Macro - First Attempt

[TC]

Its my first attempt at macro, I can't seem to get the focusing right. C & C please.

[gstark]

Focusing in macro photography can often be very challenging. Smaller apertures are the nature of the beast, and often you may find that, rather than using the focus ring, moving the camera backwards or forwards a little will help you get the correct focus.

But in these images you're using available light, and I suspect that the aperture setting was more towards the wider side, leading to less depth of field.

These images display a beautiful richness of colour, and especially in the second image.

In the first and the third though, something needs to be done with the lighting in order to try bring abour a little bit better separation of some of the elements within the image. This is especially true in the third image, where I think the petals on the lh side of the image have been blown a little exposure-wise, and this is partially why there seems to be little visual separation of those individual petals as elements within the image.

Just compare the the two sides of this image - the lh side with the rh side: the lh side appears to be heavily backlit (morning sun would be my guess) but the rh side is effectively sitting within the shadow of the other side, leading to a more diffused and gentle light there. Look at the shadows and the elements - and how they're distinguishing themselves within the image - just in the centre and to the immediate right of the centre - for a demonstration of how much better the light is right there.

Now think about how this image may have looked if you had just held a piece of tissue paper to your left, and behind this flower, thus putting the flower into a bit of shade from that direct sunlight.

[colin_12]

What were you trying to get out of "the focusing"?
Regards Colin

[blacknstormy]

Nicely explained Gary !!
TC - great first attempt. Macro is almost easier when you have a smaller subject, bigger objects/subjects require a greater DOF as the point of focus has to be so much deeper, unless you are going for a shallow dof effect ..... try Gary's trick with the tissue paper - it will make a hell of a difference.
I'd like to see some more please

[TC]

thanks for the tips, gents.