Rules, Tips, and Tricks?

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MikeBinOKlahoma
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Rules, Tips, and Tricks?

Post by MikeBinOKlahoma »

I suggest we try to list tricks, rules of thumb, neat improvisations, and other things that may help in closeup shots, especially those at 1:1 or greater. These may not necessarily be the wisdom of the ages (the ones I list below aren't!) but some of us may discover something we'd forgotten or just never picked up. Or maybe a wholly new idea.

Things I'd list include:

:arrow: When handholding, often the best way is to let TTL or ETTL flash do the work. With Canon cameras, I set the controls for manual, set the shutter speed at the minimum flash synch speed for my camera, set the f/stop for whatever I want it to be, and if your camera system has through-the-lens exposure control (I know Canon does, believe modern Nikons do, not sure about other systems) the system will meter your shot automatically to produce a medium-toned image. If your target isn't medium-toned (if it's bright white, or very dark) you'll have to set flash exposure compensation to make the exposure darker or lighter.

The advantage to this is that it gives you a fairly quick shutter speed, which is good for handholding, and it doesn't force you to think about exposure much when trying to move around and shoot quickly. The disadvantage is that if the background isn't close behind your subject, the background will be dark unless it is very bright compared with the subject, or you have arranged for separate lighting of the background.

:arrow: Not so much a clever idea, but one I don't use enough, and I suspect some others probably don't....Using reflectors to help with lighting should be very helpful in macro of static subjects. We have an advantage "normal" shooters don't have in being able to manipulate the light very extensively. Something landscape or bird shooters can't do. Diffusers and dark panels (there's surely a correct term for this, but I can't think of it) may also be useful. I've fiddled with some of this, but don't really use it much. Reflectors can be as simple as aluminum foil rubber-cemented to cardboard. Something to think about.

I encourage other people to post either useful tricks and rules, or things they think would be useful, but haven't used much, or preferably both categories! Let's see if we can come up with a good list of ideas. :idea:
Mike Broderick
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nzmacro
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Post by nzmacro »

Good idea Mike. Not so much tips and tricks but habits I have. So these are just personal and IMHO :D We all have different ideas and ways of shooting. So this should be interesting Mike.

Never auto focus, it stops being able to choose exactly where the selective focus should be. I have auto spot focus but its never used. Max closed down F/stop is not always necessary. many macro shots look great with blurred backgrounds. Sophie shoots at only wide open, look at her work for excellent examples of selective focus.

Flash I only use on full manual. How different we all are. :D . Never use auto exposure, how different we all are. Use flash brackets to get the flash to the angle you require. Diffuse or bounce the flash for best results.

For zooms and fixed focal length lenses to start with, I would always suggest the use of achromats. A Nikon 6T or a Canon 250D are excellent choices. Tubes also work fantastically on fixed and zoom lenses as well IMHO.

Other fixed macro lenses, Tamron, Sigma, etc, all make great macro lenses as well as the major manufacturers. Cost effective and great results.

Focusing stage, hmmm. This one some love and some don't. I use a focusing stage, both x and y axis indoors only. I find them too slow on insects. Others love them. Tripods, I use a small table top tripod outdoors sometimes, a larger tripod indoors. I find I use a monopod with a ball head more than tripods. 90% of the time I hand hold, but thats thanks to the IS built in.

Flash slaves I find indispensable. Allowing to fire up to 3 flash units at a time. I use a flash meter for indoor use. Very useful.

Well that covers me for 35mm and fixed digital. Do you want what I add on the front Mike ??. That could be a book in itself mate :D

Ok, thats purely personal and we are all different.

All the best Mike and I think this one should be a sticky.

Danny.

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MikeBinOKlahoma
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Post by MikeBinOKlahoma »

I scrounged up this old thread and thought I'd see if anyone wanted to put up any tricks, tips, or whatever....
Mike Broderick
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"I must obey the inscrutable exhortations of my soul.....My mandate includes weird bugs."--Calvin

(reposts on this site of my images for critique or instruction are welcome)

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S. Alden
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Post by S. Alden »

Well, mine as been taken already. I shoot in manual for the most part. I do not believe my camera has ever been set to any of those automatic settings.

I use a flash bracket now that I figured it out :lol: . Do not know how I ever got along without it.

I do a visual on the lighting. I do not have a light meter outside of the camera. I can usually tell just by looking at how the light is falling on my subject what I need to do. I set my flash or camera exposure to compensate either + or - depending.

Tripods, monopods, ground pod and a SAC. I have, but only use them when I have drank way to much coffee :lol: Other wise, I handhold the camera. I am thinking (again) about a chest pod, escpecially for zoos, gardens and aquariums that do not allow tripods.

I have reflector/deflectors, but do not have clamps, so they are not used.

I love the extension tubes and use them often, but do forget to note that on my posts. #-o

I do most of my photography either in the early morning or late afternoon. The light is better and the insects are not as active and tend to pose for you.

I do not close down that often. I seem to get better results or at least the results I want opened up a bit.
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nzmacro
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Post by nzmacro »

Well lets move this one and make sure it stays at the top of the "Macro and Micro Technique and Technical Discussions" shall we. That way others can comment as well because this is an interesting idea for sure.

Danny.

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MikeBinOKlahoma
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Post by MikeBinOKlahoma »

Canon cameras, and modern Nikons (not sure about other models) have a focus confirmation light. On Canons it is a small green circle at the bottom of the viewfinder. It has been helpful to my middle aged eyes at times after a long day when things sometimes get blurry.

The Canon one lights up when your active sensor (the one highlighted in red) is covering something in focus. Similar idea to the prism focus aids on manual focus cameras back when I was shooting Kodak Instamatic!

Mind you, sometimes the image is definitely in focus even when the light doesn't light up (especially in dim light or if there's not a clear line to focus on under the active sensor) and even if the active sensor is focused properly, it won't help you if it isn't aimed at something that is in the plane you want in sharp focus! I love whiz-bangs and gadgets as much as anybody, but they can't do it all for us. Thank goodness!
Mike Broderick
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"I must obey the inscrutable exhortations of my soul.....My mandate includes weird bugs."--Calvin

(reposts on this site of my images for critique or instruction are welcome)

rboner
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Post by rboner »

As an addendum to Mike's first tip, if you use a 2x teleconverter with ETTL flash, the extra working distance will improve the lighting on the backgrounds. This happens because the light falloff is as the square of the distance, and if the camera (flash) is further from the subject, then the relative difference between flash- to- subject and flash- to- background distances has been decreased. This tends to even out the exposure between subject and BG if the BG is not too far from the subject.

DaveW
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Post by DaveW »

Mike

"Diffusers and dark panels (there's surely a correct term for this, but I can't think of it) may also be useful. I've fiddled with some of this, but don't really use it much. Reflectors can be as simple as aluminum foil rubber-cemented to cardboard. Something to think about."

Your "Dark Panels" are often called "Black Reflectors", which is a contradiction in terms as they are intended to absorb light not reflect it!

When you make a reflector using silver foil it is always best to first scrunch it up into a ball then smooth it out again before sticking it on to your backing. The crinkled surface then reflects light in all directions producing small specular reflections rather than acting like a large mirror. You will note that commercially made silver reflectors have a granular surface that acts in this manner.

DaveW

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