Macro Photog Advice: Gear, Setup, Preparation

[Paul_Mc]

Greetings all!

Noob here to photography-on-the.net.

Nature lover as well as amateur photog. I could just spend hours sitting outdoors and taking it all in.

Going to get the 20D soon, as well as a macro lense. Either the Canon 100 macro or Sigma 180. Just not sure exactly which lense.

Now before I get into the meat of this topic I'm surely overanalyzing this but I do have some valid questions I'd like to find out how others answer them and for some experience/advice.

Lenses My first easy question: which macro lense do you own?

Dealing with Light: Do you own a diffuser and/or reflector? If so, which brand/type? And how often do you use them?

I ask this question because I know that the harsh bright sunny days can cause a lot of contrast and blown out highlights, and aside from aperture and shutter speed, I wonder how often people use diffusers and or reflectors whether in direct sunlight or shade?

Preparation Do you just go out into the field and shoot whatever you can find? Do you prepare to shoot a certain subject [frogs, dragonflies]? Do you prepare to shoot at a certain location [i.e. certain lily pad, flower, branch, etc]

The reason I ask this last question is that I've been reading about diffusers and reflectors and wonder how you use them if you aren't set up at a certain location. What if you're subject moves from shaded area to direct bright sunlight? Do you wait til he moves back into the shade? Do you opt to use a diffuser? What if setting up the diffuser then the subject moves or goes away?

What if you are just going out into the field to photograph whatever you might find (my cup of tea) and you stumble upon a red dragonfly, but he won't stay on a certain branch or twig and you end up following him around and chasing him in circles? How would you photograph a moving subject in this case in a bright sunny day when a diffuser would work great but you really can't setup the diffuser since the object keeps moving?

Or if you plan to shoot butterflies and dragonflies, etc., would you prepare to setup a diffuser at a certain place where you know butterflies and dragonflies to land on occasion?

But will stationary subjects like frogs or other insects, setting up a diffuser on a bright sunny day would seem easy (so long as not disturbing the subject of course). They aren't going to move and you can get a good shot. I can understand their ease of use in this situation.

So i'm just trying to figure out the best way to approach my getting into macro photography for the best possible photos when it comes to dealing with light.

Do i need to buy a diffuser? Since my instances are not flash photography specific, I can see how comical it would be with a big circular diffuser in hand as i chase a butterfly to only end up in the shade on a flower.

Tripod Do you own a tripod? If so, which brand and how often do you use it outdoors in rough terrain? (i'm talking about setting up off the beaten path, at a creek, on an embankment, in the branches and tall grass, near a pond, at the eedge/half in the pond, etc.? Especially which is made for rough terrain? For instance, i'm at a creek on an embankment and there's a frog down in between some twigs and stuff, let's say i setup a tripod, the ground is about 30-45 degrees and maybe part of the tripod ends up in shallow pond water, which is the better versatile tripod for this occasion?

I plan to get either a bogen or gitzo and use the Markins M10 ballhead beacuse I want my tripod and head to be great for macro photography, but if i see a hawk perch overhead as i'm shooting a spider i want my gear to be versatile enough to go birding as well.

Thanks in advance!

[Adam Hicks]

Well since I fit into a few of these catagories, I figure I'll chime in. I have the Canon 100mm Macro f2.8, which I highly recommend. If you go out and look at lens reviews you'll find that this lens is generally regarded as 'outstanding' in clarity and contrast. I picked one up mint like new off eBay with original box, papers, etc for under $400 and have been really happy with it, especially as a Macro lens.

I also use a reflector disk, a 22" Photoflex LiteDisk, silver on one side and gold on the other. I remember it being a bit more pricey than I expected, but I have used it in some timed tripod mount shots to light the subject up (or shadow it) in different ways. I've also found that it's obviously a great tool for washing out harsh shadow on faces during mid-day sun or even indoors.

For Macro work I almost always use a tripod, but if there's enough light it really isn't important. I get just enough DOF at 2.8 to get a nice shot and have plenty of light for a proper exposure.

Don't know if this helps you much or not, but I think you'll find that the majority of those on the board will point you towards the Canon Macro lens (if you're REALLY serious go for Canon's 180mm or the manual focus macro... but those will hit you in the pocketbook!)

Good luck!
Adam

[DaveG]

Greetings all!

Lenses My first easy question: which macro lense do you own?

Dealing with Light: Do you own a diffuser and/or reflector? If so, which brand/type? And how often do you use them?

I ask this question because I know that the harsh bright sunny days can cause a lot of contrast and blown out highlights, and aside from aperture and shutter speed, I wonder how often people use diffusers and or reflectors whether in direct sunlight or shade?

Preparation Do you just go out into the field and shoot whatever you can find? Do you prepare to shoot a certain subject [frogs, dragonflies]? Do you prepare to shoot at a certain location [i.e. certain lily pad, flower, branch, etc]

The reason I ask this last question is that I've been reading about diffusers and reflectors and wonder how you use them if you aren't set up at a certain location. What if you're subject moves from shaded area to direct bright sunlight? Do you wait til he moves back into the shade? Do you opt to use a diffuser? What if setting up the diffuser then the subject moves or goes away?

What if you are just going out into the field to photograph whatever you might find (my cup of tea) and you stumble upon a red dragonfly, but he won't stay on a certain branch or twig and you end up following him around and chasing him in circles? How would you photograph a moving subject in this case in a bright sunny day when a diffuser would work great but you really can't setup the diffuser since the object keeps moving?

Or if you plan to shoot butterflies and dragonflies, etc., would you prepare to setup a diffuser at a certain place where you know butterflies and dragonflies to land on occasion?

But will stationary subjects like frogs or other insects, setting up a diffuser on a bright sunny day would seem easy (so long as not disturbing the subject of course). They aren't going to move and you can get a good shot. I can understand their ease of use in this situation.

So i'm just trying to figure out the best way to approach my getting into macro photography for the best possible photos when it comes to dealing with light.

Do i need to buy a diffuser? Since my instances are not flash photography specific, I can see how comical it would be with a big circular diffuser in hand as i chase a butterfly to only end up in the shade on a flower.

Tripod Do you own a tripod? If so, which brand and how often do you use it outdoors in rough terrain? (i'm talking about setting up off the beaten path, at a creek, on an embankment, in the branches and tall grass, near a pond, at the eedge/half in the pond, etc.? Especially which is made for rough terrain? For instance, i'm at a creek on an embankment and there's a frog down in between some twigs and stuff, let's say i setup a tripod, the ground is about 30-45 degrees and maybe part of the tripod ends up in shallow pond water, which is the better versatile tripod for this occasion?

I plan to get either a bogen or gitzo and use the Markins M10 ballhead beacuse I want my tripod and head to be great for macro photography, but if i see a hawk perch overhead as i'm shooting a spider i want my gear to be versatile enough to go birding as well.

Thanks in advance!

a) I've got a the Canon 100mm f2.8 macro. The non USM one. I was able to find one used and the slow AF wasn't something that I needed in a lens of this focal length. It gives me plenty of room to work, lets me have 1:1 without an extention tube and is an amazingly sharp lens.

B) I use a small reflector, gold on one side, and silver on the other. It folds up into a small circle so I can bring it with me into the field. With the shutterspeeds and ISO control available (1/8000 of a second on the 20D, and please write if you ever actually use it!) you will not be in an over exposure situation. With ISO 100, the exposure in bright daylight is 1/ISO (that is 1/100) @ f16. SO there CAN'T be a problem, can there? The reflector will punch in some light into the shadow to control contrast and there you are.

c) Everything. Sometimes I draft for position and sometimes I draft the best available player. But I always want to welcome the unexpected, even if I have a specific goal when I set out. Freeman Patterson once described an excercise where he would take five steps into his backyard, stop and then shoot a roll of 36 exposure film. How could he do this? Well he'd get on his hands and knees, he'd lay on his back, he'd focus on the rain drop on a leaf and then way past it. Mostly he let himself see.

I like to use the example of the photographer who could always take great pictures if for example he could only get to Iceland. The problem is that he, you, and I are always where we are; and we better find pictures right here and right now. If we don't, when we DO get to Iceland we'll find that someone has stolen all the good shots and have taken them to Ireland!

Technically you carry what you can. You can't anticipate what you are going to find so don't sweat it. There will be the shots that got away but work hard and shoot often and you find out that you get a lot luckier.

A while back someone wrote in looking for a solution to get a 1:1 shot of some bug without moving a bush. Well sometimes you can't get the shot without moving the bush, and that's the way it goes. Certainly the more you know about the subject the better a job you will do. That knowledge of bugs is going to come slowly and only after a lot of even harder work.

I don't see using a diffuser in the field. And a diffuser is NOT a Stofen dome on your flash head. That's a diffuser only if you have a ceiling or wall to bounce off of. A diffuser in the field would be an umbrella or a softbox and that's going to be very difficult to use.

A tripod is critical to making good macro shots. A good Manfroto or Gitzo will be fine. I like ballheads as they are relatively small. Depending on your finances a carbon fibre will spare your back when you go for a walk in the woods. But mostly you need something very stable. If you are shooting a flower under calm conditions you might want to use small apertures and very slow shuttersppeds. Without a good stable tripod that shot will be impossible.

Setting up on uneven terrain is nothing more than extending the legs to different lengths. Of course you can get into impossible situations. Don't worry about a worse case scenerio. I can imagine a tripod with two meter legs that would let you get stability on a 40 degree hill. Well it's be great for that and almost nothing else. It'd be way too heavy to carry, and you'd need this feature once every never. Don't borrow trouble, enough will just find its way to you. Since you will never be able to plan for every contingency, why try? Travel light and smart and you'll go out again tomorrow. Travel too heavy, and you'll find an excuse to stay home.

[Johnny Bravo]

I've got the Tamron 90 for macro work, it came highly recommended in another forum, and I've been very pleased with it.

If you really want to get serious with macro, go over to fredmiranda.com and look at the macro thread there. There is a tutorial on the top of that thread that is just the best.

[gmitchel]

I use the Canon 180mm "L" macro lens. Great glass! Nothing else like it. I owned the 100mm EF and sold it when I bought the 180mm.

I use a Photoflex 5-in-1 reflector/diffuser. Perdominantly I use the silver reflector. I use it a lot for ambient light to reduce shadows. Sometimes I use it to shade.

I use a dual flash setup. Two 550EX flashes, Stoffen diffuser for each, a Kirk dual arm macro flash bracket, ST-2E transmitter.

Techniques vary depending on subject.

Dragonflies, I spy out a grass tip they land on. Set up and wait. They come back.

Butterflies, I set up on flowers they hit. They also come back. Be careful to keep your shadow off them. Your shadow will make them fly away faster than anything.

I often go to a site with an idea or two in mind, such as shooting lily pads, shooting butterflies/dragonflies, shooting shore birds. But I keep my eyes open and my options open, too.

Cheers,

Mitch

[Jon]

Tamron 90. Current tripod's a Spiratone Versatile (rebadged Velbon from a number of years back) I have 550 and 420 flashes when needed. I'm most likely to be working in open forest so haven't found particular needs for reflectors/diffusers, but I carry a small silvered tarp for emergencies (doubles as a rain shield).