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- Nikki
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I've just upgraded cameras and have been having a go at macro. I'd welcome some critique to give me a little direction. I've been wanting to do macro for a while and hope to improve
Beginner First attemps
- Thread starter LadyDeWinter
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- Rooban
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#3 is a nice shot.
GardenersHelper
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- Nick
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It is difficult to tell anything about #1 because it is so small. #2 and #3 look very soft.
For these two shots I think you used the 18-55 kit lens at full zoom, and maximum aperture of f/5.6. Shutter speeds were 1/60 sec and 1/80 sec. These should be fast enough to avoid blur from hand-shake, especially if you had the image stabilisation turned on. (Did you have the image stabilisation turned on?) And in any case you used flash for #2 so assuming that flash provided most of the illumination for the subject then hand-shake certainly shouldn't have been a problem. Subject movement should not have been a problem either, especially for the flash shot.
There might have been an issue with the distance to the subject - you might have been too close. Were you using autofocus or manual focus? If you were using autofocus and you got focus confirmation then the distance was probably ok. If you were using manual focus then you might have been nearer than the closest focusing distance, in which case you could not have got a sharp image.
There might also be an issue with settings if you were shooting JPEG. If you were shooting JPEG, what settings did you use for sharpness and contrast? Whether you shot JPEG or raw, there might be an issue with post processing. Did you do any post processing? The images can be made to look a bit less soft with some post processing, but there are some undesirable side-effects from the fairly extreme measures I used to get these results.
NOT MY IMAGE - LadyDeWinter flower2_DxO 10 JPG 01c LR by gardenersassistant, on Flickr
NOT MY IMAGE - LadyDeWinter flower 3_DxO 10 JPG 01c LR by gardenersassistant, on Flickr
Flowers are rewarding subjects, and from the compositions of these it looks to me like you have an eye for it. My preference, were it to be a bit less soft, would be #2, although the background in #3 works well with the subject for my taste.
FWIW I rarely use flash for flowers, preferring the look of natural light. But opinions vary about this. You need to experiment, perhaps capturing the same subject with and without flash to see which you prefer.
For these two shots I think you used the 18-55 kit lens at full zoom, and maximum aperture of f/5.6. Shutter speeds were 1/60 sec and 1/80 sec. These should be fast enough to avoid blur from hand-shake, especially if you had the image stabilisation turned on. (Did you have the image stabilisation turned on?) And in any case you used flash for #2 so assuming that flash provided most of the illumination for the subject then hand-shake certainly shouldn't have been a problem. Subject movement should not have been a problem either, especially for the flash shot.
There might have been an issue with the distance to the subject - you might have been too close. Were you using autofocus or manual focus? If you were using autofocus and you got focus confirmation then the distance was probably ok. If you were using manual focus then you might have been nearer than the closest focusing distance, in which case you could not have got a sharp image.
There might also be an issue with settings if you were shooting JPEG. If you were shooting JPEG, what settings did you use for sharpness and contrast? Whether you shot JPEG or raw, there might be an issue with post processing. Did you do any post processing? The images can be made to look a bit less soft with some post processing, but there are some undesirable side-effects from the fairly extreme measures I used to get these results.
NOT MY IMAGE - LadyDeWinter flower2_DxO 10 JPG 01c LR by gardenersassistant, on Flickr
NOT MY IMAGE - LadyDeWinter flower 3_DxO 10 JPG 01c LR by gardenersassistant, on Flickr
Flowers are rewarding subjects, and from the compositions of these it looks to me like you have an eye for it. My preference, were it to be a bit less soft, would be #2, although the background in #3 works well with the subject for my taste.
FWIW I rarely use flash for flowers, preferring the look of natural light. But opinions vary about this. You need to experiment, perhaps capturing the same subject with and without flash to see which you prefer.
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- Chris
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Welcome to the macro world. Can't add anything as tips other than what Nick described in great detail. I though use natural light mostly for flowers - not flash.
I think in most the focus is out. Though the softness in the first is nice for me.
Keep practicing is the biggest tip.
I think in most the focus is out. Though the softness in the first is nice for me.
Keep practicing is the biggest tip.
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- Rich
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I'm also new to macro photography (will hopefully post some of mine own examples soon) but I like #3 the most personally. #1 could be interesting but without the sharpness the flower is a little lost, #2 has a bit too much going on IMO, but #3 is clean and simple. The processed version from Nick shows the potential it has if it was really sharp.
Are you using auto focus?
Rich
Are you using auto focus?
Rich
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- Nikki
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Wow, you really seem to know your stuff gardenersassistant! Your correct about the lens etc. I did have issues with flash and distance but will work on that when I next get the chance and will also get myself more familiar with more of the settings. Thanks for the feedback everyone!
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- Martin
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The 3rd is nice love the dew drops
GardenersHelper
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A thought. You might want to try cracking the distance thing by taking some photos using flash (indoors would be fine) of things that don't move - it doesn't really matter what. This will simplify things. Using flash means that hand-shake won't confuse the issue.Try different distances from the subject. Centre the image on the same place each time and have a close look after each shot to see what is in focus and what the lighting looks like. You may pretty quickly find out what works and what doesn't.
Some people don't like doing boring exercises like this because they just want to get on with proper photography. FWIW I do this sort of thing when I first get (or make) new stuff because I find some experiments and some repetition with boring "subjects" I don't care about takes all the stress out of it and lets me concentrate on the basic practical issues, and also helps develop the "muscle memory" so I can do things more smoothly when I tackle proper subjects.