macro flowers

[rdking647]

all taken with 60mm nikon macro lens,handheld


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[TxPhotoShooter]

I like #2. And on #1, I wish there was just a tad more depth.

[rdking647]

its one of my first macro attempts. I let the camera autofocus,but maybe manual focus would be better??.
macro is something im very interested in learning

[TheFantasticG]

Manual focus is better 95% of the time, and essential at the 1:1 ratio.

You should also look into some flash options as that way you can boost upto 1/250 w/FP on the SB-600, 700, 800, or 900, to eliminate some of that shakiness type blur.

[tomhooper]

Good first attempts. Really like the last shot with the droplet. When shooting macro, I think you'll find that you get better results if you manual focus. AF just can't compensate at that focal distance. If you don't want to use artificial light, try to position yourself and maybe some type of reflector so that you get good illumination. If you can shoot at 1/125 -1/500 sec, you'll get better result. When using my Twin Lites, I start at f/11 and 1/250. This is with a 100mm macro lens. I adjust from there depending on the results. You just have to come up with what works best for you and remember, macro photography is dependent on the 3P's: Practice, practice, practice.
Keep on shooting.

One other thing, your meta-data has been stripped. If you include shooting info it sometimes helps people make suggestions.

[rdking647]

im just posting them from my flickr page.. if there a way to have post from flickr with teh meta data?

[tomhooper]

Jeff, I really don't know. My shots are hosted on my own personal webpage so I don't have that problem. I think you can upload pictures to this website and link to them there. If you do that the meta-data will probably remain. Not sure though so you might check with the gallery section. Also if you process with Photoshop and use the "Save for Web" function, it strips the info before saving.

[rdking647]

test of trying to get flickr metadata

[tml]

Great beginning. You will get many wonderful advices from the generous folks on this forum. I personally prefer manual focus, lock my elbows to my chest,and adjust my waist incrementally to finalize the focal point. However, a tripod would help out a whole lot! Have fun and keep on shooting a lot.

Tri

[jfoureyes]

Hand held macro is not easy without lots of light and high shutter speed...either camera or subject movement will blur the shot pretty easy. I use a tripod on all of my photos and use natural light usually early in the morning when the wind is not blowing. The best way to learn is to shoot as much as you can and understand what you do right and what you are doing wrong...good luck and have fun!

[DigitalScape]

+1 to all the good advise you have gotten from the others. I like the second image - the shadow of the stamen gives the image some depth. It needs a little more light/exposure. Just keep practicing.

[Kenj8246]

Like your first frame best but would've preferred more rule of thirds composition, Jeff. Keep at it, macro takes lots and lots of practice. I shot tons of hibiscus shots, there's just so much of interest in those blooms.

[tomhooper]

While macro shots of flowers may not be as "sexy" as bugs, they do provide very good practice subjects. Macro studies of the many parts of the flowers, buds, and even the fruit, can be very interesting. It also lets you get used to close-up focusing, exposure, and lighting, without having to chase a moving target. I would venture to guess that most of us who shoot a majority of macro shots "cut our teeth" on flowers. I know I did.

[ttusa]

Such georgeous details on #1!

[rjbell]

Love the colors in #2! I wish my hibiscus hadn't been killed off in one of last years freezes.