Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Landscape & Nature Photography => Topic started by: John R on August 15, 2011, 10:12:21 pm

Title: Flower macros from Royal Botanical Gardens
Post by: John R on August 15, 2011, 10:12:21 pm
Went out with a group from the camera club when Roses were in their prime in late June of this year. Shot some and a few other flowers. As far as I am concerned, macro work is about the hardest kind of photography I have yet to try. It's all work and very difficult to see properly through those extenders!

JMR
1- slightly cropped and desaturated
(http://johnroias.smugmug.com/Other/Pictorials/i-bT8B6Kg/0/L/July-2-11-RBG-046-copysoft4-L.jpg) (http://johnroias.smugmug.com/Other/Pictorials/6157147_x6AmJ#1432892499_bT8B6Kg-A-LB)

2
(http://johnroias.smugmug.com/Other/Pictorials/i-cqbndZP/0/L/July-2-11-RBG-243-smugcopy-L.jpg) (http://johnroias.smugmug.com/Other/Pictorials/6157147_x6AmJ#1365398690_cqbndZP-A-LB)

3
(http://johnroias.smugmug.com/Other/Pictorials/i-szVRM9j/0/L/July-2-11-RBG-205-smugcopy-L.jpg) (http://johnroias.smugmug.com/Other/Pictorials/6157147_x6AmJ#1365434746_szVRM9j-A-LB)

4
(http://johnroias.smugmug.com/Other/Pictorials/i-f9bQTpP/0/L/July-2-11-RBG-184-smugcopy-L.jpg) (http://johnroias.smugmug.com/Other/Pictorials/6157147_x6AmJ#1365283885_f9bQTpP-A-LB)
Title: Re: Flower macros from Royal Botanical Gardens
Post by: Jeremy Roussak on August 16, 2011, 03:27:40 am
Very pretty, John, particularly the first and the third. What kit were you using?

Jeremy
Title: Re: Flower macros from Royal Botanical Gardens
Post by: JohnKoerner on August 16, 2011, 06:10:26 am
Went out with a group from the camera club when Roses were in their prime in late June of this year. Shot some and a few other flowers. As far as I am concerned, macro work is about the hardest kind of photography I have yet to try. It's all work and very difficult to see properly through those extenders!


People underestimate how hard macro photography is! The slightest movement of the camera can be half the body length of a tiny creature or flower!

For that reason, especially since you're working with inanimate subjects like flowers, I recommend not looking through your viewfinder at all, and using Live View and a tripod instead. Really helps in composing your shots at 1x, and then (once composed) in really nailing your focus with the key areas of the subject blown-up 10x closer on your screen for careful scrutiny ...

That said, I think all of your images turned out delightful ;D

Jack

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Title: Re: Flower macros from Royal Botanical Gardens
Post by: Chairman Bill on August 16, 2011, 06:54:56 am
I'd love to see the images. Unfortunately, I can see nothing
Title: Re: Flower macros from Royal Botanical Gardens
Post by: francois on August 16, 2011, 07:25:56 am
The third is my favorite but the three others are gorgeous also.
It's a nice job!
Title: Re: Flower macros from Royal Botanical Gardens
Post by: Cannes on August 16, 2011, 10:34:50 am
good job! I love the second, which lens you use?
Title: Re: Flower macros from Royal Botanical Gardens
Post by: Justan on August 16, 2011, 10:59:47 am
Delicious work!

You gotta start doing shows and then in your leisure time write a book on how you developed these mar-vhe-lous techniques!

We visited a couple of resort towns on the Oregon coast last weekend. The towns had a lot of art galleries, but nothing there matched the eye candy nature of your work.
Title: Re: Flower macros from Royal Botanical Gardens
Post by: John R on August 17, 2011, 05:43:39 pm
Very pretty, John, particularly the first and the third. What kit were you using?

Jeremy
Thanks for the comments. I use a K5 Pentax with 100 mm Nikon attached with an adapter I bought on Ebay. And an extender, but I can't recall which one I used. Very difficult on the eyes and only about ten per cent of images were focused where I intended. So I am learning to use live view and hope that will help. In the end, I will likely buy a Tamron ir Pentax mcro lens. Just too hard on the eyes!
Title: Re: Flower macros from Royal Botanical Gardens
Post by: John R on August 17, 2011, 05:46:01 pm

People underestimate how hard macro photography is! The slightest movement of the camera can be half the body length of a tiny creature or flower!

For that reason, especially since you're working with inanimate subjects like flowers, I recommend not looking through your viewfinder at all, and using Live View and a tripod instead. Really helps in composing your shots at 1x, and then (once composed) in really nailing your focus with the key areas of the subject blown-up 10x closer on your screen for careful scrutiny ...

That said, I think all of your images turned out delightful ;D

Jack

.
Thanks for the comments John. I am going to start using Live View, which I thought was for video!

JMR
Title: Re: Flower macros from Royal Botanical Gardens
Post by: John R on August 17, 2011, 05:50:26 pm
Thank you Justan, Francois, and Cannes. Bill, I don't know what to say and have no idea why you cannot see the images.

JMR
Title: Re: Flower macros from Royal Botanical Gardens
Post by: Chairman Bill on August 17, 2011, 06:31:58 pm
I can see them now. Had to empty my cache, delete cookies, log-in again, et voila! Very nice flower photies, BTW.
Title: Re: Flower macros from Royal Botanical Gardens
Post by: louoates on August 17, 2011, 08:28:36 pm
Love #1 and #3 because both are a bit farther from another flower shot. I love to see taking the original photograph and moving toward a more painterly treatment without the obvious filter effects so often seen. Well done.
Title: Re: Flower macros from Royal Botanical Gardens
Post by: Jose L on August 18, 2011, 02:00:04 pm
Para nada subestimo la fotografía macro. Hay que "saber ver" para extraer estos pequeños pedazos de realidad. En tus fotografías me gusta la luz, suave. La definición, muy buena. Y el tratamiento del color, muy correcto. Enhorabuena.
Title: Re: Flower macros from Royal Botanical Gardens
Post by: John R on August 18, 2011, 09:25:35 pm
Love #1 and #3 because both are a bit farther from another flower shot. I love to see taking the original photograph and moving toward a more painterly treatment without the obvious filter effects so often seen. Well done.
Thank you Bill and Jose L. Louoates, thanks and that is exactly what I am leaning to more and more. But really, I have no issues with modest and tasteful use of filters.