I have been a lurker for some time on the forum and have just found the macro section. I have been shooting flower macros for a while and have just found Helicon focus which I will post my second result using this software

Just bought my canon 60 macro today. Hopefully I'll be able to contribute once it comes in. I'm excited since this is my 1st macro lens

I'm sorta a lurker and sorta a participant. I have posted comments, but no images yet. Yes, I love macro - just not sure if my personal challenges will ever let me be very good at it. I probably couldn't handle a huge lens, and I have a bit of a tremor, so IS is important, as is AF. Not the best combination of issues for serious macro stuff that could 'compete' on this site. But I love what I am learning, and I am still working on my skills. As with a few others who posted here, the advent of more affordable dSLRs opened up a new world for me. Although I'd had some experience with a manual SLR years ago, I lost my enthusiasm for photography for a while after everything became automatic & cameras did all the work for you. At least the ones I could afford were like that. It's been wonderful to get back into the creative mode, but the learning curve is huge.

Many thanks to all the great photographers on this site. I am in awe of what you do, and I have learned more from each of you than I can ever repay.

I've been lurking for a little while. I'm fairly new to the DSLR world and like the previous poster, am having to learn a lot. I did some film photography/dark room work, a long time ago, but have forgotten most of what I knew. (or maybe I didn't have much to forget ;-) I recently bought a Sigma 150mm macro lens and find it very challenging at a 1:1 ratio. Like so many others, macro photography has opened up a whole new world. Often I find I'm taking a picture of one thing, only to spy something I never saw creeping around. Very eye opening experience!

Hi all,

Newbie here and excited about macro, as well as other areas. Was somewhat of a hobbyist about 10 years ago when I had the opportunity to have a pulitzer price winning photographer on the staff of one of our publications. He got me into shooting. Left the hobby when others interests took over and continued to shoot only once in a while. Just last month went to a digital SLR and decided to get back into it.

Bought a Sigma 150 2.8 macro and have started playing around. Just can't get the depth of field that many of the posted shots show. Having a very tough time with hand holding the camera/lens and getting crisp images. Try to use a tripod and just bought a new trigger grip head for easier movement of the cam/lens.

Interested in know more about how to improve DOF with moving subjects (ie. where I cannot leave the shutter open a longer time). Also, what are the types of flashes I should get? I have a 540 ez, but do I need to buy a ring flash? Also, not sure I am 100% clear on the reversing of fixed lens direct to camera body and also do extension tubes get used with macro lenses? What exactly do the ex-tubes do? What about using a TC with my 150mm?

Finally, I am looking at the 65mm macro only lens, but am I just spending a lot of money to duplicate what the ET will do?

Should I use a special tripod? I find that when shooting with a monopod in macro and run into the same problem as hand holding.

Lots of Qs I know, but am very impressed with these shots and the fact that I don't need to travel all over the world to get such fantastic images.

I am a lurker i havent really posted at all but i have been looking on this forum for about a year now. I first got into photography about 4 years about in my junior year of high-school and i am now going to school in pittsburgh for photography although my true passion is nature i cant really do it as a portfolio for school because of the time constraints but i still do it as often as i can and i love photographing insects, i began with a 100-400 canon lens but when realizing i couldnt get very close to anything i got a 60mm macro and when i moved to nikon i got a 120mm macro and i absolutely love it! its great to go outside and photography bit its also enjoyable to bring specimens inside(insects and plants) and bringing them into a studio setting and using a macro. I really should start posting

Hi all,

Been lurking for quite a few months now. Bought a digital SLR to get me out of the house and moving a bit. Find anything fun to shoot but have a passion for macro/close up. By no means am I any good at it and probably never will be as great as the people on here but you know...it really doesn't matter... I am having a blast anyways.

Oh yes...I like breaking the rules. At the over 50 age group Photographic rules are the only rules I can break

Hi, Im Roberto from Chile. I log in on FM first to buy some gear... then I lern to use FM to know more of the equipment... and lurk here and there.

I love Photography, and I really like sports shooting (mountainbike)...and I always thought that Macro world is facinating, but I never take the time to try it... and I don't have the equipment to do it... but today I was in my work (Physical THerapy) with my 30D taking some pics of a little BBQ that we do to celebrate the "4th of July" of Chile... 18th of September... and a little buddy start to bugging me... I chase him and I flip my 50mm 1.8, just grab it to the camera fliped and I was surprissed... my new buddy was so poser...

my very first "not to bad" macro shoots

the electric BBQ first

Been raining, and I started playing with an old 55 3.5 while waiting for my child's carpool to soccer practice this evening. Handheld, 1/50s, iso 800, just something cool in the flower pot. not sure it is really macro?

I've been lurking in these forums for years. I never was able to go for it and buy a macro lens, but I just did. Hopefully I really enjoy it and will have plenty of images for you all to see.

I am a hobbyist from California who loves landscape and macro shots. I use Canon 100mm macro lens and I am interested in getting the MPE65mm, but I need to research more about it. This is the first time I checked the macro shots here and they are beautiful. Attached is a link of my macro shots.
http://crysjan.smugmug.com/Photography/Flowers-and-Plants/Flowers/6223590_aBF8r

I've been lurking off and on. I usually post in Canon and Alternative gear here on FM.

Unfortunately, I don't shoot macro, in the truest sense. I shoot macro in the general sense. My best rig allows me something in the neighbourhood of 1:1.24, so I am very close to 1:1... but being that close is like saying a mile is equal to a kilometre.

I haven't shot macro stuff in a while, but I'm getting back into it. I built myself a small lightbox yesterday, which has worked surprisingly well. All in all, it cost me about $1 to make.

Here's a sample or two!

I'm brand new to photography whether it's macro or not. I got a Canon XSi a couple of months ago and I'm absolutely fascinated. Right now I'm only taking pics or my kids and sceneries but hoping to take pics of insects and flowers and I guess that's when I'll need a macro.
Hopefully I'll find time sooner than later!
Thanks for the encouragement!

Pregnancy Miracle Book

Inspired by all of the great macro images here, I ordered some coupling rings the other night. I did a lot of macro in the film days, and have done some when time allows with the digital. It's time to get myself back in gear. Thanks for the jumpstart.

It's been some years since I've posted here untill very recently. (this week)

I can blame work for my absence. Here in west australia, we are the epicentre of supplying china with raw materials and the work load is huge. Far more work available than there is workers.

So over the years I've been working my behind off. Good part is we paid the mortgage off and have excess money invested in term deposits & bullion yet no time to do anything with it all.

Recently I bought a brand new 40D + 17-85 f4.0 IS usm kit. The last of the run out model stock. I plan to ebay the 17-85mm (It's so called macro ability sucks) and buy a macro lens. Thinking about the ef-s 60mm which can replace my 50mm f1.8 nifty and should combine with a 1.4x TC I use with my 70-200 f4L if I ever need more macro millimetres. 84mm F4 macro two for one deal.

Good thing about australia. There are plenty of bugs and flowers everywhere to point a macro lens at!

I got a Canon 100 2.8 IS macro on Thursday. Been on the canon forum for a while and I'm hoping to pick up some tips.
The lens is a thing of beauty.

G'Day!

My name is einesonne from Australia. Have been lurking around for about a year and today I finally posted some comments. Yes, admireing great talents here. Just found out it costs money to post images...just thinking whether to join or not!!! It is great to be here because I get to see so many different places instead of familiar Aussie places all the time.....

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2593/3886927600_a640f4ebc9_b.jpghttp://farm3.static.flickr.com/2593/3886927600_a640f4ebc9_b.jpg



Happy to be here to learne from great photographers around the world!

einesonne

Hi!

I've been lurking on and off. I started having interest in MACRO in 2007, tried to do some shots using my D50, a cheap extension tube from eBay and a Nikon 50mm 1.8. Here are some of my attempts in MACRO-- http://www.pbase.com/josephgaton/macro_attempts ..

i just bought a D700 from ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-NIKON-D-700-SLR-12-1-MP-DIGITAL-CAMERA-D700-3-LCD_W0QQitemZ290372191465QQcmdZViewItemQQptZDigital_Cameras?hash=item439b8804e9 I sure will get busy with my new toy..

I am glad a forum such ours exists because a beginner like me will learn a lot of things from "those who have been there and done that"...

I haven't been on this site in a while, but when I am, Macro is where I go first.
I amire the work, am intimidated for sure - the pictures are incredible!! I have only had my SLR for less than a year and really want to figure out how to get into macro without a HUGE expense. My favorite day with my camera was walking around taking close up photos of plant life when rain had frozen over it.
Incredible talent here. I really enjoy the postings!

I just found this forum a few days ago and have been very impressed with images I have seen so far. I recently purchased a 180mm macro lens. I am hoping to experiment with it over the holidays, I am sure I will have many questions after that.

einesonne wrote:
G'Day!

My name is einesonne from Australia. Have been lurking around for about a year and today I finally posted some comments. Yes, admireing great talents here. Just found out it costs money to post images...just thinking whether to join or not!!! It is great to be here because I get to see so many different places instead of familiar Aussie places all the time.....

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2593/3886927600_a640f4ebc9_b.jpghttp://farm3.static.flickr.com/2593/3886927600_a640f4ebc9_b.jpg



Happy to be here to learne from great photographers around the world!

einesonne

You can just embed pictures from your flickr gallery, no need to pay money to post pictures

eg

Subhash from Lexington, MA. Been a lurker here for a couple of years, finally started getting back into photography this past year.
Blueberries

Started on the macro front taking a few pictures from around the backyard.

Fallen Leaf

Last Berries

Hello
Thanks for the thread, and hopefully it will help me..
After registering few long months go, I stopped looking because I was afraid of the highest level of photos..
So.. stopped looking, and suddenly I was woke up by MarkB1 whom I "met" in another forum very accidentely..
I have started photography a little bit more than 3 years ago, and .. oh well... my favourites subjects are .. everything around me.
I have submitted my first image today.

Have a good day

I can probably be considered both a Noob and Lurker, but also sort-of transitioning here from another photography forum that I have been on for years. The general quality of the posts there has been dropping, and some of the nastiness I see in some threads has driven me to FM which is known to be much more civilized.

I just put together a new macro setup and am working on my first thread for FM, I want my first contribution to be significant so It will probably take me another day or two to get it posted.

Glad to be here.

Hello my name is Ray and I'm a lurker...

Not for long though... I thought I was pretty good at this whole "Picture-taking" thing (After all, my friends all say I take great pictures!)

That is... until I found this site. I had aspirations of being a wildlife, portrait, wedding and landscape photographer... but WOW! The talent here is incredible!!!

But lurker no more. We all have to start somewhere so I'm buying the annual image upload thingy and uploading my very first photo shortly in the wildlife forum.

Be nice, or not. I have thick skin and my goal is to become at least HALF as talented as y'all here.

Here we go!
Ray