Here is my challenge to you in 2010, Start getting active in the forum, We all had to start somewhere, and none of us were any good in the beginning.

I know who some of you are , most of you post to the first time poster, this is good but don't feel we are not all approachable, None of us bite , some of us are very opinionated, But Not ME. :worried:

I would like to know how many of you are out there, so make a post to this thread and let us know why.

Do you just like looking at the talent here?

Are you wanting to get into Macro but don't have the funds or time ?

Do you feel intimidated by the work that is posted here and don't feel you are good enough to post any of your work at this time .

Believe me I Know , I did the same thing I lurked for almost a year before I posted .
Heck back then we didn't even have a Macro forum , much less many macro shooters,. I can also say that the people that did do some macro or closeup shots back then , are not even around much anymore .

I wanted to learn so bad , I pushed myself , got encouragement from others which pushed me more and now I'm almost half good . I still have a long way to go .

We have some fine talent here, a lot of them don't get the recognition they deserve , but believe me they will help you , but you can't be afraid to ask .

Tom

Tell us a little about yourselves if you like . Post no pic's here start a new thread.

I guess I will be first one. Let me introduce myself. I am 16 years old boy from Slovenia. I started macro photography I think about half years ago, when I got my Sigma 70-300. But i could only get magnification 1:2. I waned more so I bought Raynox-250 and I love it.
I am really satisfied with this forum. I'm glad I get many responses when I post some pictures. I could only say I little miss some hard critique, haw to improve my photo.
I haw to say I really admire all macro photographers here and haw to say, that sometimes fell bit alone, because I see only first-class shots.

PS: sorry for my bad English.

Boštjan

I haven't visited this forum long enough to be a lurker, but I am fascinated with the talent. I just rediscovered photography a year ago (which I think still makes me a newbie), and I am trying to improve my technique, but also explore all forms of the art. I started out with landscapes, then tried portraits (mostly of my kids), and even experimented with night photos, sports, and long exposures. Now I want to give macro a try. Normally, I would have stuck to landscapes and portraits, but I'm realizing that I enjoy a lot more. Macro has introduced me to another world, and teaches me not to take the little things for granted. I just received a set of extension tubes for Christmas to get me started. Right now I am obsessed with improving shots of reflections in dew drops. It's harder than I thought.

I have been looking at this forum for quite some time now. I bought my first digital SLR back in June and have been taking all sorts of photos. However, I have never shot macro, and have been amazed at the photos posted on this forum - so much so that I recently got a 100mm macro lens and some extension tubes and had my first try at macro shooting this past week. (see post here)

I must say that this forum has opened a whole new world of photography for me. I will definitely be posting more often, and I hope to learn more from all of you.

Jason

Hi, I am new to the forum. I take pictures of small items in an indoor studio set-up. I am interested in learning more about macro. I'll be posting in the forum looking for advice with equipment and technique. Thanks

I have been lurking for a while, I don't have any macro gear, I just like looking at the shots. I shoot mostly sports and a few landscapes. I have not purchased image upload yet but I do suppot the site as I have bought some of the FM plugins.

Good to see some "Just Lookers" posting.

As for the reasons for not posting, I do like like seeing other's photos, but really I just can't afford any macro lens gear.

Looking forward to seeing some of your photos.

From a long time lurker I would like to thank you and the other FM’ers like you. It’s guys like you that make this a great forum. Thank you for helping us noobs.

I feel privileged just to be able to see the work that gets posted here. But I’ve always felt that I shouldn’t say anything unless I can post some photographs also. It will take a lot more practice before I can post anything even close to the work here. But thanks to you and others like you I know what I’m doing wrong and know where I need to improve. My goal is to one-day post a macro that Tom Hicks will say, “WOW” about.

I’m sure I speak for countless others when I say thank you for all your time, patience, and knowledge that you freely give to all of us that are trying to learn.

Hello all,

I am one of the lurkers absorbing all the excellent info and images. I borrowed my friend's extension tubes and practiced for a weekend. Here are two of my better shots (sorry for the links, I don't have an upload account)

smiley flower

orchid

Anyway, I have some questions about these extension tubes and other things... I will post separately!

-th

Tom- you can move this post to a new thread, since my account cannot start new threads. I have a password/email problem that isn't letting me.

Title: Darking Beetle
Zoophobas morio.

18-55mm, +10 filter.
Oh to have nice lenses.

I AM EXTREMELY TURNED ON BY THE MACRO WORLD OF DISCOVERY AND EXCITEMENT . I'VE ONLY BEEN AWARE OF THIS FORUM BUT A VERY SHORT WHILE AND ALREADY I KNOW MORE ABOUT WHERE MY INTEREST LIE THAN I COULD HAVE EVER KNOWN JUST A FEW SHORT DAYS OR WEEKS AGO. CAN'T SAY ENOUGHT ABOUT WHAT AND HOW YOU SHARE KNOWLEDGE THROUGH OUT THE INTIRE SITE. I FEEL AS THOUGH I AM EMBARKING ON BEING A MEMBER OF A NEW FAMILY OF DOERS . SO HAPPY TO HAVE FOUND YOU. SHALL POST AS SOON AS I HAVE AQUIRED MORE TOOLS IN MY TOOL BOX THAT SHALL ALOW MY CREATIVITY TO FLOW AND GROW. NAVIGATING THIS ART FORM IS SO VERY ENERGIZING. THANKS FOR BEING ALIVE.

I guess I'm both a noob and a lurker. I've been interested in photography since my college days (graduated in '03). Last year I bought myself a Rebel XT for a birthday present. I've done what I could with the kit lens plus the 50mm 1.8. While browsing through Flickr (which I do for countless hours) I came across Dalantech's photo stream. I was amazed at the detail and versatility that macro photography offers. So, I started reading Dalantech's blog and found this forum through there.

Since then I've been looking at the wonderful photos here and trying to learn all I can. I'll be ordering the Canon 100mm Macro within the next couple of weeks (another birthday present for myself :P) and hope to become an active member of your community.

Another lurker-noob here. Just trying to soak up a little something. Been lurking for a while, since Canon decided to make a dslr for a grand.

I've been lurking for awhile as well. I'm fascinated by Macro photography, though haven't really done much of it yet - need to look for interesting subjects. I have a second-hand Canon Rebel 300D and several lenses, though only one is a "real" macro lens - a Sigma 150mm f2.8 Macro. Itching to get it on a tripod and find something to shoot!

Well...I'm new here and am hoping to learn as much as I can. I have a Rebel XTi and a Sigma 18-50mm 2.8 Macro. I wish I would have gotten the 40D. Anyway, I've been messing around with the camera on my reef tank and some practice macro shots on my kitchen table. Was hoping to get some good direction here so I paid for the uploading privelege. Thanks.

I've been a lurker since 2005. I'm in the nor CAL area. Pending on a Lens purchase, i'm nearly there to get my feet wet on macro. photography.

I read FM forums everyday and I don't post very much mainly because the wealth of knowledge on here is absolutely frightening. I've nothing to add , yet..perhaps one day.

Do you just like looking at the talent here?
yes

Are you wanting to get into Macro but don't have the funds or time ?
yes, no

Do you feel intimidated by the work that is posted here and don't feel you are good enough to post any of your work at this time .
no, yes, no

... but any ways....

A friend turned me on to this site last weekend. and I really enjoy macro photography and it seems to be what I do best but that's not saying much. I'm looking to get better and get some ideas as I am not very creative.

Sort of a lurker-noob. I peruse this section from time to time. I just got a set of Kenko extension tubes, and man, I am so excited about Macro photography. I can spend a whole hour shooting macro pix, and not even move a few feet.

This is my first post after lurking for about a year. I take alot of macro shots but I don't think my photos can hold a candle to some of the ones posted on here. There are some very talented people who do great work and I love to look at their photos. I hope everyone has a great day. Jabe