Albuqshutterbug Loc: Albuquerque NM

Playing with angles and f stop. Trying to get my angles flatter for better focus.

Housefly

(Download)

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

The perfect focal plane really gives your macros depth. The more tangent the subject is to your lens, the better the illusion of Depth of Field. Regardless of all this, you still have to nail the focus on the eye to make the photo. In combination with focal plane, this is the key. Easier said then done, but as with all Macro: practice, practice, practice. As for aperture f/14 to f/22 works well. Now which one of these apertures works Best with Low ISO, at most ISO 200, as any higher your photos degrades much more than diffraction from using apertures above f/16. I use f/16 simply because my flash is mounted on top of my camera and any aperture smaller than f/16 and lower than ISO 200, my flash requires near full strength. At f/16, ISO 200, & 1/200-sec, my flash works well at about half power and recharges as fast as I need. In all it's a combination of these three elements that will work best For you. It takes a while to perfect, and then you will find yourself changing again as you gain experience. Just this morning I'm in the process of changing my diffusion, after using the same for a year now. One of the reasons I love macro, there is always room for improvement, just depends how anal you are depends on how far you will go. I'm pretty anal.

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

Well said-- and an extremely important point regarding macro. Assuming the technical stuff is "correct", the "focal plane rule" is the "golden rule" of macro.
And then there's practice, practice, practice..and having something compelling/interesting to shoot--and that is everywhere around us.

CraigFair Loc: Santa Maria, CA.

This is the best description I've read yet on 'settings for Macro Photography'. Thank you fstop22.
By the way a typically great shot by Albuqshutterbug. He has a real feel for the Art.
Craig

Nikonian72 Loc: Chico CA

This topic, and others related to macro-photography, are discussed here:
Frequently Asked Questions & Answers Concerning Macro-Photography
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-36372-1.html

Albuqshutterbug Loc: Albuquerque NM

Thanks Fstop . I had nothing I could use for support on this shot and only had the one opportunity. He was gone with first flash and I knew I had not been hard on the eyes but concentrating on getting the angle flat without running him away. It's all starting to come around slowly but surely. And I will keep posting my experiments as I go along. Thanks for the comments that's how we learn. shoot, shoot, post, get beat up, shoot, shoot, post.. ;)

Albuqshutterbug Loc: Albuquerque NM

Amen
:thumbup: