Bite-Size Blog Post #7 - A Journey into Macro Photography
In this bite-size blog post I take a journey into the world of macro photography!
Learning Macro Skills
As you might have guessed this blog post is not going to contain landscape photographs but is instead going to be focused on the wonderful world of macro photography. Regular readers of this blog will know that I’ve been dabbling in macro photography for a while now. It started last year when I went out with a friend to photograph some butterflies and continued when I bought my macro lens a few months ago.
I promised myself that when I purchased a macro lens, I would also spend some money on getting myself some 1-2-1 tuition as well. You can learn a lot from fellow photographers, books and YouTube videos, but it’s hard to beat the value you can get from a 1-2-1 session with a professional.
For 1-2-1 tuition I’ve always valued the services of Ross Hoddinott. Ross has been paramount in my development as a landscape photographer and fortunately for me, he is also a highly-skilled, award-winning, close-up photographer as well. I had no hesitation in booking a 1-2-1 session with him.
Though I had some basic skills already, there was much for me to learn. Not only were there specific camera techniques to learn, but I also needed to learn how to find and identify insect species. And then when I found them, not scare them off with sudden movements!
It was a wonderful day, and even though I know my camera well, learning a whole new set of camera skills with was demanding. I managed to capture some images that I was happy with. They aren’t particularly unique or outstanding, but that wasn’t the point of the day. The point was that I learnt loads, got some images I was happy with, and I had a great day out.
I now feel I at least have the fundamental knowledge to head out into the wilderness myself and capture macro photographs.
Nikon Z7, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro
Nikon Z7, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro
Nikon Z7, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro
Nikon Z7, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro
Nikon Z7, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro
Nikon Z7, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro - shame about the distracting background on this one!
Nikon Z7, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro - and this one!
Starting My Journey into the World of Macro Photography
In the blog this week I finally head out with the Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro and start my journey as a macro photographer!
First Steps
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you may remember that I tried macro photography for the first-time last year. You can see some of the results here. Regardless of the quality of those first few steps into the world of macro photography, I was sure of one thing and that was I wanted to do more of it!
Just over a year after that last blog post I’ve finally given it another try. Why wait so long I hear you ask. Having used a dedicated macro lens for those first few attempts I knew that I also wanted my own dedicated macro lens. As with many of my purchasing decisions I needed to wait until I had sufficient funds to cover the purchase cost. As I had many other commitments around that time, I decided that the purchase could wait until early 2020. That way I would have the new macro lens just in time for spring.
Around September 2019 I changed from the Nikon DSLR system to the Nikon Z mirrorless system. If you want to know why then check out this blog post here. As part of that change I decided that wherever possible I would only purchase a new lens if it was a native Z mount lens. As the Nikon Z lens line up was and still is limited, my options for a macro lens were extremely limited.
Common Blue, Berry Head, Devon - Nikon Z7, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro, 1/500th second at ISO 500.
Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro
The Nikon Z mount lens roadmap does include a 105mm macro but with no release date that was not going to be an option. Then I heard that Laowa were going to make a native Z mount version of their well rated 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro. Though the lens is manual focus it can be purchased for a reasonable £469. I thought given the price, focal length, native Z mount and the good reputation of the lens I was worth pre-ordering it.
It was originally due to arrive around mid-March but then the world started to suffer from the coronavirus pandemic. Not that the delay in the arrival of the lens really mattered anyway as I wouldn’t have been able to go out and use it because of lockdown.
Fortunately for me the delay in the lens wasn’t that long and it arrived in April. I tried it out by shooting various still life subjects in the house, but I really couldn’t get passionate about photographing flowers in my office.
Common Blue, Berry Head, Devon - Nikon Z7, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro, 1/160th second at ISO 200. Please note: While I placed and setup my own camera for this shot, the original composition was thought out by Neil Burnell. Neil is a super talented photographer and if you want to learn how he works his magic then be sure to check out his 1-2-1 sessions or workshops here.
Returning to the Outdoors
As soon as the UK Government started to ease the restrictions on being outside, I decided that one of the first things I was going to do was try out my new macro lens. As I’d had so much fun last year at Berry Head photographing the butterflies, I thought this would be an excellent place to start.
I contacted my friend and fellow photographer Neil Burnell as he is a bit of a local expert and super talented macro photographer. We knew we could still maintain good social distancing and as we were in a wide-open coastal location, we felt it was safe to meet.
Small Blue, Berry Head, Devon - Nikon Z7, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro, 1/50th second at ISO 1000.
We were both incredibly pleased to find Berry Head full of the expected small blue and common blue butterflies. Neil soon got to work doing what Neil does best I got on with the job of just trying to get things in focus!
Lot’s to Learn
Throughout this blog article you’ve seen the images that I took that evening (and some the following week). Sure, they won’t win any awards, but they are enough to remind that I made the right decision with the purchase of a macro lens and this is an area of photography I wish to develop my skills in.
Small Blue, Berry Head, Devon - Nikon Z7, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro, 1/125th second at ISO 400.
There’s a lot to learn but this is also what makes it so exciting. I will at some point make a video of my experiences of macro photography but for now I need to concentrate on the job at hand. I’ve got a plan on how I will increase my skills and I will share my progress here on the blog.
I hope you enjoyed the images in this blog. Are you a macro photographer? Are you thinking about taking up macro photography? Let me know in the comments below.
Small Blue, Berry Head, Devon - Nikon Z7, Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2x Ultra Macro, 1/250th second at ISO 1600.
A Macro Holiday
I’m just back from my summer holiday and while I was away I did a little more experimentation with macro photography.
Taking a Break from Landscape Photography
As passionate as I am about my landscape photography even I need a break from it every now and again. For the last couple of weeks I’ve been on holiday enjoying some welcome time with my family. Normally when I go away for my summer holiday I don’t bother taking my D850 but this year I decided that I would. However, I didn’t take it to do any landscape photography.
If you are a regular reader of the blog you’ll be aware that I tried my hand at macro photography for the first time earlier this year. You can see my first attempts at macro photography here and here. From those two experiences I knew I wanted to do more macro photography and I promised myself I would invest in a macro lens in 2020.
The reason I took my D850 on holiday was that I knew the person I was staying with had a Nikon mount Sigma 105 macro lens and a garden full of life. I could borrow his lens and without having to travel anywhere get some macro photography practice in.
My time with the camera on holiday was still going to be limited though as I had a lot of other priorities, but I thought I would share with you some of my macro holiday snaps!
Flower Bud
Looking around the garden I could see a lot of flowers in bloom and my first instinct was to photograph them. Looking more closely though I discovered that the flowers that hadn’t fully bloomed were far more interesting!
I like a few things about this photograph. I like the colours, composition and the subject itself. Technically speaking though, it’s not perfect. I could have probably done with a fraction more depth of field as the tip of the flower is just a little out of focus. I would have opened up the aperture a bit more, but this would have caused more of the messy background to come into focus.
Despite the technical issues with this picture it is my favourite from this collection.
Flower Bud - Nikon D850, Sigma 105mm f/2.8, f/5.0, 1/400th sec at ISO 64
Green Bug
OK, firstly, apologies for not knowing the name of this particular bug so you will have to excuse me referring to it as just a green bug. Names aside, what drew me to this composition was colour contrast between the bug itself and the fruit it was sat on. Unfortunately I couldn’t get close enough to isolate the fruit and bug from the rest of tree but I thought it was still worth taking.
I very narrowly missed out on nailing the focus for this one. If you look closely the eyes are just a little out of focus. I think the eyes are slightly further away than the front of the head and the part of the head behind the eyes as both of those parts are in focus. It just shows you how razor-thin the plane of focus can be in macro photography.
Obviously I have much to learn in this area of photography and plenty of practice is required!
Green Bug - Nikon D850, Sigma 105mm f/2.8, f/6.3, 1/100th sec at ISO 64
The Fly
I have to admit that I’ve never found the humble fly that interesting until I took a macro photograph of one. Now, I did cheat a little bit with this photograph. I couldn’t get very close to this subject but thanks to all those megapixels in the D850, even with a heavy crop, there is still loads of detail to be seen. Sure, a heavy crop isn’t the way to approach a photograph like this normally, but I just found the photograph too fascinating not to share. Does anyone have any idea what the red blob on its mouth is? You can even see my reflection in it!
The Fly - Nikon D850, Sigma 105mm f/2.8, f/5.6, 1/125th sec at ISO 64
I know these macro photographs aren’t going to win any awards. My composition and focusing needs a lot of work but that didn’t take away any of the enjoyment I got from capturing and viewing these images. The macro world is absolutely fascinating and these holidays snaps have only firmed up my commitment to doing more macro photography!
Beautiful Blue Butterflies at Berry Head
In the blog this week I’m out again taking macro photographs. This time it’s butterflies and I had no idea how beautiful these creatures are!
More Macro
In the blog last week I talked about Discovering the Joy of Macro Photography. This was my first real attempt at macro photography and I have to say, I really enjoyed it! Yes, it was challenging, but it was a very rewarding type of photography.
From that experience I knew that this was a genre of photography that I would want to do again. So when friend and fellow photographer Neil Burnell said he was heading out to photograph some butterflies and would I like to come, there really was only one answer I could give!
Common Blue #1, Devon - Nikon D850, Zeiss 100mm f/2 at f/3.5, 1/400th second at ISO 1600
Beautiful Bokeh
One of the challenges I have with doing macro photography is that I don’t actually own a macro lens. I borrowed a Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 when I shot the banded demoiselles last week and I was going to have to borrow again for this shoot. Fortunately for me Neil offered to lend me his beautiful Zeiss 100mm f/2 Makro-Planar lens.
As soon as I started using this lens I noticed what a different experience it was from using my Nikkor lenses. The focusing can only be described as buttery smooth! It made precisely focusing the lens a real joy. That didn’t necessarily make capturing the images easy as the subject could still move because of the gentle breeze but at least when it was still you could be confident with the focusing. Couple that with the D850’s focus peaking in live view, the job of focusing was at least made a little simpler
As a landscape photographer I’m not that concerned with bokeh. Most of the time I’m trying to get front to back sharpness so I rarely use wide apertures. In this instance though I very much wanted to create some lovely bokeh in my shots. I’d been looking at Neil’s work in this area but it soon became apparent to me that even though the Zeiss lens could create some lovely bokeh, putting the subject and the other elements all together to create the look was more challenging than I had originally thought!
Common Blue #2, Devon - Nikon D850, Zeiss 100mm f/2 at f/3.2, 1/800th second at ISO 1600
Easy To Miss
As with my previous macro adventure, having someone along with the relevant knowledge was key. Neil knew exactly where to find the butterflies and identify which species they were. The thing that got me though was how small they were! Both the Common Blue and Small Blue that I photographed were tiny. They were about the size of a thumbnail and could be easily missed.
Being so small it’s hard to see all the beautiful detail in these wonderful creatures. This is where the joy of macro photography gets me. Put a macro lens on your camera and suddenly you can see all the tiny details from the stripes along the antenna, the hairs an the thorax and the striking patterns of the wings. A macro lens really does open up a whole new world of natural beauty.
Small Blue, Devon - Nikon D850, Zeiss 100mm f/2 at f/2.8, 1/160th second at ISO 2000
These last two trips out with the camera to do macro photography have really opened my eyes on how I could capture the “landscape” in a different way. Yes, I love taking those big landscape photographs but I’m also quickly learning that there is a whole other world of photography down at my feet.
Just before I finish up the blog, I just want to thank Neil again for inviting me out. Without his local knowledge I would have been a bit lost! As I’m finding out with macro photography, knowledge of your subject is as important as being able to use your camera gear. If you’re looking to develop your macro photography and then definitely check out Neil’s 1-2-1 close up tuition page.
I’m not sure what will be in the blog next week, but one thing is for sure, if there is a chance to do more macro photography I’ll be taking it!
Are you a macro photographer? What is your favourite subject to photograph? Let me know in the comments below.
Discovering the Joy of Macro Photography
I’ve been talking about trying my hand at macro photography for years now and now that I’ve finally tried it I really wish I’d tried it out earlier!
Springing into Macro Photography
Earlier on this year I tried my hand a street photography. This was a genre of photography very much outside of my normal photography comfort zone. There is also another genre of photography that I've wanted to try for a while and that's macro. It's arguably a little more aligned with my landscape photography work but as I was to find out, still very challenging.
Every spring I promise myself that I will allocate some time to explore the world of macro photography. I've long been inspired by the work of some photographers I know who produce stunning macro photographs of flowers and insects. As spring started to draw to a close though it was looking like I was going to miss out again and I would have to be satisfied with looking at the work of others.
Fortunately for me though I had to meet up with a friend to finish a photography related project we were are working on and he suggested we do some photography beforehand. The weather forecast wasn't looking suitable for landscape work so he asked if I fancied giving macro photography a go. He even had a 105mm macro lens he could lend me. Well, I jumped at the chance!
The only downside to this great opportunity was how early I would have to get up. Though I wouldn't need to be at the location for sunrise, I still needed to be there early before the insects warm up and get active. As I needed to drive to Cornwall as well I had to set my alarm for 4 am. Nothing a cup of coffee wouldn't sort out though.
I arrived to meet my friend in plenty of time, a little bleary-eyed but very excited. Thanks to my friend's local knowledge we were quickly able to identify a number of damselflies that would make for good subjects and we got to work.
The Challenges of Macro Photography
As I soon found out though, picking out a subject is just the first of the problems I would need to deal with. I'd heard that focusing can be challenging with a macro lens but I really didn't appreciate how shallow the depth of field can be. Even at modest apertures you can have your subjects eye in focus but the rest of the body not. Very minor adjustments to camera position in relation to the subject can have a dramatic impact on what is in focus and what isn't.
Changing the aperture to help increase the depth of field also came with challenges as well. Wide open on a macro lens is normally enough to throw even the messiest background out into a nice blur of colour, but at f/5.6 and beyond keeping an eye on how your background looks becomes more critical. Rather than enhancing the photograph the background starts to become a distraction. When you've got a damselfly perched on a blade of grass with a plane of focus that is already tiny, just moving the camera to get a less distracting background puts you all back to square one.
Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx Splendens), Female - Nikon D850, Nikkor 105mm Macro @ f/4.0, 1/160th second at ISO 800.
Don't get me wrong though, I loved working through these challenges. Careful positioning of the camera, selecting the right aperture, shutter speed and ISO were all part of the fun. Though I didn't get everything right in one shot I was still immensely satisfied with the images I captured. The amount of detail you see in the images is staggering. I've seen damselflies before but to see them in such close-up details make you realise how beautiful and colourful these insects are.
Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx Splendens), Male - Nikon D850, Nikkor 105mm Macro @ f/5.6, 1/125th second at ISO 1600.
So would I give macro photography another go? Absolutely I would. I can even see myself buying a macro lens. There is a lot to learn though. Not just the technical side, but also understanding your subjects. Luckily on this trip out with the camera I had someone very knowledgeable with me to make life easier, but knowing what, where and how to find a subject is a skill in itself. It's a challenge I welcome though.
Are you a macro photographer? Got any tips for someone starting out in macro? What's your favourite thing to shoot with a macro lens? Let me know in the comments below.