya. i have to agree. i have seen 1001 replys on it. knowing ppl's setup will not able to produces the same result.

There are lots of macro outing every week, i encourage newbies to join in these outing rather to shoot alone becos you get to face to face with ppl who have more experience than u and can help u along.

Shoot with them, Dont be shy.

 

[huggable]

I agree with ToryP. Perhaps there could be a few stickies, like good info on macro using

i) DSLR
ii) Compacts, and
iii) Reverse mount (on both DSLR and compacts).

addressing the FAQs too.

Me too, developed an interest for marco recently, and found the lack of info pertaining to reverse mount, its shortcomings, etc. In fact I got the barang to reverse mount on both my DSLR and compact, and found the results not too satisfactory.

Reading some of the threads, there were also many queries raised pertaining to the Raynox close-up adaptor. It'd be good to have a tread on close-up filters and adaptors to keep OTs in the picture post threads to a minimum. I've got both the close-up adaptors, and waiting for chance to take them to the field!

Yep, but I mean an updated one (thats 2yrs+ old and plenty more to add to it).

 

[tchuanye]

Think its timely to upz this post, since there are many new shooters here.

Appreciate, again, that if you want C&C, pls post your settings.....how else can one C&C and suggest improvements if we do not know how you got the shot in the first place?

 

[NovJoe]

:thumbsup:

Can I also suggest that for TS who wants macro shooters here to C&C their shots, the resolution of their shots should be at least 800 pixels width? I have seen many threads where TS ask for C&Cs but only produced a shot with a width of 480 pixels or lesser for viewing.

 

[madmartian]

Thank you guys for the contributions. Even if its made sticky, the trouble is that many newbies still will ask the same age old questions. They won't go read up the stickies, just like they don't read up the manuals that comes with the camera & start asking things like 'how to take night photography' which is explained in the manual :dunno: But its good to have that coz if they ask a question, we can just direct them there.
But it is also a good practice for them to post the datas together with the photos, so c&c would be easier. But it seems that they are learning quite fast. Well, hope that they'll read the contributions made by you guys, this will help them alot