I'm another Lurker here. This will be my first photo post.
My dog pointed out this Female Giant Ichmeumons that was drilling into a stump to lay eggs. I'm getting more interested in flower and insect photography and this forum is a great help.

Ok, so I've been reading this forum daily for the last 2 months now.

A few things about myself. I'm a grad student. My older brother got me started on this hobby about 2 years back. I got my Canon Rebel XT about 1.5 years ago but I haven't started shooting seriously until this January. I like photography in general but macro photography is my favorite. As many of you have stated, it lets you discover the entire different world on everyday items. I really love that about macro.

Once I get my head around this thing I'm in, I'll start posting some of the photos I've taken so far. I need light, more light though.

I have lurked here for several months. I started in photography at birth! My father was a professional photographer and had a darkroom set up in the basement. I well remember the smell of developer wafting through my childhood. My first serious camera was a Nikon F2, circa 1978. No meters, no autofocus, no batteries to go bad at just the wrong moment. I eventually added medium format to my arsenal and yes, installed a darkroom in the guest bathroom.

Now I shoot a Nikon D700 and my macro lens is a 105mm Micro-Nikkor AI. I just love that a lens I can mount and use correctly on my F2 mounts and operates correctly on my D700!

I love to photograph flowers, bugs and all the tiny things in nature. The irony is that proper macro photography demands a sturdy tripod and careful focus; however, the most interesting insects are very fast moving.

Here is a recent shot.

Hi forum, first time visitor... I want to find out about the "inverted 50mm macro lens trick"

I'll search for it before I make a new post....
-Mark

Ha! I found it already!

REV 50 http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/663112

Thanks again!

Okay I'm new here plus new to Macro. As a matter of fact I just ordered a lens today. I mainly shoot sports and people and have yet to get into the small world. But there is so much beauty there! I looked at Nikon macros for 3 years and couldn't afford one so I ordered a Sigma 70mm f2.8 Macro after reading some reviews and the $$ wasn't killer. So when my lens gets here I'll be diving into a new world. Any advise would be appreciated. I shoot a Nikon. Is most of the work you see here tripod mounted? Thanks in advance, you guys do have some great work here that is........intimidating!

I am very interesyed in lens reversal too. I have an old Minolta 50mm manual. Will that work?

Dave

I'm usually in the Landscape area but dabble in macro once in awhile. In talking about how cheap you can go... Back in 1989, I needed to shoot pictures of old family photos and I was broke. All I had was a Canon AE-1P and the 50mm that came with it. So I cut an aluminum can and duct taped it to my camera body and the other end of the lens...Volia maco on the cheap. I thought the pictures came out ok...

I'm looking at getting a set of the Kenko tubes and scratching that itch!

First for me too

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/768143

More close-up than macro though.

I spend most of my time shooting landscapes and in the Landscape forum. But I do venture out of my comfort zone sometimes while out shooting and do some macro/close-up shots. I've lurked some in this forum a little here and there, but never posted. I think I'll start posting some of my shots here and hopefully it'll help me improve.

Chris

G'day Folks,

I have only found this forum in the past couple of weeks. While I have been playing around with photos and digital video (heaps of dv work) for a few years now, I have never really gotten serious about the photography side of things. Living in an isolated community with no one to learn from; it has seemed an impossible task.

Then I found this forum and Dalantech's blog! Since this fateful moment I have read as much as I can. Literally ten days of 12 hours a day i reckon. I am also on the verge of separation from the missus after 'begging, borrowing and stealing' to get an MPE65 and MT-24 with some diffusing materials. Then today I drove 140kms into town today to purchase a glue gun just to void the warranty on my new flash when it gets here in the morning;-) I am pouring over posts and technical write ups in an attempt to learn my gear and as much of the craft as possible.

What I am really groovin on atm is the fact that you can research anything on these forums. I have been lost in the Macro stuff for a few weeks and have gone off on a little tangent this weekend(as my mt-24 wont arrive from b&h until tomorrow) and in doing so, I have learned a lot about sports shooting, BIF and surfing photography. I even spent the last three hours learning about the back button focus!!

I am stunned at how technical this field is and buoyed by the fact that the 'experts'; those who should be the most jaded about helping newbies, are so willing to help.

Thanks heaps...better get back to reading.

Antony in Australia

Thanks for reading and apologies for the newbie enthusiasm! Hopefully i can practice and read and be ready for the re-emergence of our insects in late August........

Hey all,

I see some names I remember, but I've not been active here for a few years. I'm a PhD Chemist at a defense contractor in Boston. The macro skills I honed while on this board ended up being quite good to me, I got a few lucrative high-end watch photography gigs using what I learned here, and spent some time doing casino photography with a former fashion photographer. I nearly ended my career in science to pursue photography actually.

BUT, I chose the science path (gotta use that education!) and now after a few years off, I'm dusting off my gear and trying to rediscover my passion for macro photography. I'm struggling with getting motivated to do photography for the sake of it (and not for income). Last time I was active here, I was into flowers and completely obsessed with dragonflies.

I'm all excited because my new apartment is surrounded with prime dragon habitat and they're probably just emerging.

I hope to rekindle some old friendships, meet some new people and share my knowledge with eager ears!

Haven't posted in macro but here's 2 while playing around.

1d2 w/ 24-70L

Hey there!

Been reading and visiting for a few weeks now, thought it was time to make myself known.

I'm a 19 year old guy with a passion for photography. Especially macro and abstract. I've been into photography since 2003 I beleive, but didn't buy my first real camera until 2006.

Hopefully i'm here to stay, since this place got a huge load of talent and inspiration.

Nice to meet you all!

I miss doing macro. I started here 4 years ago and learned alot from everyone.
I still look in here occasionally and see familiar faces ;~). But mostly wildlife shooting which has become my first love. I like the speed of it all. But rest assured, I do macro once in a while because I miss it. You guys are so talented.
Happy shooting days to you all.

Macro is so fun! Wish I had more time, and was able to carry more equipment on me while in the field.

Finally took the jump and registered in here ... was first drawn by a link to Lord V's work, absolutely stunning. This is an awesome forum

Greetings Macro! I shot this over the weekend with bare 300mm f4. Its a 50% crop. I have extension tubes and 500D on its way, can't wait to come back to this fella.

ID?

Hi all.

I've been lurking around for a long time, but for one reason or another never posted anything relevant. Meanwhile I lost my FM password and decided to do a new registration, so i guess this is a new beginning.

I do close-up and macro photography since I was a teenager and have tryed almost anything - from bellows to reversed lenses; from teleconverters to diopters; from true macro lenses to extension tubes - with a lot of differente cameras - from a film Pentax SLR to a digital Canon SLR. Recently I moved to Full Frame (a used Canon EOS 5D) and now I'm trying to consolidate my equipment. I have a Tamron 90/2.8 Macro Di, extension tubes, a Life-Size Converter, some lenses to reverse and a couple of flash guns and I consider the possibility to add a longer lens (Tamron 180) to my gear.

I'm not the typical bug or flower macro shooter, as my main interest is Mushrooms, but I try to make interesting images out of anything and I'm enhancing my motivation to shoot flowers, butterflies and other insects or spiders - hence the need for a longer macro lens.

A few facts about me: 35 y/o, live in Portugal, Psychologist.

Hope to post some mushroom photos soon.

Hi guys!

Should have posted here before, but anyway, here it goes:

I've been around for quite some years reading this forum. Excelent one.

Photography comes from the early years. Always wanted to save what I saw. Done that for quite e few years in film, then in 2005 changed to Digital. Bought a Nikon D70s (had Nikon film SLR's before), and I still use it.

The love for macro came naturally. Started with 1:2 with a Nikkor 28-105, then reverse 50, then I got a Nikkor 105VR.

Nowadays I use also a 1.4 TC and kenko tubes, for higher mag, and from time to time, reverse 50 in front of the 105 (ohhhhh, if only Nikon wake up and made something like the MPE...).

Live in Aveiro, Portugal. Nice place to live, nice places to shoot too!

Pedro G. Prata
http://prata.smugmug.com

Hi I was reccommended FM yesterday by a member (goldenorfe)
I actually do more what would be considered close up than true macro mainly Butterflies and Dragonflies I hope its considered OK to post these in this section
I'm still learning but much prefer the look of natural light shots even tho it makes life harder as I have to mess about with a tripod
I will put a couple of recent shots up
Pete

I know I am new here, but why are there so many shots of bugs? I much prefer flowers and other things. All the bugs creep me out.

xsrn wrote:
I know I am new here, but why are there so many shots of bugs? I much prefer flowers and other things. All the bugs creep me out.

Ha, they creep me out too. But they're very interesting up close. Especially since we can't see the details with our naked eye. So with that in mind I love the buggy macros! Now if I only had a lens I could use for my own macro shots. Reversing my 50mm f/ 1.8 hasn't worked for me as of yet.

Hi everyone! Just picked up a Canon 100mm macro tonight. I haven't shot macro but have been shooting sports, landscape, people, and travel photography. I'm not a lurker since its my first time here but I will check out some of the posts to learn more about macro photography.

I hope to post some pics soon when I start shooting and when my schedule would allow. :-)

Thanks!
Voltaire

Hi,

I am new to the forum and find the work here unbelievably well shot. You guys are truly artists, not just snapshooters if you know what I mean. I hope to learn much from all of you as my almost non-existant macro skills progress.

I recently got into photography within the last year and am loving it. I have learned a great deal about photographing birds and wildlife but have far from perfected my technique.

Now I will be splitting my focus learning flash and macro skills. I am on a budget so I will be making homemade ring flashes, loupes, etc. Once I feel that I am only limited by gear then I will upgrade to something like a true macro lens and TC. For now my skill is my most limiting factor so I will focus on that.

I look forward to getting to know you all and thanks for all the postings everyone here has done. The internet has become such a valuable resource for those who seek out groups like yourselves.

thanks,
Matt

I have been lurking since October 2008 when I purchased a EOS 50D. I am still searching for my niche but I love portrait, wide angle and macro photography. I purchased a Canon 100mm 2.8 Macro Lense and I am amazed at what it can do. For now I'll keep lurking and learning and pick up what I can. This forum rocks.

Hi everyone. I'm another noob/lurker that just found this forum. I am really obsessed with macro, wedding, and portrait photography. only problem is I am dirt poor and thus unable to purchase the gear I want (I saved up for 2 years to buy my little Nikon d60 w/ kit lens and a 55-200mm lens). All of the work here is awesome and so, yes, I feel a little intimidated about posting my work (most of which stinks anyway ). Anyway thanks to all who share your work. It's very inspiring and gives me LOTS of ideas.

David