Can someone tell me a little bit about macro photography?I have a sea and sea mx 10 with macro lens, strobe and some other extras but am nervous about trying the macro,I dont know what type of critters I should be trying to photograph or how close I need to be ect...any info would be appreciated.
Info on macro photos
- Thread starter luvturtle
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luvturtle:
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Well ...for starters you need to change your viewing skills. Successful macro photography begins with sharpening your observation techniques and getting your face right up against the reef.
In terms of subjects, I've always found that the little blennies and gobies were the easiest. They are curious and territorial. They tend to stay in an area so even if your presence spooks them a little they will return if you can be patient ...which brings to mind one of the key factors in getting the shot - - PATIENCE !! Take several shots of the same subject.
Another fun thing to capture are the little shrimp that live among the anenomes. You can generally get in pretty close before the shrimp will retreat and/or the anenome will retract it's fingers.
One suggestion I'll share with you is that I always dive with a little plastic shaving mirror. Take one on your next dive and experiment with it. Place it in the sand adjacent to a rock or some coral that is inhabited with little damsel fishes. They will see their image in the mirror and become preoccupied with curiosity and you will have an opportunity to get in close for the shot.
Have fun !!
BrianO
Registered
The best way to get good Macro's is to find a subject that will put up with you or get used to you. This is where a thicker suit and/or beanie comes into playfor warmth when you're not swimming around. It takes a little longer, but the shots you get will be worth it. If you're using a strobe, get a diffuser for it. This will soften and even out the light for better color and definition. Also, don't try to cover too much territory. One of the coolest trricks I've seen is to wait for everone in the group to leave the area and stay put. The shy critters will come back out and, even though you're blowing bubbles, it won't be the same commotion as the group that just left the area. You'll be surprised at what comes back out of the reef as soon as everyone else is gone. Taking several pix of your subject is also a great way to insure a good shot.
MX-10 macro, the camera really does a nice job with macro lens and the strobe.
First...get your buoyancy control DEAD ON. With macro photography, your diving skills need to be at their peak, average skills are not good enough. You need to be able to hover with very little movement and be able to back out of spots. I would suggest you find a pool and practice before grabbing the camera. Here is a practice drill for you.
Try hovering off the bottom with your feet up somewhat, your head down and your arms extended. Place your hands together to form a tube, your fingers touching each other except for the little fingers, thumbs and index fingers closest to you and your little fingers fartherest away - that is your macro "framer". Now swim up to an object, get it IN your "finger framer". A suspended ping pong ball is a good choice. The object must not touch any finger but it must be inside the "tube" they form. A macro framer only has a depth of field of 3 to 5 inches, about the same depth as your hands. Hold the composition for a few seconds while you take your imaginary shot. Now back out a couple of feet . When you can do this easily, grab the camera and try it again.....it's a lot more difficult than it sounds but IMO that is where your dive skills need to be before tackling macro. You don't want to crash into anything with your framer but still if your outside of the lenses depth of field the shots will be out of focus.
The macro lens must be installed under water, making sure all the air is out from between the 2 lenses, otherwise you will get air bubbles in the frame. I just removed and replaced it after getting by buoyancy adjusted. The camera is set to F-22 or F-16 depending on the subject, I found F22 worked in most cases. The macro lens and strobe are adjusted for 100 sp film, 400 will not work well, most all of your shots will be overexposed if you use 400. The strobe needs to have the diffuser installed. If you are using the YS-40A it can be in "ON" or "auto".
The uprights on the lens are the framer for the shot. Your subject must be within the "U" formed by the 3 legs and a distance of no more than 2 inches of the framer at F-22 and 1 inch at F-16 to be in focus. The framer legs are the sweet spot for focus, the closer your subject is to the framer the better. Your total depth of field (focus zone if you will) is only 3 to 5 inches wide with the framer being the center of the field. Now you see why control is so important.
For subjects, things that don't move are my choice for a beginner. Shells, tube worms, corals and nudabranches are some good choices. Fish are a lot harder to coax into the framer and even the tube worms are hard to ease up on.
So, practice without the camera, practice with it in a pool (no need to take a lot of photos-just framing and holding the shot will do- better yet take the "photos" with no film...might as well practice shutter control ) and then find some easy subjects to start on. It's really pretty easy to take good photos with the MX-10 and macro lens IF you are a good enough diver to hold the shot.
First...get your buoyancy control DEAD ON. With macro photography, your diving skills need to be at their peak, average skills are not good enough. You need to be able to hover with very little movement and be able to back out of spots. I would suggest you find a pool and practice before grabbing the camera. Here is a practice drill for you.
Try hovering off the bottom with your feet up somewhat, your head down and your arms extended. Place your hands together to form a tube, your fingers touching each other except for the little fingers, thumbs and index fingers closest to you and your little fingers fartherest away - that is your macro "framer". Now swim up to an object, get it IN your "finger framer". A suspended ping pong ball is a good choice. The object must not touch any finger but it must be inside the "tube" they form. A macro framer only has a depth of field of 3 to 5 inches, about the same depth as your hands. Hold the composition for a few seconds while you take your imaginary shot. Now back out a couple of feet . When you can do this easily, grab the camera and try it again.....it's a lot more difficult than it sounds but IMO that is where your dive skills need to be before tackling macro. You don't want to crash into anything with your framer but still if your outside of the lenses depth of field the shots will be out of focus.
The macro lens must be installed under water, making sure all the air is out from between the 2 lenses, otherwise you will get air bubbles in the frame. I just removed and replaced it after getting by buoyancy adjusted. The camera is set to F-22 or F-16 depending on the subject, I found F22 worked in most cases. The macro lens and strobe are adjusted for 100 sp film, 400 will not work well, most all of your shots will be overexposed if you use 400. The strobe needs to have the diffuser installed. If you are using the YS-40A it can be in "ON" or "auto".
The uprights on the lens are the framer for the shot. Your subject must be within the "U" formed by the 3 legs and a distance of no more than 2 inches of the framer at F-22 and 1 inch at F-16 to be in focus. The framer legs are the sweet spot for focus, the closer your subject is to the framer the better. Your total depth of field (focus zone if you will) is only 3 to 5 inches wide with the framer being the center of the field. Now you see why control is so important.
For subjects, things that don't move are my choice for a beginner. Shells, tube worms, corals and nudabranches are some good choices. Fish are a lot harder to coax into the framer and even the tube worms are hard to ease up on.
So, practice without the camera, practice with it in a pool (no need to take a lot of photos-just framing and holding the shot will do- better yet take the "photos" with no film...might as well practice shutter control ) and then find some easy subjects to start on. It's really pretty easy to take good photos with the MX-10 and macro lens IF you are a good enough diver to hold the shot.
Hammerhead
Contributor
Footslogger:
How often have I seen the little buggers playing with their own reflections in my mask and never thought of using a mirror?
Nice one, 'slogger!
maynard.hogg
Registered
luvturtle:
Read the Fffffffffffffffact-filled manual that came with your camera and lens. Somewhere in there should a list of minimum and maximum distances. Stray outside the range, and the auto-focus mechanism will screw you every time. (Call me the voice of experience. I don't have the visual acuity to notice on the LCD screen. An instructor eventually put her finger on my problem.)
The MX-10 manual is almost worthless and it is a fixed lens point and shoot camera so autofocus is a non issue.
maynard.hogg
Registered
herman:
Nothing new there. What useful information there is is no doubt skilfully hidden.
herman:
Fixed-focus lens have similar problems. There's always a minimum separation. On my low-end Olympus models, it's 610 cm. Getting closer requires added a close-up lens on the front.
Which reminds me. Another problem with getting too close is the shadow of the camera. Go back and read the person's comment about aiming your strobe properly. I've lost so many nudibranch shots that way.
P.S. The title is a blatant plug for the Flickr group with that name.
http://flickr.com/groups/closer_and_closer/
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