macro questions

[Rlongbeard]

I'm looking to get some "macro tips for beginners"? Any suggestions?? Thank you, Rick

[owl]

I would say to be aware of what's behind and to the side of your subject. I sometimes find I get so mentally zeroed in on the rose bud or spiderweb or whatever I can forget to pay attention to the fact that a slightly different angle might make for a less busy/"noisy" background, even taking into consideration blurring the rest of the shot into soft focus...

[Rlongbeard]

That's definitely a suggestion worth keeping in mind! Thanks a lot, Rick

[AussieSunset]

Originally Posted by owl

I would say to be aware of what's behind and to the side of your subject. I sometimes find I get so mentally zeroed in on the rose bud or spiderweb or whatever I can forget to pay attention to the fact that a slightly different angle might make for a less busy/"noisy" background, even taking into consideration blurring the rest of the shot into soft focus...

I tried to get a better background on this one but couldnt so got my grandson to go behind to give it added interest.

[wulf]

Remember that depth of field becomes very narrow at macro range. There are times when a wide aperture, like f/4, can yield excellent results with just a part of the subject highlighted by focus and the rest fading away into blurry goodness but often you need to stop down which then means using ISO or shutter speed adjustments to get enough light.

Wulf

[henryscat]

Plenty of light needed! And if not, get a tripod involved!
you will be surprised how little light gets in the lens when you get so close to your subjects; and as said above, the depth of field becomes pretty severe.

[erniehatt]

I generally , keep my aperture set to minimum, shutter speed to 1/160s, and use defused flash, I have made a system whereby I can add homemade defuser screens untill I get the result that works for me. Ernie

[Elmo]

Use an external flash with a diffuser that is big. Like using a beauty box for glamor shots.