View allAll Photos Tagged macro_magic
For a week I rented the Nikon's legendary macro lens, the Nikon 200mm f/4. It has no VR, so for close macro work it almost requires the use of a tripod or mono-pod. Of course I immediately broke that 'rule', preferring as always to shoot handheld. That means many more pictures need to be taken in order to get a sharp shot, and it usually means higher ISO's due to a faster shutter speed to offset the motion of my hands as I shoot.
The next series of shots will feature results from this lens, all handheld and in natural light. In the end, I liked its color rendition, contrast, and the ability to work macro magic with a bit more distance to the subject, helpful especially with subjects like bugs and bees. The closest focus distance is about 19 inches to achieve the 1:1 ratio. For a hand-holder like me, I would much prefer VR (vibration reduction) on this lens to offset my hand motion.
But for most people who do proper macro technique with a tripod setup, this is no big deal.
All in all, it is a great lens, and I can see why the design has not been changed for over 20 years. It is still being sold brand new by Nikon despite its age and 'old' technology!
Please enlarge for a more immersive view...
(Register for my water droplet refraction workshops to learn how to make images like this! www.donkom.ca/product/macro-photography-workshops/ )
This weekend I had photography workshops with students doing water droplet refractions. After seeing so many interesting setups and watching people make inspired creations, I had to make a small attempt at it myself! View large!
This is the seed of a Gebera Daisy placed in a bowl of water with a fresh Gerbera Daisy placed in the background. The seed is just floating on the surface of the water, which makes it quite difficult to get the droplets in place and the seed in the right spot.
To cover this seed in droplets, I’m aiming high above the scene and letting tiny water droplets fall down to the seed with very little directional momentum except down. This allows for the seed to stay relatively in the same position while the droplets slowly grow all over it. If it does move too close to the edge of the bowl or the half-submerged flower, I very gently tap it back into place with my finger. You get a lot of water everywhere when doing these experiments, so that just enough of it ends up in the right place!
I shot this with a longer lens, the Canon 180mm F/3.5L Macro which worked wonders. The longer distance was helpful to get the camera right to the edge of the water to see a strong reflection, something that would be made more difficult with a shorter lens – though I’ve done similar shots with 100m, I have less risk of getting the lens waterlogged when working at 180mm!
The seed itself is in shadow, with a piece of cardboard positioned just out of the frame. This allows the background to be brighter than the foreground, and for the droplets to glow brighter than the surface they are attached to. There are a lot of puzzle pieces here, but when they all come together you can make a magical image! This is a single shot, no focus stacking required.
Want to know how all these pieces fit together? I’ve got two workshop dates in April with spots still available. It’s a three hour session where we dive as deep as we can into this subject and you’ll walk away with some magical images of your own. Moreover, you’ll leave with the technical knowledge to push forward with new creative ideas, and a few extra tools to make it all come together. Register for a workshop here: www.donkom.ca/product/macro-photography-workshops/
The insects in this order are extremely diverse in their size, shape and colour. They are ranging in size from 1 to 110 millimetres in length. They are found all over the world. There are 80,000 described species in 37 families.
The name Hemiptera means 'half wing'. The Hemiptera are called 'true' bugs because everyone - entomologists included - tend to call all insects 'bugs'. That is a loose term, whereas the true bugs are just those contained within the insect order Hemiptera. Insects in the order hemiptera have a particular structure of the front wings from which the order gets its name.
Silent shutter clicks,
Exposure paints ethereal,
Light's abstract whispers.
Infinite patterns,
Abstract exposure's delight,
Glimmers juxtapose.
The youngest daughter was inspired by the Macro Mondays theme Lamp. She found the Carriage Lamps and spent ages setting up scenes and having fun with the subject. This is her favourite shot. Go Aisling!
Does this cute little flower look like an angel flying? I love to take tiny flowers which look more interesting than ordinarysize flowers. This flower is a size of a penny and yet with Macro magic looks so alive and flying!!!!