9 posts tagged “macro photography”
I often think that there is a misconception out there that photography as an art form is easy, especially as there is an excellent range of cameras which do a remarkably good job even set to auto where we can just shoot away to our heart’s content. Now, it’s true, in my opinion, that the top of the range digital cameras do a fantastic job but I also feel that the photographer needs to know what they are trying to actually achieve in the photograph and it is another form of art after all where the person looking through the lens has to consider composition, lighting, focal point, background, colour, texture, mood, personality, focus etc before pressing the shutter. You will understand that I’m not talking about quick snapshots in this article but photography as an art form.
I have included this post due to my current photography competition which I am running entitled “New Year Garden Guests” which is open to amateur photographers like myself . I am not a photography expert but I do have professional training in art and design. I thought that these examples I am about to show you and discuss might give you some tips and inspiration for the competition.
Ok, this is a real example of a mini photo shoot I had with a garden guest
- the fantastic stick mantid which has personality plus! I have only
ever seen two and this series is from my second sighting and he
appeared quite out of the blue when I was in the bathroom, believe it
or not, and I happened to see him on the outside of the window. Now, I
have to confess at this point that I am particularly “obsessed”
with any form of wildlife in my garden since I purchased my camera and
it has opened up a whole new world that I never knew existed to the
point where I do not want to weed my yard for fear of killing some of
these critters I have photographed. How’s that for the ultimate excuse
in not working in the garden!
Shot 1 is the very first photograph I took (outside my bathroom window) simply to show you that this is a real photo shoot. This is what I consider a to be a “snap shot” and a picture that is taken quickly, without any thought, simply to capture the moment or evidence of what you saw. The only bonus is that he happens to be looking right at the camera. I was using an additional macro lens to take these photographs.
Shot 2 is an improvement as I have
zoomed in to get rid of the ugly, unnatural background of the window
but there is still the ugly brick background with some strong shadows
which detract from the mantid. He is looking up at the camera which is
good and his head is a focal point but still not the ideal shot.
In "When it's Safe to Cross", my stick friend started to travel away from the window, onto the concrete path. This shot has some interest as he is crossing from a man made environment to more natural environment and there is a bit of character about him, pausing to reflect which way he will go, like crossing a road, so I called it “When It’s Safe to Cross”. This is where you can introduce personality into your shots and come up with some clever titles to express the moment. I have also slightly darkened the background which detracted from the insect and created a soft halo around the mantid’s face.
Shot 4 I love for many reasons - the detail of this wonderfully prehistoric looking creature and he appears to be washing his face with his tiny talons or whatever they actually are. I love the composition as he is placed diagonally across the frame and again off centre. The background is soft and natural, making the stick mantid really pop out and that eye just seems to be looking at you the whole time.
I hope you have found this helpful and what I didn’t mention before was patience and having lots of it while you wait and wait for the critters to get into different positions without scaring them. This guy just LOVED the camera though and was so slow moving that he was a great model! I took lots of shots from many different angles as well which you simply must do - try profile, from above, down low, close-up etc. One thing I never ever do is to remove a creature from their natural environment for the sake of a photograph - if it’s not meant to be then there will be other days.
Remember, if you want to enter the “New Year Garden Guests” Photo Competition please sign up for my Newsletter (look for the chimp on the side bars of my website). You will also get 3 free wallpapers to download and lots of other tips and goodies in the newsletter plus more info about the competition, the prizes, closing date etc.
I have always loved dragonflies but have never been able to get up-close & personal with them until I started photographing them using a macro lens. I really adore this lens and taking shots with it is my favourite passion in my photographic endeavours. As an artist, I get such a buzz when I look at the macro images on my computer screen and visually indulge in the patterns, textures and colours nature has to offer. It doesn’t get any better than this and it is also very educational as I am learning about all the creatures with whom I share my garden. Here are a few of the dragonflies and damselflies I have managed to capture so far.
I have entered photographs for the first time to JPG Magazine in categories "Fresh" and "Man's Intervention"
Vote for Dew Drop on Allamanda Vote for Nature's Ash Tray
Many thanks, Lesley
I spotted this butterfly in the garden when I was feeding the comets early this morning and I sprinted into the house to grab my camera. I ended up chasing this butterfly all over my garden before she finally rested on a leaf. (I'm sure my neighbours must think that I am a bit of a freak!) In my photography experience, to date, it is so rare for a butterfly to land, let alone sit for any reasonable length of time to actually take a decent photograph. I couldn't believe what I was seeing and while this magnificent creature was resting, I managed to take quite a few shots of her... very rewarding.
I am enjoying three weeks holiday at the moment and I have had the chance to get out and about as an artist and photographer for awhile. I visited a local ’spot’ that I had read about which is about a ten minute drive from my house. This place is beautiful and is off the beaten track in the Redlands area of Brisbane. This place has been featured on TV and in magazines so I thought I had better go and check it out!
Now, I have to explain at this point that I am an art teacher who spends most of her time with her students in her art room and this is my first time in about a decade since I have gone out on a “photo shoot” so I was feeling a bit apprehensive about taking photos in a public place especially as I am still learning the “art of photography”. Pushing my fears aside, I packed my camera gear including lenses, tripod and a freshly recharged battery, sketch book, pens, nibblies and drink, cash, etc and set off on my photographic journey….
When I arrived, there were very few people around which was good and
as I was taking all of my photographic equipment out from the boot of
my car, I thought that there must be an easier way of carrying all this
gear - the dear old tripod for instance, is a necessary evil but does
not make for easy trekking through bushland!
This is what I saw once I stepped into this beautiful oasis … a garden area by a lily pond and covered multifunction area for Wedding receptions, concerts, guest speakers etc.
As I started to wander through this “nature’s paradise”my first thoughts were “what a spectacular setting to get married in”. If my husband and I could do it all over again this is definitely where it would be. Throughout my wanderings I could hear a cacophony of bird and nature sounds which is a sign that I was a guest in a very special wildlife habitat.
This place is enchanting and very special and as the day progressed I got more confident with my photography to the point where the surroundings took over and other people were incidental.
Here are some of my favourite photos which I took:
I was getting hungry and decided to have a break for a short while -
this was my view from where I sat on a
wooden seat, sipping my
milkshake and munching my cookies.
Feeling recharged after lunch I retraced my steps to where I had seen
some interesting flowers but I got sidetracked and saw the most amazing
animals I have ever come across, grazing in a neighbouring paddock. I
had seen these animals when I first arrived but they were over the far
side and I thought that they were horses. They had obviously decided to
try the grass at the other side and luck was on my side as I quickly
swapped lenses to capture these gorgeous animals.
I have never seen alpacas in the flesh and at first they struck me as looking like camels, only smaller and cuter. There were two white and one brown one in the field. They were surrounded by a wire fence but allowed me to get very close with my camera and did not seem phased, infact, the brown alpaca was a real ’show off’ and he just “knew” that he was being photographed and did the whole head tilt thing and every time my camera focus noise beeped, he would adopt a new pose. I totally fell in love with him and I want an alpaca in our back yard - boy do they munch grass big time and huge mouthfuls at a time are devoured. You just never know what wildlife you will encounter and this was a magnificent bonus. I have one more surprise left though …
I was feeling very weary from all my photographic encounters and after taking a few more shots of flowers on my way out, I decided to head off home. On my way down I caught site of an animal moving in a property on the left-hand side and pulled over to get a closer look. Facing me in the distance was a red-necked wallaby. I grabbed my camera and tried to get as close to him as I could but it was private property. I took a few steps closer and he was perfectly still, looking straight at me so I grabbed a few shots and then he bounded off - this photo is not very good quality but it was the perfect ending to a fabulous day.
Can anyone help me identify this insect? I took this photograph today and the bug was on a palm frond in my yard. It looked much flatter than a wasp or bee and more moth like in silhouette. I am in the Redlands area of Brisbane, Australia.
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Macro photography is addictive but quite hard work to zoom in on tiny flowers and insects whilst trying to focus and keep the camera steady, not to mention that the tiny critters are liable to move or fly off just as you are about to press the shutter! Wind is also another problem as I found out and any slight movement will cause a blurry shot.
I'd love to hear from anyone in the group who has an interest in macro photography and is willing to share their knowledge with me as I am a complete beginner in this area. Also, I would love some postings of any nature macro shots in the "Wildlife Photographers & Artists group".
This website not only has a stunning range of photographs to view but they also run a monthly photo contest with lots of different categories and prizes to win. From the site -
"Win one of several cool prizes by entering our monthly photo contest!
This Month's Theme for April: April Showers which applies only to the "Monthly Theme" category.
The deadline for this month's contest is 12:00 Midnight, Pacific time on Monday, April 30, 2007
Anyone can participate. Regardless of whether you are a professional or an amateur, a digital shooter or a film lover, an outdoor enthusiastic or a studio photographer, you can enter the contest. You can submit one photo per day, regardless of which category you place it in. You can only submit a given photo once - into one category - per any given contest month.
Images will be judged on overall photographic and artistic quality. Best of all, this contest is FREE! There are absolutely no entry fees... so enter today! Need another incentive? We have very cool prizes too!
* The Grand Prize winner gets a Deluxe BetterPholio™.
* First Place winners receive a Tamrac Sling Pack.
* Second Place winners receive a Premium BetterPholio™
Contest categories:
Nature & Landscapes/Animals/People/Elements of Design/Digital Darkroom/Travel & Place/Flowers/Details & Macro/Catch-All/Monthly Theme"
Link to the site where you can see all the finalists and winners in all the categories: http://www.betterphoto.com./contest/winners/0702.asp
Winners in my favourite categories:
TOP: Animals MIDDLE: Flowers BOTTOM: Details & Macro
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