Macro photography

[popeshawnpaul]

It's that time of year where the deer have dropped their horns, there's too much snow for the mountains, it isn't quite fishing season, and the rams are tired from breeding.  One thing I always try and do when I get some free time is to shoot macro.  You got some?

[Antlershed]

I've never really fully understood what "Macro" means. What qualifies?

[popeshawnpaul]

Macro photography is close up photography.  Some lenses do it better than others.  I shot the above dragonfly with my 200mm f2.8L lens which isn't called a macro lens but it is very good at it.  What makes a good macro lens is a focal length of 50-200mm and a close focusing distance.  Check the specifications on your lenses and you may find that you have a really good macro lens.  Lens speed isn't factor in macro much since you are often stopping down to f5.6 or more to get the whole insect in focus.  Many cheap zoom lenses are really good macro lenses.  In addition, cheap kit lenses are actually good quality when stopped down to f8-f16.  So it really doesn't take any money to get into macro photography.  Many say you must have a flash, but I disagree.  I have never used a flash with macro photography and have sold a few images.  Try this out...take your kit lens and set it to manual focus to the closest setting it has.  then hold it up to your finger and see how close you can get to your finger before it turns blurry.  If your finger was an insect then you know how large it will look in the viewfinder.  A tripod is necessary.  I find on many of my large big game trips that there is a lot of down time.  Most people stand around and think there is nothing to shoot.  There are tons of macro shots if you look around your feet...

Shawn

[Antlershed]

Thanks. I'll have to give it a try.

[jackelope]

here's a couple of my little one taken in macro mode with my fz18.

[bobcat]

Great pictures. I tried, this is the best I could do with my FZ-5:

[Head-shot]

Nice pics Jack, got one of the little guy hibernating and one that looks a bit like the kids looking for a meal.  Very cute kid. Mine were once that size but know they have morphed into absolute demon spawn. Sometimes I think one of my kids is "chucky".. But again cute pics.

[Curly]

This bug ate blackberry juice off of my glove.

[boneaddict]

Keep them coming. Great shots everyone.  I was going to do a bunch with flies I have tied, but haven't quite got there yet.   Hornseeker did an awesome one with a fish once, looks like an abstract painting.  I'll have to see if I can get him to get it on here.

[Hornseeker]

Here's one. I LOVE macro photography and want to do some art with it someday. I have lots of ideas. Fish skin is a big one for me, being a fish bio, another, is antler... but one of my favorite ideas is to do macros, really nice ones, of the different caddis fly "shells" or houses if you will. Some make them out of pine needles, others out of tiny little sticks, others with pebbles, some little sand size pebbles, others with pebbles the size of themselves... my favorites are the ones that build tiny, tubular square houses with tiny, TINY sticks... unreal.



Well Doug...thats all I had, was this tiny one...you got a bigger version?

[boneaddict]

.

[Hornseeker]

This isn't a real macro to me, but sorta... I have some good bug pics I'll try and round up...

[Smokepole]

Here's a macro shot of a fly I tied.  Getting ready for some spring trout fishing!

[Antlershed]

Not sure if this counts or not, but here's one i took this evening when my dog came to check out what I was up to.

[boneaddict]

I tried a bit with the birds last night with that lens I got from you Pope.  Sure not as clear as canon glass is it.