Macro Photography
Dec 9, 2013

Macro Photography

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Macro Photography is defined as taking pictures of objects with ratio of 1:1 or larger. Meaning an object will appear life size or larger on the frame of the camera. In simpler  words, you can take close up pictures at actual size. Macro Photography is very rewarding in terms of the unusual exciting images you get.

This is an applied part of photography.  Macro Photography has many applications in many fields like dental photography, jewellery photography, forensic work, biology and zoology requirements etc.

Macro Photography

Macro Photography has some special characteristics from normal photography. The lightning requirement in macro photography is somewhat different from normal photography. As the lens is very close to the subject the subject would be in dark. Artificial lighting is also an area which is must to master in almost every macro image. Other areas like composition, shutter speed, aperture etc all are relevant issues in macro photography.

The lenses and flashes are somewhat different from other routine photography equipment. There are special tripods, bellows and tubes for capturing macro images. I will talk in detail about these methodology, equipment, techniques and tips related to macro photography on this site.

Macro Photography can take  you into the unnoticed and unseen world to capture beautiful images. With the advent of digital photography, macro photography has become more advanced. New lenses, digital flashes and immediate preview has made it easier for beginners to step in this area.

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Basic Photography Lesson
Nov 29, 2013

Basic Photography Lesson

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This post will give you a basics photography lesson and prepare you for macro photography. Let’s begin with overview of cameras in our lesson:

Camera: Cameras come in all types and sizes ranging from old film point and shoot to new digital medium format cameras. Chances are you would be using a digital SLR or digital point and shoot camera. Whatever camera you have, make sure to read the manual from start till end at least 2 times, since every camera has different controls and you would not want to carry the manual with you all the time.

Digital SLR Camera

Digital SLR Camera

The digital cameras have a CCD or CMOS sensor inside which captures the images and then the camera records it on the storage card. The size of the sensor is important as a large image can be edited and also printed out on large size. Nowadays, anything above 10 mega pixels is fine and is easily available.

Compact Digital Camera

Compact Digital Camera

Lens: If you have a point and shoot the lens would be fixed in the camera, while in the digital SLR you have the option of changing the lens as per your requirement. It is here that the digital SLR gives you great versatility over the point and shoot. The focal length of the lens shows you the angle of the lens i.e what is the coverage of the lens. The lens coverage ranges from wide angle (very wide view) to telephoto (very narrow view).

Telephoto Zoom                                            
Wide Angle Zoom Lens                                  
Macro Lens

Lenses are made for a variety of applications ranging from macro to sports photography. The aperture and focal length of the lens is made according to the purpose it is made for.

Aperture: Aperture is the opening of the lens. Inside the lens are shutter blades which control the light passing through the lens. A smaller number like 1.0 means a bigger shutter opening as compared to a bigger number like 32.

WaterProof Compact Camera

WaterProof Compact Camera

Depth of field: The depth of field is determined by the aperture of the lens. Depth of field means how much area of the picture is in focus from the point where you focus. A small aperture will give a shallow depth of field, while a high aperture like 32 would give you a high depth of field.

Shutter Speed: The shutter speed is controlled in the camera body. It depends upon the light entering the camera through the lens. A higher shutter speed is very essential for macro shots if you are holding the camera in your hand. Generally, a shutter speed reciprocal to the focal length of the lens is enough to hand held the camera. i.e a shutter speed of 1/100sec on a 100mm lens is ok.  Any shutter speed less than that would require a tripod.

Exposure: The exposure in layman terms is the amount of light falling on the sensor and it is responsible for the photograph taken. The exposure can be adjusted via mainly shutter speed and aperture. There are also other variables like ISO (sensor sensitivity) which can affect the exposure.

Tripod: For slow shutters speeds where you cannot hold the camera in your hand a tripod is essential to get sharp pictures. The heavier a tripod is the more stable it is. A tripod is an essential item in macro photography involving static objects.

Storage Media: The last lesson is about the storage media. The camera captures images on the sensor and then stores it on a storage media. Different cameras have different media slots like compact flash (CF), secure digital (SD), microdrive, smart media, memory stick, xd picture card etc.  As a basic rule, estimate the number of photographs you intend to take in a single trip away from home. I would recommend at least 2 GB to hold images.

This was a basic photography lesson from my side. Hope it is enough to get you going on your macro photography.

 

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Best Camera for Macro Photography
Nov 9, 2013

Best Camera for Macro Photography

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When you start thinking about the best camera for macro photography, the first choice to come to mind is point and shoot camera. This is the easiest choice for reasons I will explain later.

The main choices for best camera for macro photography are point and shoot camera and single lens reflex camera. Choice of film and digital is there but the easy and practical nowadays is the digital. In film cameras you know the result once the film is developed while in digital you can instantly see the results.

Point & Shoot (P&S) Camera

Point & Shoot Camera

Point and shoot cameras are the small compact cameras with a retracting lens (zoom lens) and a small flash built in the camera.

P&S have a mode called macro. It is sometimes written as M on the mode dial.  This is the easiest way to use macro. Just dial in the macro mode and start using the macro mode. The camera automatically adjusts everything for macro photography. It cannot get easy than that. It is very good for learning the basics. You can carry it with you all the time and try your hand anytime an opportunity presents itself.

The point and shoot can focus very close to the subject however it will not give you an image of 1:1 meaning life size image in photo. You can get very close to the subject without disturbing / scaring it. You can use the built in flash for macro photography, but as it is on one side of the lens the light might not be the best one.

Single Lens Reflex (SLR) Camera

Single Lens Reflex (SLR) Camera

The SLRs are made to cater from beginner to the professional photographer. SLRs can be customized for your usage for any kind of photography.  The downside is that SLRs are bulky and expensive than point and shoot.

SLR gives you the option to use specialized lenses as per your requirement. You can change lenses to do portraits, sports, macro or landscape photography. You can use a dedicated macro lens like Canon EF 100mm Macro 2.8 Lens or you can use some techniques with a reverse lens / bellows to get macro shots. You can also use dedicated flashes for macro photography or you can make some improvised flash setup at home. The possibilities with SLRs are unlimited for macro photography and you can get the best result for macro photography.

Conclusion

The choice of best camera for macro photography depends upon your requirements and the way you intend to use it.

  • If you intend to carry it all the time in your pocket and a decent image is all you want then a point and shoot camera is the best choice.
  • If you are looking for professional quality photographs and are not encumbered by a heavy setup comprising of SLR body, lenses and flash then SLR camera is the best choice for you in macro photography.
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Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro Lens Review
Oct 26, 2013

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro Lens Review

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Canon EF 100mm macro f/2.8 is one of the Canon prime lens aimed at photographers who want to venture into macro photography on a budget. The price of this lens and the features make it the favorite canon macro lens in the market. Its sharpness would ensure that every tiniest detail on your tiny subject would stand out.

Should you buy Canon EF  100mm f/2.8 Macro Lens?

This is a true macro lens giving a magnification of 1:1 (life size) reproduction of subjects, meaning you can capture the exact size of your subject on the camera sensor. The minimum focus distance is 1’ while you get 6” minimum working distance from the end of the lens. You can increase the magnification by 1.19x and 1.39x with 12mm and 25mm extension tubes respectively.

This optics in this lens is sharp. At f/2.8 tiny aberrations are hardly observable and by stopping down to f/4.0 the images get incredibly sharp.  However, do not expect this sharpness while holding the camera in your hand. Canon claims that the secondary diaphragm blocks stray light at f/2.8 and increases contrast in backlit situations.

Colors are amazing and you would find less time using Photoshop to enhance the saturation in your images.  The bokeh is great like it should be all smooth and creamy.

Although Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro is not a L series lens and not build to that quality, it is still solidly well built with metal construction ensuring a long life.  It performs exceptionally well in cold temperatures.

The lens uses internal focusing which means the lens length always remains constant and the front element does not extend when you focus the lens. The focus ring is easy to use.  Manual focus is available all the time with override option (even in AF mode) to let you take capture great images before they flee. Whenever you feel like controlling the focus, just grab the ring and there you go.

If you are using automatic focusing, Ultrasonic Motor is quite fast at all distances. In fact, some people rate it much faster than the Canon 180mm macro L lens on autofocus.

With focal length of 100mm this makes for a great portrait lens. The bokeh as mentioned above is also smooth and creamy making great head shots.

If you are using this lens on compact sensor, the magnification is 1.6x. This means more working distance in macro and more telephoto effect. However, at 160mm it becomes difficult to handhold the lens and it is better to use a  support like monopod.

As this is the propriety lens by Canon, you would find it far way better than other 3rd party macro lenses ensuring complete compatibility in all areas. Tripod collar and lens hood are available as options.

You can use this lens for reproduction of art and advertisements of selling items online. I personally know people who experienced great difference in their sales based on the images taken with this lens.

There is no Image Stabilization (IS) on Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro the lens which is quite a difference from the L series lens in the same category but with this price this is hardly anything to complain about. I have also experience that AF is sometimes slow in lowlight, but if you are taking macro pictures you should ideally be using a ring flash. Another weak point I noted is that there is not button for shifting from macro mode to telephoto mode, which can sometimes make the camera go focus hunting.

The main competition in macro category would be Canon 50mm and Canon 180mm. The Canon 50mm has a shorter working distance while 180mm although giving more working distance is much more expensive.  The Canon 100mm 2.8L with IS is tough competition but it is almost twice the cost making it out of reach for beginners and hobbyists.

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Childhood Memories in a Photo
Jul 4, 2013

Childhood Memories in a Photo

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For many parents, how quickly their children change, develop and grow can come as something of a surprise. But being desperate to hang on to every moment, make the most of everything and provide you and your kids with lasting memories can leave little time for anything else. Even though capturing children, friends and relatives on camera and even on film has become increasingly easy, these moments are often rushed. As a result, they can fail to create the desired lasting memory.

The Perils of Amateur Photography

But taking on the role of photographer yourself can present a couple of difficulties. Firstly, the onus falls on you as photographer/organiser/editor to produce the photos in the first place; secondly, you run the risk of failing to produce a final outcome capable of rendering such important moments in time. By using a professional photographer, you can eliminate these concerns and get truly pleasing results.

SONY DSC

How Professional Photography Has Changed For many, the words ‘professional photographer’ may bring back less than fond memories of excruciating school photos and images subsequently banished to the back of wardrobes and the bottom of drawers. But as with many things, professional photography has moved on. Gone are the staid, unnatural shoots of old to be replaced by pictures that celebrate the personalities of the subjects – this is never more important than when it comes to capturing little ones on camera. Working with your chosen professional photographer, you might consider the following ideas:

• Not just limiting yourself to one image of your child, but choosing a selection and turning them into a montage. This might be especially suitable for babies and toddlers as it can capture a truly experimental time in their life when they are learning how to communicate in a range of ways.

• If your child has a particular passion for sport, a talent for performance or maybe even a love of learning, this can be incorporated into a photo shoot. You might even opt for a series of action shots which truly represent your child’s passion for work or play.

• As soon as they are capable of independent movement, it is very rare that children will choose to stay still, so why not make the most of how they look on the move? Even a decidedly wobbly walk is a memory worth keeping.

• Many children have a much-loved toy, a favourite dressing-up outfit or even a treasured pet that they can’t bear to be away from. If this is the case, involving the item (or the animal) can make for a truly happy subject for the photographer to work with.

• Is your child often complimented on a particular feature? Maybe it’s their curly hair or their big brown eyes? Either way, capturing it on camera can be a great way to remember their formative years.

Of course, there will always be a place for everyday snaps capturing fleeting moments, but professional photos really can preserve a memory forever. Whether it’s a particular emotion, a favourite place or even something to embarrass your child with on their 18th birthday, taking the time to find the right photographer really is worth it.

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Jun 6, 2013

A Guide to Purchasing a DSLR Camera for Beginners

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DSLR Cameras are becoming very popular as they’re now within reach of the average photographer as prices fall and as manufacturers produce easier to use models. In addition to price, there are a number of reasons why you might decide to invest in as dslr camera.

Reasons to Invest In a DSLR Camera for Beginners

Image Quality – As a result of the greater variety of image sensors in a DSLR, accommodating higher pixel sizes, a DSLR camera is able to utilize a faster ISO, resulting in a faster shutter speed and therefore less grainy.

Speed – DSLR’s are quick with respect to start up, focusing and shutter lag.

Adaptability – A DSLR’s capability to change lenses provides numerous possibilities for photographers. A DSLR camera can be used with a variety of quality lenses varying from wide angle to telephoto depending upon what you’re photographing and your budget. Image quality is impacted largely by the quality of the lens you utilize.

Optical Viewfinder – Due to the reflex mirror, what you see through the viewfinder will accurately represent the resulting image.

Large ISO range – This differs among cameras but usually a DSLR camera gives you a big range of ISO settings which allows for flexibility in shooting in numerous conditions.

Manual Controls – A DSLR is created in such a way that it takes into account that the photographer will want control over the settings. While s DSLR camera possesses helpful guide modes, the manual controls are usually built so they’re at the users finger tips as they are shooting.

Value Retention – The lenses you may own are usually compatible with other camera bodies of the same brand, so if you upgrade within the same make, you will not need to purchase a new lens.

Depth of Field – A DSLR camera will be versatile when it comes to depth of field, which allows the photographer to put everything from foreground to background into sharp focus through to blurry.

Quality Optics – There is a  substantial amount of variation in quality among DSLR lenses, but the lens that comes with a DSLR camera for beginners will be of better quality than that of a point and shoot camera. I suggest DSLR buyers get the best quality lenses that they can afford. If choosing between a high end lens for a medium range camera or a medium range lens for an advanced camera, choose the higher quality camera lens because they add so much to photos end result.

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Jun 6, 2013

How to choose a Digital SLR Camera for Yourself

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It depends a lot on a person’s profession and usage when it comes to choosing a digital SLR camera. There are many advantages of choosing a digital SLR Camera. One of the key feature is the lens attached is used for viewing and focusing the image. The other cameras don’t have such function; the object is basically seen through the viewfinder and not the lens. Whatever image is seen in the camera before clicking the same comes on the negative. SLRs are parallax error free. The SLRs have multiple features that can be implemented for various uses. Use of different lenses makes the camera usable in many situations. Keeping this in mind most manufacturers have come up with a wide range accessories and lenses for SLRs. For example some lenses come with very long focal lengths making the objects clear especially when a wildlife photographer uses it. As it won’t be possible for them to go near to the wild animals still the image is not blurring.

When you go for choosing a DSLR then first thing to click your mind should be ‘what you would like to photograph?’ What are your photography styles? Few of them are listed below:

  • Landscapes

A landscape photographer would like to click the beauty of nature. There is no human figure to be clicked so the main focus is on clarity of stationary objects.

  • Wildlife

A wildlife photographer would like to click only moving objects. As the focus will be on wild animals so the images to be captured are for running or moving objects. Overall sedentary objects are not to be captured.

  • Small objects

If a photographer likes clicking small objects for example a flower so very minute details of that flower is to be captured. And fine details of the surroundings are also focused. Another name for this is macro photography.

  • Availability of light

If you love to click objects during night then such lens are required which makes the objects clear irrespective the availability of light.

  • When you travel

While travelling no one would choose such a camera which is bulky or requires accessories for its use. It’s not convenient to carry loads of things when you travel. You should be able to click objects while biking, hiking etc.

  • When you want to click indoor

The light availability is the maximum if the objects are clicked at home. And most of the time the objects are stationary. So it’s very easy .The focus and clarity of objects is very easy.

  • Frequently moving objects

If you like photographing frequently moving objects then you need a different lens. For example if you want to photograph a small child then obviously small kids keep on moving and changing expressions. The SLR should be able to capture the moment which you want to capture for the lifetime.

  • Portraits

When you want to photograph the facial expressions of a person the clarity is a must.

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Take Pro-Quality photos with your DSLR camera
Jun 3, 2013

Take Pro-Quality photos with your DSLR camera

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After our son was born I started noticing the amazing photos others were taking with semi-professional and professional digital SLR cameras and I knew I had to take the leap from “point-and-shoot”. Opening the box to my spanky new DSLR, I was overwhelmed with settings, options and buzzwords. I wanted to take awesome photos right away – not get an engineering degree in optics!

Once I finally sorted out all the jargon I was relieved to understand how simple DSLR photography really is. This is the quick-start guide I wish I had back then…

The goal is to get a shot that is sharp, bright and clean. In outdoor sunlight this is easy. (You could just use the camera’s “auto-mode”.) It’s really for low-light indoor shots that you have to know what you’re doing.

It turns out that the qualities of sharpness, brightness and graininess are trade-offs among each other. So the trick is to adjust the camera in low-light to get the right balance of each.

ENEMIES OF SHARPNESS:

1)      Poor “original” focus.

Auto-focus doesn’t always get it exactly right. You might have to use the manual focus to get the subject as sharp as possible.

2)      Camera shake

If you got the original focus exactly right, the subject will still come out blurry if the camera shakes even a little while the shutter is open. If the shutter is open for a long time, then you are more likely to see blur from camera shake.

To minimize camera shake on hand-held shots, you should use a “fast-enough” shutter speed. As a rule of thumb, “fast-enough” is 1/30th of a second for a 30mm zoom length, 1/60th of a second for a 60mm zoom length, and so on. Note how the numbers sort of match. (When the camera doesn’t have settings for these exact speeds, use the closest faster speed. e.g. 1/60th of a second for a 50mm zoom.)

3)      Subject movement

Even if your original focus is exact and you don’t shake the camera at all, the subject must be in the same place while the shutter is open, or you will get some amount of blur from subject movement. The longer the shutter is open, the more potential there is for motion blur. The faster the subject is moving, the faster the shutter speed must be.

4)      Large aperture

The aperture is the size of the hole in the lens that the light comes through. It turns out that a large aperture will produce blurriness for objects behind (and in front of) the original focal point. This can be an acceptable, even desired, type of blur since you can use it to make a sharp subject stand out from an otherwise blurry background. Using this effect for shots of people in particular will give your photos a professional quality that a typical point-and-shoot camera can’t achieve. [Read more...]

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Wedding Photography Prices
Apr 3, 2013

Wedding Photography Prices

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Understanding Wedding Photography Prices before Hiring

Weddings are so special that you need to keep memories of them with you forever. That is why wedding photography is one of the most important parts of your budget. Wedding photography prices do not come low though. So, you really usually need to allot a bigger chunk of your wedding budget for it.

Why Wedding Photography Prices Run High

To understand why wedding photography prices are high, you need to examine what wedding photographers need to put in to give you the best keepsake of your wedding. Take note that wedding photographers don’t simply go to your wedding to take simple snapshots. They are there to give you the best looking photos of your wedding. So if you want great photos you have to be prepared to pay for it. Take note too that wedding photographers put in a lot of time in order to give you the best photos. They will meet with you to go over the succession of events and your choice of shots and albums. Then after taking the photos, they would also have to spend more time to edit and retouch your photos. Aside from the time and effort, wedding photographers also have expenses. The camera and his lenses are quite an investment already. While they don’t have to be replaced after your wedding, they will be in a few years and they can really cost lot. Besides, art is needed to be able to produce the best wedding photos. And the talent of the wedding photographer cannot simply be bought. So, you have to pay for the use of this talent too.

What Affects the Price?

Wedding photography prices vary depending on the skill, experience and even the popularity of your wedding photographer. Of course, it generally follows that a professional and more experienced wedding photographer would have more high tech equipment. Then, again the more popular and skilled the photographer, the more in demand he would be. The size of your wedding could also affect the price.

How to Save on Wedding Photography

The key really is to compare wedding photography prices. This will give you an idea as to which photographer would give you the most services for your money. But then remember that one photographer is different from the other. His output would definitely be different from the next. So if you want to get the best service and you already have a preferred wedding photographer, you may have to opt for a more basic package instead.

On the other hand, if you are searching from scratch it is best that you compare wedding photography prices together with the services included in each. Each wedding photographer may offer various different services in every package. Some could give you a low price but actually offer you very limited services. While this may seem cheap at first, you could end up paying more as you add extra services. But then again, never forget to consider the output of each photographer. Ask to see each photographer’s previous works and choose the one whose style and output you like best. It’s the only way you will be happy and contented with the wedding photos you will get and feel that you actually got your money’s worth.

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Mar 24, 2013

Advice and Tips to Sell Photography Online

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The web has made it possible to sell almost anything online; in fact you might say you can sell anything at all.

For photographers it opened a market to sell your photography online which is an awesome extra avenue to ensure your photos reach a buying audience.

To sell your photography online it requires a marketplace or contacts who will buy or help you sell your photos. That’s where my quick and nifty guide to selling your photos online comes in handy.

First off you’ll need to understand that even if you find a great marketplace there will be competition but don’t let that put you off because you will find a marketplace that works for you.

Basics General Requirements for Selling Online

When you want to sell a photo on the Internet there will be requirements set by the sites (marketplaces) you choose to sell on. Usually these are general requirements that are based on what people want to buy. Also requirements set by the sites you want to sell on.

High Quality Images

The most basic requirement is having a high quality image in the correct file format and at the correct dimensions. Generally, requirements for the photo will range from its size and quality to what it contains. Depending on the website’s requirements will depend on what you can and cannot sell.

The rule of thumb is to have the highest quality image possible available at around 12000X1200 pixels. You may need to resize but having high quality images at a large size is what’s most important.

In order to get all your photos sold you may need to use a range of different marketplaces. Each site has different requirements and some may not accept your photos to be sold on their site while another site will.

Understand Copyrights

Copyright protection is also important for selling stock photography so you should learn about copyrighting your photos before you choose a marketplace to sell on. This will ensure you are happy with the available copyright protection options offered to you.

Have Your Own Website

I don’t recommend having your own website for the sole purpose of selling online because it’s more difficult to get an immediate presence. Though, I do recommend having a base where people can find the real you. Where they can see you’re a real person with a real agenda, and that is to take great photos and get paid for doing so.

Your own website is also great for picking up local clients, such as people wanting wedding photos and event photos. So if you do create a website, make sure it has details of your services and your photos for sale.

Apart from your own website, you can sell on marketplaces known as microstock sites or stock photography sites. [Read more...]

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