[old4570]

Lets leave lenses behind now .. And I will make this my last post !

So the how ?
Do you free hand , do you tripod ?
Ask any expert , and they will tell you tripod . Those guys that get their pictures posted in Nat Geo , they drag a tripod around .. If they can take a shot with a tripod , they will do so !
And the reason is to eliminate movement and utilize a far larger rang of camera settings . ( That's what the experts do )

I am not an expert , I will never call myself or consider myself an expert . To do so is simply implying you know better ! ( I don't - I only know what I know from the doing ) I don't want to tell people what to do ! I simply want to plant a seed and allow people to chose their own direction ( method ) . If what I say makes sense and helps you = Fantastic . If not , then I am sorry I wasted your time . To any expert out there , this series was not for you . I in no way shape or form do I think I can tell an expert how to take a photo or what gear to use ( Ur the expert and I am not ) . Unfortunately at the same time I don't really care what equipment U use or how you take a picture . ( That's your business ) .
So if anyone is looking for expert advice , there is plenty on Youtube and on the net freely available . KUDOS to anyone and everyone that puts it out there .

So back to the how .. Lets not worry about the tripod , you use one , you don't , the world is not going to end .

I like to shoot manual , because I have full control of the camera . ( ISO , SHUTTER , APERTURE ) .. Practice practice and experiment in a controlled environment . Get you test subject , go outside and take some test shots . Vary your focus distance , your aperture and ISO settings and see how it affects the picture and more importantly your ability to take the picture .

Depending on what you are trying to do , shutter speed , ISO or aperture could be critical . To cut to the chase - its a balancing act and the trick is to maintain the balance .
Now if you have a large lens shutter speed could be the critical factor , if you have a short lens aperture could be the critical factor . I like to have my camera pre set . I will take a few test shots to make sure my light is good and then with the camera set simply move in for the shot , simply moving forward or back for the focus and push the shutter ( works for me )

Let me describe that in more detail .
My focal distance is set ( manual focus ) maybe its 1:2 or 1:1.5 or 1:1 What ever .. My shutter speed will be as high as I can get it ( 1/180 ) , my aperture as small as I can get it and my ISO as low as I can get it , all to support the focus distance I will be using . So unless something drastic happens there is no need to change the camera settings because they are tested and proven . If say a cloud roles in and drops the available light , I can lower shutter speed to compensate unless perhaps its windy . In which case I can chose to increase my ISO setting , or open the aperture to let in more light . Usually if my camera is ISO 100 , I will simply go ISO 200 , from ISO 200 I might go ISO 400 .. I personally don't like going over ISO 400 as it can affect IQ ( especially with older lower Mega Pixel cameras ) Those 24MP cameras should handle a higher ISO number , again some practice and testing will show you what you can do .

Other options to fully manual might be aperture priority . If you are not using a flash then this can be a great way to go as the camera will work to maintain the aperture chosen and automatically change your shutter speed and ISO to compensate . All DSLR should allow you to set a ISO range . So if you set your camera to 100 - 800 then the camera will automatically change the ISO within that range ( depends on what camera you have ) .

The other option again is shutter priority , chose a shutter speed and let the camera chose aperture and ISO settings .

Obviously the more control you give to the camera , the less control you have over the resulting photo and it can become a little like winning the lottery .

To auto focus or not to auto focus . Wow I wish I had a definitive answer for this one , I really do . If you use manual focus you might miss out on a action shot that is simply not going to wait for you to get into position . ( Been there done that ) If you have auto focus enabled you might be lucky and the lens starts to focus in the right direction . If you are unlucky the lens might go the wrong way and begins to focus hunt ( Opportunity lost ) I have had the lens set to auto focus on the rare occasion and taken a fantastic photo because the lens was able to quickly focus on the action . ( It happens - everything works as it should ) Other times I have had the lens go into focus hunting and all there is to do is let go the shutter and manually focus the lens where you want for the next shot . ( That happens a lot ) . So if your trying to shoot flying insects auto focus just might do the trick , in manual focus its very miss and the odd hit . Which is better ? For me ( me ) I have found more hits from auto focus for flying insects . But if I am shooting stationary subjects , give me manual focus every time .

Once again , not telling anyone what or how to do it .. But what ever you decide , practice and experiment in a controlled environment so that you can get some valid results that can then be used to set the camera . Once your camera is sorted out it is only a matter of finding something to photograph and make sure it is correctly in focus ..
Seriously ! Macro is so easy ....

Once you camera / flash / and settings are sorted , it is just a matter of finding something to photograph , make sure its focused correctly and push the shutter button . ( I know - it sounds so simple ) But here is the rub , that's how easy macro is ( for me ) . I have 3 cameras ready to rock and stroll . My K50 wears a panangor 90mm , has a dedicated flash .. As long as the batteries are charged all I have to do i turn on the flash , turn on the camera , take one test shot to verify my settings , and I am ready to shove my camera / lens in a insects face ( hopefully not scaring them ) ... That's it ..
My other camera is a K30 wearing a Vivitar 55 F2.8 Macro lens .. Exactly the same deal .. My third camera is a K20 again wearing my second Vivitar 55 .. ( Yes I am impressed with the Vivitar 55 ) .. My 4th is the K10 with a new to me Pentax A 50 F2.8 Macro lens .. My 5th is the Canon 60D wearing a Sigma 150 with dedicated flash .. ( What are we up to ? ) 6th .. Nikon D7000 with a AF Sigma 50mm F2.8 Macro lens ......
Ok , I only have 6 cameras set up for Macro ..

With all it is the same deal , a test shot to verify and away I go . In hind sight .. My macro journey was all about eliminating all the ways not to macro . If you chose the short cut you can avoid all the ways not to macro . I did not mind doing it the hard way , I like learning and eliminating the ways not to do things , as for me knowing how not to do something is as important ( maybe more so ) than knowing how to do something .
Once I learned how not to Macro I was left with how to macro . I dont want to get bogged down in technical mumbo jumbo , I prefer to do ( first hand experience ) . If I read about something or I see people expressing expert opinion on something (?) , I may decide that the method or equipment is worth while exploring and there by create some valid experience of my own .

The most important thing I can say to anyone : No ones pinions is more valid or important than some one else's . All opinion is based on experience and in some cases BS . Its that human factor . I don't want to be the guy that tells you you are wrong or doing the wrong things , but rather the guy that plants the seed that grows into a idea that maybe becomes something that helps .
This entire series has been a little vague because of this , but it is up to the reader to decide how to Macro . Everything I have posted is based solely on my own personal experience , not something I read or heard some where . So take something positive away or take something negative away !

Last word - Macro is easy !
Understanding Macro might be less so !

Before I forget !
Macro can be terribly technical if you want it to be , there are volumes of books out there for those who want to get technical . And some times I think some get bogged down in the technical or they allow the technical to over whelm them . Some revel in the technical whilst others dont give a flying life saver . To those starting out , which is better ? Learning the technical stuff or just taking pictures ?
If I was to set up a camera , and give it to some one .. How hard would it be to take a macro picture ? Obviously in such a scenario the difficulty would be in getting the subject in focus and pushing the shutter button .. The focus issue could be dealt with by using a tripod , then the only hard part would be pushing the shutter .

I know , I have over simplified .
But if you are just starting out , I recommend starting a the other end .

The lowest ISO setting , the highest F- stop , and the highest flash sync speed ( yes use a flash ) ..
From here start tuning and testing your cameras settings ..

Just a suggestion ... ( Not telling you what to do )

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Last edited by old4570; 09-06-2017 at 12:34 AM.

[john7147]

Thanks for your Macro Posts!!

[old4570]

Thanks for your Macro Posts!!

your welcome ...

Just hope they help

[pcrichmond]

Thanks again for this series of post - fun and inspiring.

[old4570]

Thanks again for this series of post - fun and inspiring.

Wow ... Thank you