Stumble it!
By Tom Michaels posted in Design Photography on 02-10-2009
Macro or close-up photography places an emphasis on the fine detail of a particular subject. It is not just taking pictures at close range, it’s a form of art taking a great deal of patience, skill and in some cases, bravery.
An ideal situation to shoot macro would be in natural light where you have the ability to position your subject. Obviously the arachnids, insects and other animals you photograph will not be so cooperative compared to taking a picture of fine jewelry at close range. You will most likely not have the opportunity to use equipment you would typically see in a photography studio.
Professional photographers will swear by using a tripod or even monopod and you do take the best pictures with them, but if you have done photography in the past you already know it’s not always feasible to have one with you 24/7. Even those small bendable tripods that can wrap around a post or tree branch can help keep your camera steady. When nothing is available, try placing your camera on an extended arm or even putting on a stationary object like a rock. To reduce the fuzziness or noise, keep movement to an absolute minimum with digital cable release remote or making use of that two second self-timer when your camera can be stabilized.
Not all photographs can be 100% planned, however you can prepare yourself by having some basic equipment handy such as your camera and tripod. How to take the actual photo depends entirely on the given opportunity. Find the best angle, zoom in on what appears to be interesting or captivating and focus.
In this post we would like to share some stunning and unusual pictures displaying different techniques of macro photography. In some cases you need to be close, real close and other situations, well don’t get too close to the subject. Please visit the sites of the very talented photographers who will show you what an eye catching experience this can be.
Arachnids
Green Jumping Spider
Jumping Spider
Jumping Spider Macro
Jumping Spider Super Macro
Super Macro, G. rosea fangs
Spider
Scorpion
Insects
Dragonfly
Birds
Eye Detail King Vulture
Toucan
Reptiles
Ribbon Snake Macro
Russell’s Viper Close-up
via Captain Suresh
Black Mamba Close-up
Amphibians
Frog Macro
via © MzePhotos.com, Some Rights Reserved
Frog Macro
Tree Frog Macro
The Equipment: Camera, Lenses, Lighting and Goodies
Reversing rings, extension tubes and bellows, teleconverters, close-up lenses, tripods, sliders, ring flashes, and reflectors
Super Macro DIY
- Canon PowerShot G5.
- Home-made lens adapter.
- Reversed lens Helios-44-2 58mm f/2.
- Ring Light.
- Rechargeable batteries.
This is what one photographer uses for extreme macro shots:
Canon EOS350D – 60mm macro lens – Canon EF25II extension tube – Macro bellow – Canon EX430II blitz – and some other extras. Camera equipment used for G. rosea fangs (shown in post).
Snake Photography
As you might already know, many of the colorful and beautiful living things can be deadly to humans. When photographing venomous snakes you should consider your health and safety first. This photograph shows how one photographer will set-up his equipment.
Nikon Coolpix 4500
