For anybody who loves aviation phtography, or simply viewing aircraft..the regular shows put on by The Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden Aerodrome in Bedfordshire are unsurpassed.
The orientation of many air shows makes you look straight into the sun all day which is hardly comfortable and is disastrous for photography. At Old Warden, the sun is always just off to the right and moves behind as the day progresses, which is great indeed. Not only that but they put on special evening air displays where the flying doesn't begin until 4 or 5 pm so, weather gods permitting, you are guaranteed quality light.
At most shows the crowd line is so far back from the display line you need a pair of binos to see anything...not here. The aircraft fly spectacularly close to the crowd and as many are slow and very agile they can twist and turn in a small airspace to give you views from all angles, for unique photos. In fact many shots end up looking like they were taken from another aircraft rather than from the ground.
The collection has some unique and amazing machines of its own and private collectors often attend with their own warbirds, like the glorious Hurricane Mk2 and Harvard that appeared for this display.
What's more , its a friendly and intimate place, devoid of big barriers and jobsworth security. You can find yourself having a coffee with a display pilot or watching mechanics prepare a machine for flight....even the canteen is nice and sensibly priced.
If you love aviation you owe it to yourself to visit. All air displays should be this good!
Tuesday 6 October 2009
Saturday 12 September 2009
Black Darter on a windy day
Having been dragged out of bed by work at a very uncivil hour today I thought I owed it to myself to go for a walk in the late afternoon and try a bit of macro shooting at Moors Valley, just up the road. Although a lovely day it was really quite windy and this made accurate composition, focus and getting a steady subject, rather tricky.
I found very little and packed up the camera and flash after a while, deciding to walk to an area of the park I'd never been to. I was very pleasantly surprised by the woodland, open heath and swampy pools in the northeast area. It looked ideal for darters, chasers and skimmers, but hey, its getting very late in the season!
I saw a little black darter perched on a low stem so grabbed the camera and began to shoot. The wind made this very tricky and I knew I would lose a lot of shots to motion blur.
As usual with darters a careful approach was rewarded with a cooperative dragonfly so after getting a few shots for good measure I began to think about making the most of what I had here:
The stem on which he was perched was relatively isolated from other clutter, giving a rare chance to shoot against an uncluttered background, so to isolate him best I got low and shot at his level. This viewpoint always works with animals as the viewer enters the world of the subject intimately and allows it to dominate.
To get the best chance of sharp shots I knew I had to use reasonable shutter speeds as the wind would ruin anything shot at a speed following the usual rule of 1 divided by effective focal length. I was therefore careful to keep shots at 1/250th minimum for lower magnifications and 1/400th or above for larger magnifications. Dragons have a habit of perching on things that go "boing" with a breath of wind!
To gain a bit of speed I used ISO 400, as the D300 gives great image quality at this setting.
Also to gain speed, but wary of the depth of field, I chose apertures around F7.1 to F9. This allowed sensible shutter speeds but also enough DOF for most shots as they were generally not at full 1:1 magnification.
I set up a shot and waited for brief respites in the wind before actually firing the shutter.
This shows how macro, like any photography, is about recognising the challenge of a situation and juggling the settings to optimize them for the particular situation you are shooting in. This only comes with experience and makes failing valuable if you are humble enough to learn from your mistakes and work around the problems next time. I will often shoot dragonflies at really marginal shutter speeds, especially if using stabilised lenses, but quickly saw this would be hopeless in today's conditions.
I was really happy to get some decent shots from this late season encounter with a gem of a dragonfly. I was certainly reminded how important camera or subject shake is in macro photography and just how easy it is to lose shots, even when you know the problem will occur. Even 1/400th and 1/500th sec were not enough to stop blur on some shots!
So lesson one of today is watch that shutter speed, especially when shooting in natural light.
Oh, and take a different path sometimes...you never know what you may find!
I found very little and packed up the camera and flash after a while, deciding to walk to an area of the park I'd never been to. I was very pleasantly surprised by the woodland, open heath and swampy pools in the northeast area. It looked ideal for darters, chasers and skimmers, but hey, its getting very late in the season!
I saw a little black darter perched on a low stem so grabbed the camera and began to shoot. The wind made this very tricky and I knew I would lose a lot of shots to motion blur.
As usual with darters a careful approach was rewarded with a cooperative dragonfly so after getting a few shots for good measure I began to think about making the most of what I had here:
The stem on which he was perched was relatively isolated from other clutter, giving a rare chance to shoot against an uncluttered background, so to isolate him best I got low and shot at his level. This viewpoint always works with animals as the viewer enters the world of the subject intimately and allows it to dominate.
To get the best chance of sharp shots I knew I had to use reasonable shutter speeds as the wind would ruin anything shot at a speed following the usual rule of 1 divided by effective focal length. I was therefore careful to keep shots at 1/250th minimum for lower magnifications and 1/400th or above for larger magnifications. Dragons have a habit of perching on things that go "boing" with a breath of wind!
To gain a bit of speed I used ISO 400, as the D300 gives great image quality at this setting.
Also to gain speed, but wary of the depth of field, I chose apertures around F7.1 to F9. This allowed sensible shutter speeds but also enough DOF for most shots as they were generally not at full 1:1 magnification.
I set up a shot and waited for brief respites in the wind before actually firing the shutter.
This shows how macro, like any photography, is about recognising the challenge of a situation and juggling the settings to optimize them for the particular situation you are shooting in. This only comes with experience and makes failing valuable if you are humble enough to learn from your mistakes and work around the problems next time. I will often shoot dragonflies at really marginal shutter speeds, especially if using stabilised lenses, but quickly saw this would be hopeless in today's conditions.
I was really happy to get some decent shots from this late season encounter with a gem of a dragonfly. I was certainly reminded how important camera or subject shake is in macro photography and just how easy it is to lose shots, even when you know the problem will occur. Even 1/400th and 1/500th sec were not enough to stop blur on some shots!
So lesson one of today is watch that shutter speed, especially when shooting in natural light.
Oh, and take a different path sometimes...you never know what you may find!
Monday 31 August 2009
Thoughts on the Zeiss 85mm Planar in ZF mount Kingston Lacy House
A single Zeiss lens is a recent addition to my lens collection and I have been keen to try it out.
I chose the 85mm as it is a classic portrait lens on both FX and DX sensor cameras and very fast at F1.4. It will fill a gap in my lens lineup as I have nothing else that fast that approximates the 85mm focal length.
For anyone who has seen these lenses the build quality is sublime...it feels hewn from a solid lump of metal and the mechanical action of the focus and aperture rings is smooth and well damped like you can't imagine.
The Zeiss SLR lenses are quirky beasts and very definitely a niche product. They are manual focus and you set the aperture on an old-fashioned ring rather than the camera body. In fact there is no electronic communication between the lens and camera. They will only work properly with the Nikon pro-grade bodies, where you input non-CPU lens data into the setup menu, thus enabling the camera to know the focal length, aperture etc and be able to meter correctly.
The first thing you notice on most images taken with the lens is the contrast rendition, which is like nothing else I have used. On very detailed subjects, such as a wrinkly face or building like Kingston Lacy House, the image "zings". Its as if a a black wash has been applied and has dried in all the nooks and crannies...it makes elements of the image stand out in an almost 3D way. This is apparently a characteristic of the whole Zeiss line-up of lenses.
The bokeh is generally excellent too. One or two test shots at F1.4 had a slightly busy bokeh, but others and all those stopped down a bit were excellent.
Colours are nicely saturated but neutral.
As with most very fast primes, the lens is slightly soft wide open and lacks a bit of contrast. Having said that the centre of the frame has a nice sweet spot of sharpness that is very usable and great for portraits. This is especially so as the lens has a slightly dreamy quality wide open, almost as if a soft focus filter has been put on...some may love it, others not. From at least F2 its sharp and contrasty. Its so sharp it bites.
Other quirks...well it has a poor close focus distance of 1 metre, which is a bit limiting for close ups of flowers etc and technical tests tend to suggest the lens doesn't perform as well close up anyway. Because there is no AF its essentially hopeless for moving subjects, at least at wide apertures.
So far it seems an awesome lens when used within its performance envelope, which is obviously more limited than many other lenses. This means it lacks the all-round versatility of a more normal lens, but that is also its appeal. Its a tool you pick up when you know it makes sense and then it will deliver like no other. It also makes you think about your photography and take your time..... the manual focus is a joy and it means you take far fewer shots!
I'm looking forward to really exploring its potential as a portrait lens. Updates to follow and keen to hear from any other users!
I chose the 85mm as it is a classic portrait lens on both FX and DX sensor cameras and very fast at F1.4. It will fill a gap in my lens lineup as I have nothing else that fast that approximates the 85mm focal length.
For anyone who has seen these lenses the build quality is sublime...it feels hewn from a solid lump of metal and the mechanical action of the focus and aperture rings is smooth and well damped like you can't imagine.
The Zeiss SLR lenses are quirky beasts and very definitely a niche product. They are manual focus and you set the aperture on an old-fashioned ring rather than the camera body. In fact there is no electronic communication between the lens and camera. They will only work properly with the Nikon pro-grade bodies, where you input non-CPU lens data into the setup menu, thus enabling the camera to know the focal length, aperture etc and be able to meter correctly.
The first thing you notice on most images taken with the lens is the contrast rendition, which is like nothing else I have used. On very detailed subjects, such as a wrinkly face or building like Kingston Lacy House, the image "zings". Its as if a a black wash has been applied and has dried in all the nooks and crannies...it makes elements of the image stand out in an almost 3D way. This is apparently a characteristic of the whole Zeiss line-up of lenses.
The bokeh is generally excellent too. One or two test shots at F1.4 had a slightly busy bokeh, but others and all those stopped down a bit were excellent.
Colours are nicely saturated but neutral.
As with most very fast primes, the lens is slightly soft wide open and lacks a bit of contrast. Having said that the centre of the frame has a nice sweet spot of sharpness that is very usable and great for portraits. This is especially so as the lens has a slightly dreamy quality wide open, almost as if a soft focus filter has been put on...some may love it, others not. From at least F2 its sharp and contrasty. Its so sharp it bites.
Other quirks...well it has a poor close focus distance of 1 metre, which is a bit limiting for close ups of flowers etc and technical tests tend to suggest the lens doesn't perform as well close up anyway. Because there is no AF its essentially hopeless for moving subjects, at least at wide apertures.
So far it seems an awesome lens when used within its performance envelope, which is obviously more limited than many other lenses. This means it lacks the all-round versatility of a more normal lens, but that is also its appeal. Its a tool you pick up when you know it makes sense and then it will deliver like no other. It also makes you think about your photography and take your time..... the manual focus is a joy and it means you take far fewer shots!
I'm looking forward to really exploring its potential as a portrait lens. Updates to follow and keen to hear from any other users!
Sunday 30 August 2009
6 Stop ND Does Bournemouth Pier
Yet another example of how these filters can transform an image by adding that surreal motion.
Another point is how they can entertain us photographers on days when we would normally not even consider venturing out....dull, overcast, drizzle...just see dull weather as helping you to reduce the light levels!
For truly creative and imaginitive people the opportunities must be endless.
Update.......I got a prize when I entered this into a Bournemouth University photo competition....yay!!
Another point is how they can entertain us photographers on days when we would normally not even consider venturing out....dull, overcast, drizzle...just see dull weather as helping you to reduce the light levels!
For truly creative and imaginitive people the opportunities must be endless.
Update.......I got a prize when I entered this into a Bournemouth University photo competition....yay!!
6 Stop ND Filter Does Knowlton Church
These filters are a great way of doing slightly more creative things in daylight conditions, where normally you struggle to get long exposures.
ND stands for neutral density, so the filter is a neutral grey shade which greatly reduces the light coming into the lens but doesn't add any colour of its own.
This a 6 stop version by B&W, who make beautifully crafted filters, with a very robust brass frame. Therefore if you put it on your lens it will increase the time of the exposure by 6 stops.
Why would you want to do this?
Well, how do photographers get those lovely daytime shots of flowing waterfalls or breaking waves with that surreal misty effect? How do they make clouds race across the sky? They stop the lens down to a small aperture, choose a low ISO sensitivity and add a ND filter.
In dull conditions its possible to get exposures of 20 or 30 seconds at ISO 100 equivalent and stopped down to F16 or F22.
In bright conditions this 6 stop version isn't really enough...you need to go seriously dark and get the 10 stop version like my brother (who recently took some great long exposures in London) as below:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mbphotography/3843684322/in/photostream/
The 6 stop is actually easy to use as the camera will still meter and there is enough light to compose in the viewfinder...autofocus still works too, though manual is much better for optimizing your landscapes anyway. The 10 stop is a different animal and you lose this functionality because the filter is simply too dark.
ND stands for neutral density, so the filter is a neutral grey shade which greatly reduces the light coming into the lens but doesn't add any colour of its own.
This a 6 stop version by B&W, who make beautifully crafted filters, with a very robust brass frame. Therefore if you put it on your lens it will increase the time of the exposure by 6 stops.
Why would you want to do this?
Well, how do photographers get those lovely daytime shots of flowing waterfalls or breaking waves with that surreal misty effect? How do they make clouds race across the sky? They stop the lens down to a small aperture, choose a low ISO sensitivity and add a ND filter.
In dull conditions its possible to get exposures of 20 or 30 seconds at ISO 100 equivalent and stopped down to F16 or F22.
In bright conditions this 6 stop version isn't really enough...you need to go seriously dark and get the 10 stop version like my brother (who recently took some great long exposures in London) as below:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mbphotography/3843684322/in/photostream/
The 6 stop is actually easy to use as the camera will still meter and there is enough light to compose in the viewfinder...autofocus still works too, though manual is much better for optimizing your landscapes anyway. The 10 stop is a different animal and you lose this functionality because the filter is simply too dark.
Friday 28 August 2009
Air Shows...An Overview
Air shows...an interesting photographic challenge. I have photographed quite a few now but strangely I find my keeper rate with images of aircraft in flight hasn't improved significantly over that time. I don't think my techniques are flawed after a bit of practice, but rather its the "risks" I take of trying to get it right for different subjects.
As with many forms of photography you make compromises to balance the different elements you want to achieve in a particular image and hope for the best in the fleeting moments you have to grab the shot.
For air to air I am almost always using Nikon's very nice 200-400mm F4 VR zoom. Optically its a great lens, with fast AFS focus motor and the useful optical stabilisation feature. Its a beast to hand hold for any period, especially with a pro-grade body attached...at least 5 kilos all-in and long too.
With the recent Nikon Pro bodies having such a brilliant auto ISO system, I now shoot air show action almost entirely on manual exposure mode, setting the combination of shutter speed and aperture I want and letting auto ISO work out the exposure. This is great because you know your aperture or shutter speed values don't change as you pan the lens or as the light changes.
With propeller planes and especially helicopters you need to be sympathetic to your subject by showing prop/rotor blur and therefore drop your shutter speed to levels where there is a real risk of getting camera/lens shake with the equivalent of 600mm of reach. For helos 1/200th or 1/250th sec is about the limit unless you want really silly-looking frozen rotors. VR certainly helps here but you still lose shots to motion blur.
Prop planes are a bit easier as I find a good starting point about 1/320th sec for those with slower props. For some like the Stearman biplanes used by Team Guinot and their wing walkers, you can actually get away with 1/800th or even 1/1000th sec as the prop rotates so fast the tips zing as they approach the speed of sound! Typically 1/400th or 1/500th works OK but experiment with each type to see if the result is pleasing. By compromising the shutter speed you are attempting to get a much better capture than one simply taken at a high shutter speed, but you get some losers.
For jets Its best to crank the shutter speed up as far as you can without getting the ISO to reach levels where grain and loss of detail spoils the shot. Ok unless you have a slow lens or the light is poor. I prefer to shoot jets at 1/1000th sec or even a bit more. You can get away with less if panning a jet on a flypast but if, as with the Typhoon above, its tearing right at you, you seriously need to freeze the action and hope the AF system copes with the closure rate.
Generally I try and shoot about a stop or even more below max aperture to get a bit of depth of field should focus be slightly off or there are several subjects in frame.
Light is often a problem...how many air show crowd lines look straight into the sun!? Try and position yourself so you are shooting away from the sun as much as possible...that way you will tend to avoid the black silhouette on a white sky image. Unless the light really is flattering on on the subject dial in some positive exposure compensation...again a compromise to reduce noise and underexposure but not to blow highlights.
Framing is a consideration...do you try and zoom in to fill the frame and thereby get the most pixels on target or zoom out and crop in later in processing? Shots like the Typhoon worked even though I really zoomed in to get a frame filler...but I lost a lot of clipped wings and noses too!
I think the more practiced I get, the more risks I take to get that great shot, so the keeper rate doesn't improve that much. When I become really competent I'll let you know the secret!!
As with many forms of photography you make compromises to balance the different elements you want to achieve in a particular image and hope for the best in the fleeting moments you have to grab the shot.
For air to air I am almost always using Nikon's very nice 200-400mm F4 VR zoom. Optically its a great lens, with fast AFS focus motor and the useful optical stabilisation feature. Its a beast to hand hold for any period, especially with a pro-grade body attached...at least 5 kilos all-in and long too.
With the recent Nikon Pro bodies having such a brilliant auto ISO system, I now shoot air show action almost entirely on manual exposure mode, setting the combination of shutter speed and aperture I want and letting auto ISO work out the exposure. This is great because you know your aperture or shutter speed values don't change as you pan the lens or as the light changes.
With propeller planes and especially helicopters you need to be sympathetic to your subject by showing prop/rotor blur and therefore drop your shutter speed to levels where there is a real risk of getting camera/lens shake with the equivalent of 600mm of reach. For helos 1/200th or 1/250th sec is about the limit unless you want really silly-looking frozen rotors. VR certainly helps here but you still lose shots to motion blur.
Prop planes are a bit easier as I find a good starting point about 1/320th sec for those with slower props. For some like the Stearman biplanes used by Team Guinot and their wing walkers, you can actually get away with 1/800th or even 1/1000th sec as the prop rotates so fast the tips zing as they approach the speed of sound! Typically 1/400th or 1/500th works OK but experiment with each type to see if the result is pleasing. By compromising the shutter speed you are attempting to get a much better capture than one simply taken at a high shutter speed, but you get some losers.
For jets Its best to crank the shutter speed up as far as you can without getting the ISO to reach levels where grain and loss of detail spoils the shot. Ok unless you have a slow lens or the light is poor. I prefer to shoot jets at 1/1000th sec or even a bit more. You can get away with less if panning a jet on a flypast but if, as with the Typhoon above, its tearing right at you, you seriously need to freeze the action and hope the AF system copes with the closure rate.
Generally I try and shoot about a stop or even more below max aperture to get a bit of depth of field should focus be slightly off or there are several subjects in frame.
Light is often a problem...how many air show crowd lines look straight into the sun!? Try and position yourself so you are shooting away from the sun as much as possible...that way you will tend to avoid the black silhouette on a white sky image. Unless the light really is flattering on on the subject dial in some positive exposure compensation...again a compromise to reduce noise and underexposure but not to blow highlights.
Framing is a consideration...do you try and zoom in to fill the frame and thereby get the most pixels on target or zoom out and crop in later in processing? Shots like the Typhoon worked even though I really zoomed in to get a frame filler...but I lost a lot of clipped wings and noses too!
I think the more practiced I get, the more risks I take to get that great shot, so the keeper rate doesn't improve that much. When I become really competent I'll let you know the secret!!
Tuesday 18 August 2009
The 35mm F1.8 again
A very different shot to the toy policeman with the little lens turning its attention to portraits.
This shot of my pretty little niece was taken in natural light and I think the lens has really made the best of her. Her lovely eyes are razor sharp and the skin tones nice. I could have isolated her a bit more with an even wider aperture but am happy with the result anyway.
On a creative day you can stick this lens on the camera, travel light and have lots of fun.
This shot of my pretty little niece was taken in natural light and I think the lens has really made the best of her. Her lovely eyes are razor sharp and the skin tones nice. I could have isolated her a bit more with an even wider aperture but am happy with the result anyway.
On a creative day you can stick this lens on the camera, travel light and have lots of fun.
A bit of fun with a 35mm F1.8Lens
This isn't a true macro shot but rather illustrates just how flexible some of the lenses in your bag may be. The Nikon 35mm F1.8G DX is one of those.
This was shot in weak interior light at ISO 400 using an aperture of F2 and shutter speed of 1/80th sec.
As long as you get close the lens is capable of excellent subject isolation, despite its modest focal length.
Unlike some lenses I find it works well wide open and is pretty sharp, certainly towards the middle of the frame.
The possibilities provided by a really fast aperture and the excellent high ISO capability of modern cameras are almost limitless for people far more creative than me.
What experience I do have has taught me to value high speed lenses for their versatility in low light, subject isolation and razor sharpness stopped down.
In this case the versatility comes in a relatively budget lens and it soon became one of my favourites. The 35mm length on DX (crop sensor) cameras is equivalent to 52mm on a 35mm or full frame camera, so its the "new" 50mm all-purpose lens.
This was shot in weak interior light at ISO 400 using an aperture of F2 and shutter speed of 1/80th sec.
As long as you get close the lens is capable of excellent subject isolation, despite its modest focal length.
Unlike some lenses I find it works well wide open and is pretty sharp, certainly towards the middle of the frame.
The possibilities provided by a really fast aperture and the excellent high ISO capability of modern cameras are almost limitless for people far more creative than me.
What experience I do have has taught me to value high speed lenses for their versatility in low light, subject isolation and razor sharpness stopped down.
In this case the versatility comes in a relatively budget lens and it soon became one of my favourites. The 35mm length on DX (crop sensor) cameras is equivalent to 52mm on a 35mm or full frame camera, so its the "new" 50mm all-purpose lens.
How can you get this close to dragonflies?
This shot of a Keeled Skimmer Dragonfly, Orthetrum coerulescens, was taken at 1:1 magnification with the lens a few centimetres from the animal and with me lying on a boardwalk looking onto the bog.
People often ask how we get so close to get this kind of shot as they always put dragonflies to flight whenever they try and observe them.
Well, actually, its not that tricky...most of the time, as long as you have a bit of patience and pick your species.
Anyone who knows anything much about dragonflies will know how hard it is to get perched shots of many of the hawker species...these are the big, active flyers. The truth is they spend most of the time on the wing hunting and patrolling territory, with very rare rest breaks anywhere you can reach them. If you are lucky you may find one on marginal vegetation that has just emerged from its larval stage and its getting ready to fly, or laying eggs at the water surface.
You generally have to select the darter and chaser species if you want easier prey. These tend to fly in short bursts to see off rivals, find mates or hunt, then return time after time to one of several nearby perches.
When you initially approach, the dragonfly will usually be startled enough to fly but will soon settle again, probably right next to you. I find that by remaining there and creeping very slowly in you can slide your lens along a fence rail or get low and get closer and closer as the dragonfly becomes less bothered by you. If you move closer, try and approach end-on rather than move across its field of view, stay low and don't cast a shadow on it. Take a few shots as you close in because animals as large as dragonflies look great filling the frame with the whole animal in view, rather than all at maximum magnification.
All chaser and darter species we have here in southern England can be approached like this.
People often ask how we get so close to get this kind of shot as they always put dragonflies to flight whenever they try and observe them.
Well, actually, its not that tricky...most of the time, as long as you have a bit of patience and pick your species.
Anyone who knows anything much about dragonflies will know how hard it is to get perched shots of many of the hawker species...these are the big, active flyers. The truth is they spend most of the time on the wing hunting and patrolling territory, with very rare rest breaks anywhere you can reach them. If you are lucky you may find one on marginal vegetation that has just emerged from its larval stage and its getting ready to fly, or laying eggs at the water surface.
You generally have to select the darter and chaser species if you want easier prey. These tend to fly in short bursts to see off rivals, find mates or hunt, then return time after time to one of several nearby perches.
When you initially approach, the dragonfly will usually be startled enough to fly but will soon settle again, probably right next to you. I find that by remaining there and creeping very slowly in you can slide your lens along a fence rail or get low and get closer and closer as the dragonfly becomes less bothered by you. If you move closer, try and approach end-on rather than move across its field of view, stay low and don't cast a shadow on it. Take a few shots as you close in because animals as large as dragonflies look great filling the frame with the whole animal in view, rather than all at maximum magnification.
All chaser and darter species we have here in southern England can be approached like this.
20090818-_DSC0529 Fly with prey... macro depth of field
I think this image illustrates quite well the issue macro photographers have with depth of field.
If you bear in mind that this fly was no more than 15mm in length you can see the sharp plane of focus curving from the left corner of the frame, across the wooden fence rail, across the fly's head and out of the frame to the right. Its not very wide is it!!!
It was taken at 1:1 magnification at an aperture of F11, which is a middle of the road aperture for macro, but shows how precise you have to be in getting plane of focus critically on the eyes of the beast. It shows why you should not give up if you are disappointed with early results when you begin macro shooting. You will find out what techniques suit you when getting the camera and lens steady enough to shoot.
You can brace the lens on your spare hand, which is in turn resting on a post or the gound, you can rest the lens on the fence, or carry a bamboo cane as a simple monopod to slide your lens-gripping hand up and down. When free holding its best to set the magnification and rock gently back and forth a few millimetres so the plane of focus passes over the subject. Relaxation and breath holding are desireable.
And this is for 1:1 shots. Any attempts to go to greater magnification will see the depth of field reduce still further, which requires more practice and technique.
For insects I find tripods useless. Any attempt to set one up will disturb the animals and lets face it, they often don't hang around...sometmes you get but a few seconds to compose, focus, shoot! Part of the fun is walking around and stalking what you find...a tripod would hinder this process so its not for me. Others may have a use for one.
Be patient, you may not get many keepers at first but you certainly will as you get a little experience.
A while ago I mentioned how you should choose your macro lens with a bit of thought as to what you want it for and your experience. This shot was taken on the Sigma 150mm, which is an excellent lens with razor sharp rendition. I can compare it directly to the Sigma 105mm, as I use both. If my understanding of optics is correct, at 1:1 with both lenses giving the same field of view and magnification, the depth of field rendered in focus should be identical. However in practice the 150mm is significantly harder to get a good image from as the depth of field seems much shallower. I can only presume this is because the plane of focus falls away into a visible blur at a faster rate.
Personally I would recommend the 105mm length to a photographer starting in macro because its easier to get the critical parts sharp and because the reduced focal length makes being steady slightly less critical than with the longer lens. If anything the 150mm lens probably has an optical edge in quality (a small one) but for an easy life the shorter lens gets more keepers. Obviously there are other things to consider like the 150mm gives you more working distance to your subject, has a hypersonic motor for better focusing (out of macro range), has a tripod collar and is compatible with Sigma's teleconverters.
I thought I may sell the 105mm after getting the 150mm, but I haven't. Why? I love its light weight and compact size for smaller camera bodies and travel abroad. Its easy to manage with extension tubes on it and...as stated above, its a bit easier to get a higher keeper rate.
If you bear in mind that this fly was no more than 15mm in length you can see the sharp plane of focus curving from the left corner of the frame, across the wooden fence rail, across the fly's head and out of the frame to the right. Its not very wide is it!!!
It was taken at 1:1 magnification at an aperture of F11, which is a middle of the road aperture for macro, but shows how precise you have to be in getting plane of focus critically on the eyes of the beast. It shows why you should not give up if you are disappointed with early results when you begin macro shooting. You will find out what techniques suit you when getting the camera and lens steady enough to shoot.
You can brace the lens on your spare hand, which is in turn resting on a post or the gound, you can rest the lens on the fence, or carry a bamboo cane as a simple monopod to slide your lens-gripping hand up and down. When free holding its best to set the magnification and rock gently back and forth a few millimetres so the plane of focus passes over the subject. Relaxation and breath holding are desireable.
And this is for 1:1 shots. Any attempts to go to greater magnification will see the depth of field reduce still further, which requires more practice and technique.
For insects I find tripods useless. Any attempt to set one up will disturb the animals and lets face it, they often don't hang around...sometmes you get but a few seconds to compose, focus, shoot! Part of the fun is walking around and stalking what you find...a tripod would hinder this process so its not for me. Others may have a use for one.
Be patient, you may not get many keepers at first but you certainly will as you get a little experience.
A while ago I mentioned how you should choose your macro lens with a bit of thought as to what you want it for and your experience. This shot was taken on the Sigma 150mm, which is an excellent lens with razor sharp rendition. I can compare it directly to the Sigma 105mm, as I use both. If my understanding of optics is correct, at 1:1 with both lenses giving the same field of view and magnification, the depth of field rendered in focus should be identical. However in practice the 150mm is significantly harder to get a good image from as the depth of field seems much shallower. I can only presume this is because the plane of focus falls away into a visible blur at a faster rate.
Personally I would recommend the 105mm length to a photographer starting in macro because its easier to get the critical parts sharp and because the reduced focal length makes being steady slightly less critical than with the longer lens. If anything the 150mm lens probably has an optical edge in quality (a small one) but for an easy life the shorter lens gets more keepers. Obviously there are other things to consider like the 150mm gives you more working distance to your subject, has a hypersonic motor for better focusing (out of macro range), has a tripod collar and is compatible with Sigma's teleconverters.
I thought I may sell the 105mm after getting the 150mm, but I haven't. Why? I love its light weight and compact size for smaller camera bodies and travel abroad. Its easy to manage with extension tubes on it and...as stated above, its a bit easier to get a higher keeper rate.
Sunday 2 August 2009
Natural Light Macro 20080817-_DSC3498 Tachina Fera
The exception that proves the rule!
While most macro photography of dynamic objects like insects does require flash to add enough light to the exposure and to freeze motion you can get results with natural light if you are careful and lucky. This usually involves bumping the ISO up and/or accepting a marginal shutter speed and a larger aperture than you would normally shoot with. Natural light can give a wonderful, subtle light as long as it is slightly diffused by cloud or cover....in bright sun you tend to get specular highlights on shiny insects.
Of course, when using natural light, you have to set the shutter or aperture and ISO sensitivity and keep a close eye, as these factors rise and fall every time you compose a shot, so it demands more attention than when using flash, where I tend to set the camera to manual, using parameters I know work and just leave it there, only making occasional changes.
This wonderful, bristly tachinid fly was shot at 1:1 at Badbury Rings near Wimborne, when there was just enough light filtering down through the trees to give a workable exposure. Fortunately the fly hung around on its leaf long enough for a few exposure variations to make sure I had nailed a sharp, well composed shot.
This is actually one of my favourite macros despite its capture breaking my usual rules of macro photography. It shows what is possible and that you should never give up or assume something you try won't work. It doesn't seem to have suffered unduly from being taken at ISO 800, probably because the exposure was spot-on and I was using the high ISO to gain more depth of field and shutter speed, rather than simply struggling in very low light. I am normally reluctant to stray above 400 on DX crop frame cameras as detail is so important to most macro shots. In fact I have had this printed at 12x8 and the detail is stunning with no visible noise, so hat's off to the Nikon D300. Had I used ISO 400 I would have needed to open the aperture more than the F9 I eventually used and the shutter speed would have fallen into the danger zone.
It is relatively easy to shoot below macro range with natural light if you are photographing bigger game like dragonflies, so start with larger subjects. Give it a go and watch that shutter speed as camera shake is perhaps the greatest threat to getting a sharp natural light shot. Keep an eye on ISO too as you don't want to lose detail and get noisy images.
While most macro photography of dynamic objects like insects does require flash to add enough light to the exposure and to freeze motion you can get results with natural light if you are careful and lucky. This usually involves bumping the ISO up and/or accepting a marginal shutter speed and a larger aperture than you would normally shoot with. Natural light can give a wonderful, subtle light as long as it is slightly diffused by cloud or cover....in bright sun you tend to get specular highlights on shiny insects.
Of course, when using natural light, you have to set the shutter or aperture and ISO sensitivity and keep a close eye, as these factors rise and fall every time you compose a shot, so it demands more attention than when using flash, where I tend to set the camera to manual, using parameters I know work and just leave it there, only making occasional changes.
This wonderful, bristly tachinid fly was shot at 1:1 at Badbury Rings near Wimborne, when there was just enough light filtering down through the trees to give a workable exposure. Fortunately the fly hung around on its leaf long enough for a few exposure variations to make sure I had nailed a sharp, well composed shot.
This is actually one of my favourite macros despite its capture breaking my usual rules of macro photography. It shows what is possible and that you should never give up or assume something you try won't work. It doesn't seem to have suffered unduly from being taken at ISO 800, probably because the exposure was spot-on and I was using the high ISO to gain more depth of field and shutter speed, rather than simply struggling in very low light. I am normally reluctant to stray above 400 on DX crop frame cameras as detail is so important to most macro shots. In fact I have had this printed at 12x8 and the detail is stunning with no visible noise, so hat's off to the Nikon D300. Had I used ISO 400 I would have needed to open the aperture more than the F9 I eventually used and the shutter speed would have fallen into the danger zone.
It is relatively easy to shoot below macro range with natural light if you are photographing bigger game like dragonflies, so start with larger subjects. Give it a go and watch that shutter speed as camera shake is perhaps the greatest threat to getting a sharp natural light shot. Keep an eye on ISO too as you don't want to lose detail and get noisy images.
Wednesday 29 July 2009
Macro Photography: General Introduction
Most enquiries I get through Flickr relate to macro shooting, from the kit to get to the best techniques and keen shooters not getting the results they expected. Today I'm posting a quick introduction to get things going...I will get more specific in further posts.
While there are many interpretations of what "Macro" is I understand "true macro" to start at 1:1, that is the object you are shooting appears at life size on the camera sensor. For example, if you are shooting a wasp 20mm long, it will be that size on your sensor, so if you have a digital SLR with crop sensor (23.7mm for Nikon) that beast will be a frame-filler. Non-dedicated lenses, which can include primes or zooms, are not capable of "true macro" so it is probably more accurate to call it "close-up" photography.
The manufacturers do their best to confuse us, with many calling dedicated lenses "Macro", Nikon calling them "Micro" and some describing lenses that can focus closer than average as macro, when they are not actually capable of 1:1 reproduction.
There are further tricks available to get more magnification..enter close-up lenses, reversing rings and extension tubes...all designed to enable a standard lens to focus closer and so increase magnification.
Basically speaking, a true macro lens is capable of focusing at a very close distance to offer maximum magnification of the subject. Most macro lenses fall within the 50mm to 200mm focal length range. They all offer 1:1 magnification but the distance at which they do so will increase with the focal length.
You do need to consider focal length before you choose your lens as shorter lenses will not be the best for shooting bugs etc as the close working distance will scare them away. Pick too long a lens and you may find it hard to handle or prone to camera shake.
While small animals demand a dedicated lens, larger animals I have photographed, such as dragonflies, butterflies and tarantula spiders, can be shot at well under macro magnifications, if you want to frame the whole animal.
As for technique...like anything worth doing it does take some patience. You will have a razor thin depth of field to work with, so nailing the focus point correctly is a must. In the true macro range you will rarely have enough natural light to shoot at a suitable ISO sensitivity to preserve detail, so you will need to master use of flash. Once you are doing fine with these, start to consider composition more carefully.
One thing I would add is that macro is very addictive....yes it takes a while to master, but it opens up a whole new world and can be done in a spare half hour in the back garden...fantastic!
As for cost, you can get set up for relatively low cost if you already have a good flashgun and even cheaper if you don't yet wish to get a dedicated lens and intend to use your existing telezooms, or something like a 50mm prime with extension tubes. The dedicated lenses do cost, but this varies and a typical bug lens like a 105mm is £300-£500.
While there are many interpretations of what "Macro" is I understand "true macro" to start at 1:1, that is the object you are shooting appears at life size on the camera sensor. For example, if you are shooting a wasp 20mm long, it will be that size on your sensor, so if you have a digital SLR with crop sensor (23.7mm for Nikon) that beast will be a frame-filler. Non-dedicated lenses, which can include primes or zooms, are not capable of "true macro" so it is probably more accurate to call it "close-up" photography.
The manufacturers do their best to confuse us, with many calling dedicated lenses "Macro", Nikon calling them "Micro" and some describing lenses that can focus closer than average as macro, when they are not actually capable of 1:1 reproduction.
There are further tricks available to get more magnification..enter close-up lenses, reversing rings and extension tubes...all designed to enable a standard lens to focus closer and so increase magnification.
Basically speaking, a true macro lens is capable of focusing at a very close distance to offer maximum magnification of the subject. Most macro lenses fall within the 50mm to 200mm focal length range. They all offer 1:1 magnification but the distance at which they do so will increase with the focal length.
You do need to consider focal length before you choose your lens as shorter lenses will not be the best for shooting bugs etc as the close working distance will scare them away. Pick too long a lens and you may find it hard to handle or prone to camera shake.
While small animals demand a dedicated lens, larger animals I have photographed, such as dragonflies, butterflies and tarantula spiders, can be shot at well under macro magnifications, if you want to frame the whole animal.
As for technique...like anything worth doing it does take some patience. You will have a razor thin depth of field to work with, so nailing the focus point correctly is a must. In the true macro range you will rarely have enough natural light to shoot at a suitable ISO sensitivity to preserve detail, so you will need to master use of flash. Once you are doing fine with these, start to consider composition more carefully.
One thing I would add is that macro is very addictive....yes it takes a while to master, but it opens up a whole new world and can be done in a spare half hour in the back garden...fantastic!
As for cost, you can get set up for relatively low cost if you already have a good flashgun and even cheaper if you don't yet wish to get a dedicated lens and intend to use your existing telezooms, or something like a 50mm prime with extension tubes. The dedicated lenses do cost, but this varies and a typical bug lens like a 105mm is £300-£500.
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