# Better Macro shots



## helloyo53 (Sep 10, 2009)

These were definitely better than the previous ones in my opinion.


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## mooimeisie (Sep 10, 2009)

Colours are nice, but they don't seem as crisp and clear as they should be.  What aperature are they shot at?  Are you handholding or using a tripod?  Are you using manual or automatic focus?


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## helloyo53 (Sep 10, 2009)

mooimeisie said:


> Colours are nice, but they don't seem as crisp and clear as they should be.  What aperature are they shot at?  Are you handholding or using a tripod?  Are you using manual or automatic focus?



Aperture was at 6.4, shutter speed was at 1/20.  I didn't bring my tripod, so it was handheld, and my camera doesn't have manual focus, so auto I guess.


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## mooimeisie (Sep 10, 2009)

What kind of camera do you have?  A tripod is a must for shooting closeups of flowers.  Everytime you press the shutter button you move the camera.  I would go back and try again and try to shoot the flower from many different angles and remember the tripod.


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## helloyo53 (Sep 10, 2009)

mooimeisie said:


> What kind of camera do you have?  A tripod is a must for shooting closeups of flowers.  Everytime you press the shutter button you move the camera.  I would go back and try again and try to shoot the flower from many different angles and remember the tripod.



I am using a Fujifilm Finepix S1000fd.  It is annoying to use a tripod because these flowers are right beside a sidewalk, and so I would have to walk to it since I am too young to drive, and it would just be annoying to walk a half a mile with a tripod.  I'll try to remember it next time I shoot close up things that are not beside a sidewalk though.


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## ottor (Sep 10, 2009)

Nice pictures .... however, I might offer a suggestion.  Most of the flowers are "Dead Centered" in the photograph.  That immediately shouts "Boring!!"  Set the flower just a little offset of center and you'll have a much more interesting photograph..

Keep at it .... :thumbup:

r


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## Overread (Sep 11, 2009)

1/20 is a really slow shutter speed - even with a short digicam lens and the build in antiwabble your still running very high risk that the subject will move whilst your taking the shot (light wind). You idealy want to try one of the following;

1) Get your shutter speed up - to do this you need more light, flash or reflectors would be the way forward here. The more light on the subject, the faster you can fire your shutter

2) Tripod, tripod, tripod! You have a small camera which is quite light, so you don't really need to spend the vast amounts on a pro end tripod - a cheaper model one will work fine - and the bonus is that the cheaper model ones are often very light in construction (there are downside to this of course). You seriously won't notice the weight over half a mile - I have gone a lot further over a day with mine before.
Of course in stronger wind the lighter tripod do suffer since they are not as stable as a heavier model - also they have a quite high minimum height (Because the legs are locked to the centre column) which can be a pain when working with lower level flowers and insects. Either learn to work around that or aim for one of the more pro end tripods - but they do cost (though you might find a good set of legs on ebay 2nd hand - it is worth a look).

3) Ties - sheets and windblocks. Sticks to help hold the flower in place, with ties to hold the two together are a big help when out in the field - and if your shooting closer to the ground then sheets/fabric held up can be a good maskshift windbreak.


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## DigitalScape (Sep 11, 2009)

Beside the other suggestions for improvement, I would suggest that you get down to the level of the flower.  Your images have the "aerial" view perspective - looking down at the flower.


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## 512 (Sep 11, 2009)

1) as said, change your point of view to improved results.
2) macros shoud be shooted with wide aperture and fast times to improve sharpness
3) learn to shot when the light could help your photos.too sunny or cloudy weather shouldn't be used in this case.


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## Mendoza (Sep 11, 2009)

Those appear to have been mostly in the shade or under cloudcover at the time.  Stronger light, (beyond the potential aesthetic appeal,) enables faster shutter speeds which will reduce blurriness.  The good thing about flowers (vs. say, mushrooms) is they tend to bloom in the sun.
And as has been mentioned, try composing the shots at different heights and angles.


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## kundalini (Sep 11, 2009)

These look like close up shots rather than macro.  Many are OOF and the composition is something to be desired.  A swing and a miss, but there's always tomorrow for better results.

If you really want C&C, only post two or three photos and number them for easier referral.



512 said:


> 2) macros shoud be shooted with wide aperture and fast times to improve sharpness


 Negatory with a true macro lens.  Most will be shot in the f/11 to f/16 range because of the razor thin DoF.


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## jbylake (Sep 12, 2009)

Hey, thanks for the tips with the ties and sticks!  Never thought of it...
J.


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## Error (Sep 13, 2009)

Try this way of doing a macro...

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/macro-photography/177411-super-macro.html#post1704169


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