I was grocery shopping with my wife, when we saw the flower display in the corner . I could not pass up taking a few shots. It may be weird, but I always carry one of my DSLRs with me. I am never without a camera. This day I had my Nikon D7000 with my newly acquired 105mm Macro lens.
The sensor size of your Nikon D7000 is 23.6-mm x 15.6-mm. At 1:1 magnification (life-size), that means it can only record an item smaller than 1-inch across (25.4-mm). You need to move closer (to Minimum Focusing Distance) in order to capture a true macro-photograph.
Here is a crop of your image #1, to approximately 1:1 magnification (life-size). If you set your lens switch to Manual Focus, and turn focusing collar to Minimum Focusing Distance, you should see a Field-of-View quite similar to this.
Here is the Exif info of your image #1. You will find available light, especially open shade or indoor ambient light, to be very difficult for macro-photography. Large apertures provide frustratingly narrow Depth-of-Field, as can be seen in the crop above. And your camera's flash will not offer much illumination for macro work. For best DoF, you should be using f/16. To eliminate camera movement, you should use a shutter duration SHORTER than your focal length. To reduce digital noise, you should set your camera no higher than ISO 400 (100 or 200 preferred). ALL of these problems are solved by using diffused speedlight illumination.
Camera Model: NIKON D7000
Image Date: 2014-10-04
Focal Length: 105.0mm
Aperture: f/3.2
Exposure Time: 0.017 s (1/60-sec)
ISO equiv: 800
Exposure Bias: none
Metering Mode: Matrix
White Balance: Auto
Flash Fired: Yes
Very nice close up shots though :thumbup:
Thank you for your honest answer and critique. That is what I need to understand and be more involved in my new venture of photography. I shall do my very best to apply the techniques you have offered. The photo was not in a very convenient place to set up and take still shots (Crowded and busy super market) However I did my best to compose and photograph the flowers. I could see the DoF was very shallow and it was not easy to keep the camera still. (my reason/ or excuse if you may ) Thank you again Nikonian72.
Thank you for looking and your kind comment, flyextreme
hobbycam wrote:
The photo was not in a very convenient place to set up and take still shots . . .
"Inconvenient" situations are quite typical for macro-photography.
Nikonian72 wrote:
"Inconvenient" situations are quite typical for macro-photography.
Contorted positions are too ;)
I have noticed Nikonian72 { LOL }
Thank you
I have done that also, flyextreme
some people think I am nuts ( G )
Maybe not macro but I like your colors and composition. With your macro lens at minimum focusing distance you will be able to not only photograph a flower but also look closely at the inside of a flower. Many times you will find the inside also has flower images as well.
You won't get any better advice from people on this forum like Douglass and Bill (flyextreme) and others. They really know their stuff.
If you don't already have a good flash and a diffuser such as the 6"x8" by Fotodiox you probably will soon.
I see you are in Central CA. Where are you exactly if you don't mind me asking and possibly we could meet up and do some shooting. I am in the Santa Barbara area.
Thank you Dennis2146, I really appreciate your comment and advice. I live in central Cal, by Yosemite Nation Park. Santa Barbara is a tad down the hill, LOL
hobbycam wrote:
Thank you Dennis2146, I really appreciate your comment and advice. I live in central Cal, by Yosemite Nation Park. Santa Barbara is a tad down the hill, LOL
Yes, it is a bit south from you. You have a great place to take photos right near you though. Actually, come to think of it, don't we all have great photographic opportunities near us. Good luck with your photography.
Thank you Dennis, it was nice to have your invite :-) I really appreciate it. Since I relocated here 32 years ago, I have made Yosemite my Canvas, i love it :-)
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