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04/19/2021 04:01:51 PM · #26 |
Originally posted by Venser:
My only blue ribbon was a macro shot.
In the description you'll see the original. Normally when I do soap bubbles I mix water, dish soap, and glycerin. Sometimes I add sugar depending on what I'm after. Couldn't give you exact measurements because I just eyeball everything.
What you see in the original is a wire hanger that I'd wrapped in hockey tape. Most thicker, textured, tapes will hold more of the soap mixture to last longer.
Orientation will affect what you see when the film starts to degrade.
In the photo above, it was a horizontal position. If you do the same thing vertically much different patterns emerge. |
Have you ever tried photographing soap bubbles while they freeze. I tried it a few months ago when we had minus 10 degrees celcius. I made a setup in a unheated shed, so no wind. I went out in the early morning (around 4 am) to get the lowest temepratures.
A whole new experience.... now I have to wait until next year to try again.
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04/19/2021 05:34:33 PM · #27 |
Originally posted by P-A-U-L:
Originally posted by hajeka:
Apr 17 - Tiny
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Sorry to jump in uninvited. I am curious about the focus rail you have. I bought a manual one but have yet to use it. I was quite obsessed with insect macro last summer and hoping to get back into it again now so may have something to post here very soon. I do have a dead spider in the garage I have been meaning to photograph but I much prefer live insects and that is not such an easy subject to use a focusing rail I would imagine.
We are very lucky to have  roz in this thread as she is the gyaban of macro |
i feel Barry and everyone else would be very happy to have you here .. and i doubt an invite is required ..
you are an awesome macro photographer .. so any info you could impart i'm sure would be greatly appreciated .. xx
edit to say .. .. that compliment about being the gyaban of macro .. might be one of the very best compliments i've ever received .. :)
Message edited by author 2021-04-19 17:35:48. |
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04/19/2021 05:37:12 PM · #28 |
Originally posted by GeneralE:
Originally posted by roz:
... very happy to share whatever i can ... |
Hey, I finally figured out a way to make them hold still! :-)
 (Minimal-editing compliant) |
hahaha Paul .. thats one way for sure .. !! .. ;) |
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04/19/2021 05:41:28 PM · #29 |
Originally posted by Venser:
My only blue ribbon was a macro shot.
In the description you'll see the original. Normally when I do soap bubbles I mix water, dish soap, and glycerin. Sometimes I add sugar depending on what I'm after. Couldn't give you exact measurements because I just eyeball everything.
What you see in the original is a wire hanger that I'd wrapped in hockey tape. Most thicker, textured, tapes will hold more of the soap mixture to last longer.
Orientation will affect what you see when the film starts to degrade.
In the photo above, it was a horizontal position. If you do the same thing vertically much different patterns emerge. |
totally outstanding shot Chris .. you have to be very dedicated to create the environment you need to capture such an awesome image .. i take my hat off to you and everyone else who does this sort of macro photography ..
i just wander out into the grass or the bush or along the road with my camera and photograph insects .. and btw .. i take a HEAP of shots to get keepers .. ;) |
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04/19/2021 05:45:48 PM · #30 |
Originally posted by willem:
I did some macro work in the past using extension tubes and bellows in between lens and camera, with mixed results.
Earlier in the year I emailed with roz and she explained how she uses the flash. I tried this now a few times and find this makes a huge difference. I use the Nikon SB600 with a diffuser and just set the shutterspeed to 1/250s.
For now, I use a standard 50 mm lens with reversal ring and set the aperture to f16. I can still see the subject and all I have to do is move the camera (handheld) to get the focus where I want it. Just concentrating on this one aspect is challenging enough for now, especially since this setup gives me a huge magnification.
Here is an example.
I will try the flash also with my lensbaby edge lens and macro tubes. This results in a lower magnification so more of the subject in view.
Thanks again to roz for this advice. |
you are so welcome Willem .. its human nature to give .. and if i'm able to give any information about how i get the shots i do then i'm more than happy to do that ..
altho i dont feel that my insect macros are anything to write home about ... especially when i see some AMAZING insect shots in instagram and other places .. so i feel a bit humbled to receive the compliments here .. thankyou .. :) |
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04/19/2021 06:07:26 PM · #31 |
Here's one I originally shot for the Burst of Color challenge. I decided to use a different one.
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04/19/2021 08:38:24 PM · #32 |
Originally posted by roz:
Originally posted by P-A-U-L:
Sorry to jump in uninvited. ... |
i feel Barry and everyone else would be very happy to have you here .. and i doubt an invite is required ..
you are an awesome macro photographer .. so any info you could impart i'm sure would be greatly appreciated .. xx
... |
What roz said Paul ... Thanks for dropping in and please, continue. :-) |
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04/19/2021 08:48:10 PM · #33 |
Cool! Thanks for sharing that. For reference I grabbed a link for anyone curious like I was ==> Helicon Focus
Originally posted by hajeka:
Originally posted by glad2badad:
Ok. Think I'm caught up with comments, etc. Some nice stuff posted already. Keep 'em coming!
Henk - Question for you ... in the notes for the following image you mention focus stacking 17 images. Could you go into some detail here on how that's actually done? Please?
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In my case I'm using Helicon Remote to make the photos and a Stackshot 3X macro rail. After that I use Helicon Focus to create the final image. You have to set the starting point manually and using the software to set the endpoint. After that you can fill in the steps or the number of photos you want to make, press the "Start" button and take a break until the process is finished.
I made a GIF some time ago to illustrate the process for my photo club (we're only allowed to meet online for now). Made with a 60mm macro lens and an 25mm extension tube..
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04/19/2021 09:00:54 PM · #34 |
Originally posted by Venser:
My only blue ribbon was a macro shot.
In the description you'll see the original. Normally when I do soap bubbles I mix water, dish soap, and glycerin. Sometimes I add sugar depending on what I'm after. Couldn't give you exact measurements because I just eyeball everything.
What you see in the original is a wire hanger that I'd wrapped in hockey tape. Most thicker, textured, tapes will hold more of the soap mixture to last longer.
Orientation will affect what you see when the film starts to degrade.
In the photo above, it was a horizontal position. If you do the same thing vertically much different patterns emerge. |
That was very interesting. I've studied your notes and the original image, and honestly, I'm still not certain what I'm looking at in the original. :-} Is the burlap looking material the hockey tape? What is the smooth material the liquid mixture is running down? |
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04/20/2021 01:07:17 AM · #35 |
Originally posted by glad2badad:
Originally posted by Venser:
My only blue ribbon was a macro shot.
In the description you'll see the original. Normally when I do soap bubbles I mix water, dish soap, and glycerin. Sometimes I add sugar depending on what I'm after. Couldn't give you exact measurements because I just eyeball everything.
What you see in the original is a wire hanger that I'd wrapped in hockey tape. Most thicker, textured, tapes will hold more of the soap mixture to last longer.
Orientation will affect what you see when the film starts to degrade.
In the photo above, it was a horizontal position. If you do the same thing vertically much different patterns emerge. |
That was very interesting. I've studied your notes and the original image, and honestly, I'm still not certain what I'm looking at in the original. :-} Is the burlap looking material the hockey tape? What is the smooth material the liquid mixture is running down? |
Yes, the burlap looking material is the hockey tape.
The soap film isn't running down anything. That's the bubble.
The tape is wrapped around a hanger shaped, in my case, like a rectangle. I dunk it in my soap mixture, pull it up, and wait for the soap film to start to get weak. That's when you get these patterns forming. |
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04/20/2021 09:02:12 AM · #36 |
OK you have inspired me to search for critters in the garden and I didn't have to look far to find these yucky flies.
I shot this handheld with the Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro MF which is an amazing macro lens though can be tricky to use.
Will take me a while to perfect my settings again as a bit rusty and it didn't help it being midday sunshine. |
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04/20/2021 10:48:29 AM · #37 |
Originally posted by Venser:
Originally posted by glad2badad:
Originally posted by Venser:
My only blue ribbon was a macro shot.
In the description you'll see the original. Normally when I do soap bubbles I mix water, dish soap, and glycerin. Sometimes I add sugar depending on what I'm after. Couldn't give you exact measurements because I just eyeball everything.
What you see in the original is a wire hanger that I'd wrapped in hockey tape. Most thicker, textured, tapes will hold more of the soap mixture to last longer.
Orientation will affect what you see when the film starts to degrade.
In the photo above, it was a horizontal position. If you do the same thing vertically much different patterns emerge. |
That was very interesting. I've studied your notes and the original image, and honestly, I'm still not certain what I'm looking at in the original. :-} Is the burlap looking material the hockey tape? What is the smooth material the liquid mixture is running down? |
Yes, the burlap looking material is the hockey tape.
The soap film isn't running down anything. That's the bubble.
Oh! Ok, that makes more sense. Thanks. How big is the wire loop then?
The tape is wrapped around a hanger shaped, in my case, like a rectangle. I dunk it in my soap mixture, pull it up, and wait for the soap film to start to get weak. That's when you get these patterns forming. |
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04/20/2021 11:28:59 AM · #38 |
Originally posted by glad2badad:
Oh! Ok, that makes more sense. Thanks. How big is the wire loop then? |
Approximately 7cm x 5cm.
The larger the area, the faster the bubble bursts but you get more dynamic patterns. |
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04/20/2021 02:51:36 PM · #39 |
Apr 20 - Knitting work
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04/21/2021 02:47:10 AM · #40 |
i'm not sure if ppl are that interested in insect macro photography in this thread ..
because that's the only macro i feel confident to do ..
however ..
yesterday morning i went into the grass .. and there was a very small fly ..
i got off a couple of shots and was thinking of entering it in the burst of colour .. but his legs moved too much from one shot to the next and i probably would have got a dq ..
so what better place to put it but here .. !! ..
i'm putting in the two original photos i used in the photographer's comments .. i'm a fair bit further away than usual because being a fly in the middle of the day he probably would have got spooked if i got nearer .. i focus stacked the two photos manually .. i dont use focus stacking software because me or the insects move too much for them to work ..
also its pretty grainy/noisy .. i had put the iso on auto for some photos in a church and had forgotten to change it .. i'm usually on 200iso .. i would have tried to clean it up if i had entered it in a challenge ..
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04/21/2021 03:10:15 AM · #41 |
Originally posted by roz:
i feel Barry and everyone else would be very happy to have you here .. and i doubt an invite is required ..
you are an awesome macro photographer .. so any info you could impart i'm sure would be greatly appreciated .. xx
edit to say .. .. that compliment about being the gyaban of macro .. might be one of the very best compliments i've ever received .. :) |
Thank you roz and you sure deserve that compliment
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04/21/2021 03:21:07 AM · #42 |
One of the game changing additions I made to my macro set up was the use of a twin flash head. I currently use the Canon MT24 but initially had a Yongnuo clone which unfortunately died after a number of weeks. The ability to mold the light from so close to the subject can really make a difference in my opinion. I use this with both the 100mm macro and the 65mm one.
In the first photo the flash heads are not in the correct position - I tend to have them turned so they are really close the front of the lens more like in the second image
I don't bother with the extra diffuser in the second photo as it was too cumbersome and didn't add much to the mix.
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04/21/2021 03:46:35 AM · #43 |
thankyou Paul ..
but i think you are the person who really deserves that compliment ..
dont get me wrong though .. i enjoyed receiving it .. xx
thankyou so much for showing us your setup .. :)
i wish i was more motivated to get better equipment .. the twinlight flash for one .. that alone would be a game changer ..
i dont even know if they make a twinlight for the olympus mirrorless .. i've never checked ..
but motivation aside .. i really like having the small and light setup i have with the olympus mirrorless and 60mm lens .. and recognize it limits my ability to get those extreme close-ups that you can get with your 65mm ..
you are now a magician with that lens . didnt take you long to master it .. will be interested to see what you come up with now you have some warmer weather .. i think you will be blowing us away .. :)
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04/21/2021 04:02:40 AM · #44 |
hey Paul ..
this is what you said on my fly .. and thankyou .. altho i feel its a bit too dirty .. not the fly .. the pic .. !! ..
Originally posted by P-A-U-L:
Superb detail throughout! I love the idea of a fly for burst of colour as burst of colour sounds quite joyful and people often think of flies and dirty and grimey so a nice bright and colourful fly photo would be a very welcome addition.
I don't tend to do focus stacking as the software fails to do a good job and my attempts to do it manually are pretty awful so I tend to try for a single exposure - though I have got lucky a few times and managed to combine a few frames in a stack. With the narrow depth of field of macro, I would like to get better at this skill. |
anyway .. i really like what you said about the fly being good for the burst of colour .. its really unfortunate that they are regarded as pests etc .. if they didnt exist nor would we ... living in harmony is a good plan ... altho having said that they can be really annoying on a hot summer day in australia when its possible to breath one in by accident .. !! .. ;)
anyway .. re the focus stacking ..
do you use a tablet .. i use the wacom intuis pro .. its just like using a pen so you have much more control than you would have with a mouse .. i may be preaching to the converted .. but it never hurts to ask .. |
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04/21/2021 04:07:31 AM · #45 |
Originally posted by roz:
thankyou Paul ..
but i think you are the person who really deserves that compliment ..
dont get me wrong though .. i enjoyed receiving it .. xx
thankyou so much for showing us your setup .. :)
i wish i was more motivated to get better equipment .. the twinlight flash for one .. that alone would be a game changer ..
i dont even know if they make a twinlight for the olympus mirrorless .. i've never checked ..
but motivation aside .. i really like having the small and light setup i have with the olympus mirrorless and 60mm lens .. and recognize it limits my ability to get those extreme close-ups that you can get with your 65mm ..
you are now a magician with that lens . didnt take you long to master it .. will be interested to see what you come up with now you have some warmer weather .. i think you will be blowing us away .. :) |
NO!!! You are the master (mistress sounds odd!)
Yes it is getting warmer now and looking forward to some flowers blooming to attract some bees and wasps to the garden. I am planting a wild flower garden in a corner of the garden to hopefully attract more visitors but just waiting for the frost to bugger off! April and still getting frosty mornings - unbelievable!
I am sure there would be a twin flash for your set up - it just attaches using a standard hot shoe to top of camera then you attach it to the front of the lens. I had to buy a small adapter ring to attach it to the front of some of my lenses but that costs peanuts on ebay.
Whilst the twin flash is superb - it is bloody awkward getting close to some critters if there are branches in the way. I have considered getting the 180mm macro too but I fear I won't be happy with it. |
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04/21/2021 04:20:30 AM · #46 |
Originally posted by roz:
anyway .. re the focus stacking ..
do you use a tablet .. i use the wacom intuis pro .. its just like using a pen so you have much more control than you would have with a mouse .. i may be preaching to the converted .. but it never hurts to ask .. |
I don't use a tablet - though I did buy an Intuos Pen Tablet several years ago to try and do drawing but never really used it. It is just a small one Model PTH-451 - I have not considered it for editing. I will give it a go. |
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04/21/2021 04:21:17 AM · #47 |
Originally posted by roz:
i dont even know if they make a twinlight for the olympus mirrorless .. i've never checked ..
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What about this?
https://www.olympus.co.uk/site/en/c/cameras_accessories/pen_om_d_cameras_accessories/pen_om_d_flash_systems/stf_8/index.html
Not cheap though!! |
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04/21/2021 04:23:50 AM · #48 |
Originally posted by P-A-U-L:
Originally posted by roz:
thankyou Paul ..
but i think you are the person who really deserves that compliment ..
dont get me wrong though .. i enjoyed receiving it .. xx
thankyou so much for showing us your setup .. :)
i wish i was more motivated to get better equipment .. the twinlight flash for one .. that alone would be a game changer ..
i dont even know if they make a twinlight for the olympus mirrorless .. i've never checked ..
but motivation aside .. i really like having the small and light setup i have with the olympus mirrorless and 60mm lens .. and recognize it limits my ability to get those extreme close-ups that you can get with your 65mm ..
you are now a magician with that lens . didnt take you long to master it .. will be interested to see what you come up with now you have some warmer weather .. i think you will be blowing us away .. :) |
NO!!! You are the master (mistress sounds odd!)
Yes it is getting warmer now and looking forward to some flowers blooming to attract some bees and wasps to the garden. I am planting a wild flower garden in a corner of the garden to hopefully attract more visitors but just waiting for the frost to bugger off! April and still getting frosty mornings - unbelievable!
I am sure there would be a twin flash for your set up - it just attaches using a standard hot shoe to top of camera then you attach it to the front of the lens. I had to buy a small adapter ring to attach it to the front of some of my lenses but that costs peanuts on ebay.
Whilst the twin flash is superb - it is bloody awkward getting close to some critters if there are branches in the way. I have considered getting the 180mm macro too but I fear I won't be happy with it. |
we can share the honour if you insist .. ;)
but even planting flowers .. i should motivate myself to do that too .. the grass is awesome .. but flowers would be a great too ..
but the awkward-ness of the twinflash also put me off .. and like you say getting close would sometimes be difficult . and with your 65mm you are very close ..
why dont you rent the 180mm macro and see how you find it .. |
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04/21/2021 04:56:03 AM · #49 |
Originally posted by roz:
OK lets share the honour until some other pesky macro photographer knocks us off our mantel
why dont you rent the 180mm macro and see how you find it .. |
I am never keen on renting as always think the money would have been better put towards the cost of the lens. I could just buy a used one with a good price and sell it on again for a similar price if I don't gel with it. I must check if Canon are still doing the lens hire for free in the UK and if I can do it a second time. |
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04/21/2021 08:23:42 AM · #50 |
A conventional macro subject:
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