Just getting into macro and this is my first post. Shot on a tripod with Nikon d7100 + Nikkor 105mm, 2.8 at ISO100, f/22, 1/320s with flash to shut out ambient light. Comments pro and con are welcome. Aside from cleaning up a couple of spots on the blossom, this image is SOOC.
Very good, and welcome! I like also that your signature matches the flower. That is a nice touch.
Thanks Mark...have to color coordinate those signatures...
I'm glad to see some more flower pics here. I think they are fascinating. Very nice shot.
Thanks Bob.
You'd think living in Florida I would find lots of insects to shoot. But so far, I haven't. Maybe not looking in the right spots. Flower photography is my passion.
You might want to consider joining the The Exploration of Digital Artistry group on UHH. Lots of flower photos. Some styles I like more than others, but all are interesting and well done.
Took a look and it is, for the most part, not to my liking. That caused me to take a look at the Closeup group and I found that more to my liking and subscribed. Thanks for the suggestion.
I do have a few suggestions:
1.) Small aperture diffraction will markedly erode your Image Quality (IQ) at f/22 or smaller. For single image captures (non-stacking), I strongly suggest that you shoot at f/16;
2.) This image could very well have been captured
hand-held, allowing much more flexibility on your part for composition, angle-to-flower, etc.
3.) Diffused speedlight illumination will soften shadow edges, and lighten the shadows (this will require an increase in speedlight output);
4.) A true 1:1 magnification macro-photograph is captured with lens set to
Minimum Focusing Distance. This image looks more like a close-up rather than MFD.
and a few questions:
a.) Which speedlight are you using?
b.) Was your lens set to MFD?
c.) You already own the major components for excellent macro-photography. Are you considering adding a bracket, a softbox diffuser, a ball-mount extender, & a TTL cord?
Read more here:
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-32754-5.html#2585532
Thanks for all the interesting suggestions. The MFD for the 105mm 2.8 Nikkor is 12 inches. Unfortunately I was not able to position my tripod to get a shot at 12 inches so moved it back to about 18 inches or perhaps a bit less. My flash is a Nikon SB-700 fired on manual at 1/8 power mounted to the camera's hot shoe. I also used the stock diffuser mounted to the light. I agree with your suggestion of hand holding to get a different perspective. In this case I was experimenting to see if I could get the entire image in focus without the need to stack. I think I was successful in that regard. Next time out I'll experiment with a variety of f/stops. Lots to learn about this genre. Again, thanks for your comments.
Bunkershot wrote:
The MFD for the 105mm 2.8 Nikkor is 12 inches.
Focusing Distance is measured from sensor plane to subject; Working Distance is measured from lens front element to subject.
Macro-photographers are more concerned with Minimum Working Distance to acheive 1:1 magnification, than MFD. (A Nikkor 105mm macro lens has a MWD of 157-mm = 6.2-inches)
Your Nikon SB-700 with a 6x8-inch softbox diffuser is capable of macro illumination. The SB-600 and the SB-700 are the same size.
Nikon SB-600 & Softbox Diffuser
Nikonian72 wrote:
Focusing Distance is measured from sensor plane to subject; Working Distance is measured from lens front element to subject.
So, if my lens is 4.6 inches long and the Minimum Focus Distance is 12 inches, then I should be able to put the front of my lens 7.4 inches from the subject and have it in focus. I just tested that and I got a measurement of roughly 7 inches from the front of the lens, which would be the Minimum Working Distance. My working distance yesterday was something less than 18-inches; clearly a Close Up, not a Macro.
Thanks, I just learned something. That's what I love about this forum.
Bunkershot wrote:
My working distance yesterday was something less than 18-inches; clearly a Close Up, not a Macro.
It is a nice photo though. Well done. Macro is hard,but a lot of fun.
Bunkershot wrote:
You'd think living in Florida I would find lots of insects to shoot. But so far, I haven't. Maybe not looking in the right spots. Flower photography is my passion.
hey hey, gotta start somewhere, welcome to the asylum, the longer your in this hobby the more bugs you'll start seeing, (you'll also see a lot of bird poop after you get the shots in the computer
) adding a flash and getting the camera off the tripod will increase your keeper rate by a large margin.
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