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DPChallenge Forums >> Side Challenges and Tournaments >> Side Challenge : Macro
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04/16/2021 04:30:01 PM · #1
This is the posting thread for Macro side challenge (April 2021) photos.

Will let this run for about two weeks, thru 4/30/2021. Have fun and let's see 'em!

No worries if you haven't "signed up" … just jump in. :-)

Participants:
glad2badad
pgirish007
jomari
GinaRothfels
crik
efaulk
roz
hajeka
GeneralE
P-A-U-L
Venser
willem

edit to update participant list

Message edited by author 2021-04-19 21:09:27.
04/16/2021 04:34:15 PM · #2
Subjects ... anything you want (as long as it's legit for this site).
Method ... macro lens, extension tubes, reversed lens, etc.

I'd love to see and hear about your methods of obtaining good macro images. Please share. :-)

I hope that if you've never dabbled in macro photography that you'll feel comfortable coming in here and giving it a try, or just sit by if you want to watch and ask questions.
04/16/2021 07:21:04 PM · #3
received this pm from Barry ..

"Hi roz! I have to invite you to be our local resident expert and tutor. If you can jump in that would be AWESOME! :-)
Side challenge posting thread ==> here.
TTYL
Barry


very happy to share whatever i can .. <3
04/16/2021 09:15:22 PM · #4
Hi roz, thanks for dropping in!

Curious, I looked at what gear you're using and see 60mm and 100mm macro lens listed; do you use those straight-up or do you use any extension tubes? You get very close to the insects you shoot, or at least it appears that way. :-)

I took this shot recently for a challenge using a 55mm macro lens. This has a 1:1 ratio and I also have extension tubes that I could add, although I haven't played with the tubes much and it's been years.



04/16/2021 11:43:02 PM · #5
Originally posted by glad2badad:

Hi roz, thanks for dropping in!

Curious, I looked at what gear you're using and see 60mm and 100mm macro lens listed; do you use those straight-up or do you use any extension tubes? You get very close to the insects you shoot, or at least it appears that way. :-)

I took this shot recently for a challenge using a 55mm macro lens. This has a 1:1 ratio and I also have extension tubes that I could add, although I haven't played with the tubes much and it's been years.



hey Barry ..
i love the 5D series full frame for the quality and smoothness of the resulting images .. but i got over the size and weight .. so i went to mirrorless ..

whatever camera i'm using .. when i go looking for insects to photograph i always have the flash on .. i dont always have to use it . but i'd say most of my photos of insects are taken using flash .. the sto-fen diffuser is always on for insects and ppl shots too .. i adjust the way the flash is pointing depending on the available light as well ..

using the 5D for insects i would sometimes use extension tubes .. but not always .. because when you have an extension tube on and you see a shot you want to take thats not macro you'd have to remove the extension tube .. then the shot is often gone .. anyway . the extension tube info is on my profile page as well ..

but to make it easier for anyone who want to know ..
copy and paste from my profile page .. "Kenko do a set of three extension tubes which i use in different combinations .. the Canon100mm macro lens without the tubes is great too depending on the size of the insect .. " .. also the extension tubes can be used in different combinations ..
there's the 36mm, 20mm and 12mm .. you could use all three at once .. or say the 36mm and the 12mm .. or the 20mm and the 12mm .. whatever floats your boat .. ;)

using the mirrorless olympus omd em1 mk3 with the 60mm macro lens there isnt the option to use extension tubes as far as i know ..
its a weird lens to use as well .. as there is a little dial on the side which you change depending on whether you want to shoot close-up/macro or further away ..
to shoot 1:1 you literally have to hold the dial in position .. which is a real pain .. like if you were wanting to hold a leaf or blade of grass so it didnt move in the wind you'd need three hands .. so thats a downside ..

i do often shoot further away just so i can crop later .. that way i get more of the insect in focus .. the closer you are the less is in focus .
i do focus stack when i have the option .. but many of the insects i shoot arent still for long ..
but i do try and shoot many shots if the insect doesnt move focusing on different parts of its body so i can focus stack later .. i manually focus stack because i'm not using a tripod or monopod so the slightest movement by me means any of the software that can do the focus stack for you wont work ..
i do love the shallow dof .. and so its a trade-off between having that lovely shallow dof or getting more of an insect in focus straight off ..

depending on what environment you are shooting in makes a lot of difference too .. if i'm in the grass and the 'background' is close .. if i up the aperture to f11 or whatever rather than the f4 or f5.6 thats my usual . then i'll get so much busy-ness in the background and it makes less pleasing image .. to shoot for example f11 for the insect and then change the aperture for a more shallow dof to say f4 .. to combine those two images would be a real pain .. some may be able to achieve it but not me ..
however .. if the background is further away you can achieve a lovely shallow dof with an aperture of f11 or even more .. and have more of the insect in focus than if you were at f4 etc ..

maybe what i've said here could be helpful ..
i could go on .. and on .. and on .. lol ..

anyway .. i just put both my canon 5Dmk4 with the 100mm macro lens and the flash ... and the olympus omd em1 mk3 with the 60mm lens and the flash on the ground and took photos .. ppl can compare the size .. the weight difference is quite a bit too ..

i've put the kenko extension tubes there too ... you can see the dial on the olympus 60mm macro lens too ..



Message edited by author 2021-04-16 23:46:45.
04/17/2021 05:28:38 AM · #6
I'll jump in. Gifted myself an electrical macro rail last year, which is really fun to play with.
04/17/2021 02:41:57 PM · #7
Apr 17 - Tiny

04/17/2021 03:17:47 PM · #8
Don't needle me about this... Even pollen gets stuck on the cactus.



Message edited by author 2021-04-17 16:04:43.
04/18/2021 01:50:21 PM · #9
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)

Message edited by author 2021-04-18 13:51:36.
04/18/2021 02:13:18 PM · #10
Originally posted by roz:

Originally posted by glad2badad:

Hi roz, thanks for dropping in!

Curious, I looked at what gear you're using and see 60mm and 100mm macro lens listed; do you use those straight-up or do you use any extension tubes? You get very close to the insects you shoot, or at least it appears that way. :-)

I took this shot recently for a challenge using a 55mm macro lens. This has a 1:1 ratio and I also have extension tubes that I could add, although I haven't played with the tubes much and it's been years.



hey Barry ..
i love the 5D series full frame for the quality and smoothness of the resulting images .. but i got over the size and weight .. so i went to mirrorless ..

whatever camera i'm using .. when i go looking for insects to photograph i always have the flash on .. i dont always have to use it . but i'd say most of my photos of insects are taken using flash .. the sto-fen diffuser is always on for insects and ppl shots too .. i adjust the way the flash is pointing depending on the available light as well ..

using the 5D for insects i would sometimes use extension tubes .. but not always .. because when you have an extension tube on and you see a shot you want to take thats not macro you'd have to remove the extension tube .. then the shot is often gone .. anyway . the extension tube info is on my profile page as well ..

but to make it easier for anyone who want to know ..
copy and paste from my profile page .. "Kenko do a set of three extension tubes which i use in different combinations .. the Canon100mm macro lens without the tubes is great too depending on the size of the insect .. " .. also the extension tubes can be used in different combinations ..
there's the 36mm, 20mm and 12mm .. you could use all three at once .. or say the 36mm and the 12mm .. or the 20mm and the 12mm .. whatever floats your boat .. ;)

using the mirrorless olympus omd em1 mk3 with the 60mm macro lens there isnt the option to use extension tubes as far as i know ..
its a weird lens to use as well .. as there is a little dial on the side which you change depending on whether you want to shoot close-up/macro or further away ..
to shoot 1:1 you literally have to hold the dial in position .. which is a real pain .. like if you were wanting to hold a leaf or blade of grass so it didnt move in the wind you'd need three hands .. so thats a downside ..

i do often shoot further away just so i can crop later .. that way i get more of the insect in focus .. the closer you are the less is in focus .
i do focus stack when i have the option .. but many of the insects i shoot arent still for long ..
but i do try and shoot many shots if the insect doesnt move focusing on different parts of its body so i can focus stack later .. i manually focus stack because i'm not using a tripod or monopod so the slightest movement by me means any of the software that can do the focus stack for you wont work ..
i do love the shallow dof .. and so its a trade-off between having that lovely shallow dof or getting more of an insect in focus straight off ..

depending on what environment you are shooting in makes a lot of difference too .. if i'm in the grass and the 'background' is close .. if i up the aperture to f11 or whatever rather than the f4 or f5.6 thats my usual . then i'll get so much busy-ness in the background and it makes less pleasing image .. to shoot for example f11 for the insect and then change the aperture for a more shallow dof to say f4 .. to combine those two images would be a real pain .. some may be able to achieve it but not me ..
however .. if the background is further away you can achieve a lovely shallow dof with an aperture of f11 or even more .. and have more of the insect in focus than if you were at f4 etc ..

maybe what i've said here could be helpful ..
i could go on .. and on .. and on .. lol ..



WOW! Can't believe that is "all" you use. I thought you had some "serious" lenses. Your work is outstanding anyway, but achieving it with "just" that type of equipment is mind blowing.
And the flash ... it obviously works for you, but I am surprised that you get enough light on your subject and don't get shadows from your lens. Have you never used the ring flash that goes onto the lens?
04/18/2021 02:37:14 PM · #11
Apr 18 - Condensation

04/18/2021 05:56:11 PM · #12
Originally posted by kasaba:


WOW! Can't believe that is "all" you use. I thought you had some "serious" lenses. Your work is outstanding anyway, but achieving it with "just" that type of equipment is mind blowing.
And the flash ... it obviously works for you, but I am surprised that you get enough light on your subject and don't get shadows from your lens. Have you never used the ring flash that goes onto the lens?


hey Gabby ..
well i'm blushing here .. i just went to look in the mirror to see .. lol .. ;)

both the flash i use with the canon macro setup and the olympus setup work pretty much the same ..
like i said i use a diffuser which lessens the affect of shadows ..
when i was only using canon i looked into both the ring and twin light flashes .. and knew i could get much better results with lighting but decided to stay with what i have .. i do like to 'travel' light .. and small if possible .. so i work around the limitations ..
and getting enough light onto my subjects has never been a problem .. both those flashes put out a really good light .. i am constantly adjusting the exposure of the flash .. which i can do on camera with both canon and olympus .. and also adjusting where the flash is pointing which can make a huge difference in the exposure on your subject ..

anyway .. thankyou .. its always good to hear a compliment .. !! .. <3

oh ps to say ..
i dont get shadows on my subject from the lens as the lens doesnt extend out far enough to create that problem ..
for a short time i tried the Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro Photo Lens .. but as you focus closer the lens extends and it did create a shadow .. so you'd need the twinlight flash .. so i sold that lens .. :)

Message edited by author 2021-04-18 18:03:55.
04/18/2021 05:56:59 PM · #13
Hi roz - Sorry, I was in a hurry and totally missed the details on your profile page that would have answered many of my questions. However, I am glad that you reposted the info here. Very helpful! Thanks.

I was away most of the weekend on a camping trip with the Scouts so I'm behind everyone else on posting and comments. I'll catch up.

I did bring my Sony A6000 with the M42 Sears 55mm macro lens and grabbed a couple shots in the campground yesterday ... as follows.

- not sure what this was on the table, and really not sure I want to know. There were several of them. Let's just say I kept my food away from anything like this!

- again, on the picnic table in the campsite.
04/18/2021 06:04:33 PM · #14
a lot of blushing going on .. !! .. ;)
04/18/2021 06:50:28 PM · #15


This fly species place eggs into the leaves of plants. The resulting larvae produce tunnels in the leaf as they feed. Commonly reffered to as Leafminers.
04/18/2021 08:34:42 PM · #16
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?

04/18/2021 09:24:56 PM · #17
Some DPC links that relate to this side challenge. Enjoy!

Link #1
Link #2
Link #3
04/18/2021 10:29:20 PM · #18
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)


Fascinating! Short of inviting them over for a drink, how do you keep 'em still?
04/19/2021 11:21:03 AM · #19
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?



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..

04/19/2021 11:21:14 AM · #20
Originally posted by hajeka:

Apr 17 - Tiny



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
04/19/2021 11:35:26 AM · #21
Originally posted by P-A-U-L:



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


Roz is indeed the gyaban of macro :) Never tried the focus rail outside yet (bought it in the winter and it is just getting spring). Helicon Remote has a kind of burst mode, but my camera is not supported yet (but it will come, although they didn't say when), so I don't expect much of it outside. Trying to develop some software for it myself, but that's more out of curiosity, not sure if it will ever be a useful thing.
04/19/2021 02:42:41 PM · #22
Apr 19 - Grape hyacinth

04/19/2021 03:21:14 PM · #23

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.

04/19/2021 03:45:46 PM · #24
Thanks for the recipe Venser. Definitely something I want to try.
04/19/2021 03:56:33 PM · #25
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.
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