I wanted to get some practice on close up with my 90D and the 180 macro plus the 25mm extension tube. This one was 1/250 f/9 iso 4000. no tripod.
Since the small insects were not around I found this small grass patch and saw a reflection of sunlight. So I set the macro at 1:1 and moved back and forth. The photo actually turned out better than I was expecting because I did not realized the reflection in the dew drop until I go that close
So I did not crop here or not much except remove the ISO noise. So looking for things to consider when I go back out in the field. I like the way the one grass blade had the drop at the end. Any thoughts on this one.
Dean, you really are experimenting in many areas of macro, and I am loving it. I am guessing that you went out in hopes of shooting some small insects hand held, so you may not have taken your tripod with you. This is a nice image, but I believe on a tripod, and a lower ISO (even though you did good at removing the noise, I believe some of the details may have been lost as well), you would have had more details in those wonderful drops of water with the refractions. I love capturing refractions in water drops. In fact, that was my first macro that got me into shooting a closeup. Still not a bad shot, but I believe it could have been even better on a tripod and lower ISO.
Thanks Shirley. I always carry my tripod in the car so not sure why I did not think of getting. It was practice for moving insects. It was also to see how well I could hold the camera still. Usually I will set up a tripod and just wait for the insect, but that takes lots of time. ISO 4000 was pushing it a bit. But with a tripod, I might take more drops like this. Assuming this was sharp, what do you think is a good crop on this one.
Dean, that is a good question. I downloaded and tried different compositions, and this is what I came up with. Someone else may have a better idea. I also ran it through Topaz AI Clear to see if that would help a bit with details. I think maybe in your RAW file it might would have helped, but not sure it did with the downloaded Jpeg file.
I just viewed it, and I think between the crop (less pixels to work with) and using the AI Clear it is starting to show artifacts around the water drops. Anyway, you can see the crop I came up with, which was your question.
That is the crop I kind of thinking about. One problem I have is shaking when this close. I turned on the high speed shooting but next time I come back to this type of area a tripod will be the story. I am on the tirpod almost always
Glad to hear the crop was something of what you had in mind, Dean. I didn’t like the bright area to the right, and I didn’t like the yellowish blade of grass on the left, and so I opted for the vertical.
That is good that you use the tripod so much. I should get into that habit as well. That 180 mm lens doesn’t have IS, and so we definitely need something to help us. I think on this shot, if it wasn’t windy, you could probably have the shutter speed down to maybe 1/15 to 1/30 second (maybe more), which would have brought your ISO down a few stops, and that would have kept the noise down. And, of course, you would have the tripod for holding things steady, to help as well. I have used a mono pod to help with that lens, but that was shooting bees and butterflies, etc. But when the subject is going to stay still, a tripod would be best. I am looking forward to more of your shots. Appreciate your eagerness to learn and help others.
Dean, the refracted views seen through the drops look good and are always a hit. Given the layout of the drops, vertical is the right choice for this image. The series of drops with one very sharp and the others becoming less sharp works well. This sort of view makes a prime candidate for a little “site cleaning”, like bending that one off stalk that crosses the main leaf out of the way, with the caveat that you don’t knock of the drops that you want in your frame. This view works very well as an intimate look into a damp grassy field (e.g. lawn… )
Thanks Mark, that is a good point. These grass blades were small but I should have tried to move it. I carry wooden clothes pins to either hold a plant from moving or to get it out of the way. They work better than plastic ones because they allow more control when I place them. I got the idea from a flower photographer and it works well.
Dean: I really can’t add much to what Shirley and Mark have said. I like Shirley’s crop. I must say that at 1:1 you did really well hand held, something I don’t think I would even try. Good call on carrying clothes pins. I’ve used those and other various items to do site enhancements. Necessity is indeed the mother of invention. Nice work and keep experimenting. >=))>
Thanks Bill, I was seeing just how well I could hold the camera and it turned out to be a interesting photograph. I was laying on ground flat so maybe that helped
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