A field trip to the Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) in Burlington is always welcome as the grey of winter passes. The indoor garden displays provide a suggestion of the colour that is about to bloom in the gardens of local neighbourhoods.
A presentation by a expert on macro photography given at this month's meeting of the Guelph Photographers Guild and a follow up outing to RBG was planned for members to practice their macro tricks and techniques. I missed the presentation but having taken a workshop previously led by the same photographer, I decided to tag along for some of the fun.
Macro Photography (actually it's regularly close-up photography and not true Macro Photography but that's a discussion for a different day) can involve expensive gear, specialty lenses and lighting but it can also be done on a limited budget with inexpensive additions to the equipment that most photographers already have. This week's image is an example of the latter. I did go to RBG with my specialty macro lens, sturdy tripod and ball head and I did use that gear to captured a number of decent images. However, it was a standard 50mm f/1.4 lens and an inexpensive extension tube that I used to capture this image. Holding the camera by hand while hovering over a waist level bench of tulips I positioned myself to look down into one in particular.
The depth of focus (DoF) for close up photography can be very shallow and require stopping down the aperture and using long shutter speeds with supplemental lighting if you want to create an image that is entirely in focus. I particularly like the look of narrow DoF when it's used in a manner that directs attention to specific elements of a photograph or creates an abstract feeling. The DoF in this image is extremely shallow and focusing to get a specific element sharp required some effort. In order to get the focus on the very end of the pistil I set the focus to manual, adjusted it and left it fixed. As I composed the image, wavering slightly, the pistil would be in focus and then out of focus as the camera to subject distance varied minutely. Holding the composition as best I could, I intentionally moved slightly in and out and kept my breathing smooth. Just when the element came in focus I gently released the shutter to make an exposure. It's much easier to do this rather than try to stay perfectly still which actually causes you to tense up and possibly tremble slightly making a it near impossible to get the focus as intended.
A bit of inexpensive kit and a use of technique can make for a strong macro image.
DJE
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