A Few New Macros

RichardR · Jul 7, 2004

Hey, Jim,

Super Macrobugs!!! Glad to see that you are still enjoying that Rebel and judging from these photos, you've mastered it quite well!

I just got back from the Western Tour a few days ago and am still sorting out the 11 gigs of photos and trying to get back in the habit of working.

Best regards,

****

--
http://www.pbase.com/richardr
E-10&C-2100UZ&C-5050Z&C-3000Z&D-40&D-380&Fuji2600Z
PBase Supporter

StanSmith11 · Jul 7, 2004

I've got the 550EX. Seems like for macro shots I might want to use it off camera but then I'm holding the flash in one hand and the camera in the other making it less steady. I'll try angling the flash all the way forward and see if it covers the subject. Most of my macros (pre digital) have been with no flash. I'm having some trouble with depth of field although looking at this picture, it must be me. I took a number of shots of this milkweed in Yosemite and most, if not all, are out of focus, even the tripod ones. Practice... more practice. Here is one that turned out well with the DRebel.

http://www.pbase.com/image/30817447

How do I get the EXIF info to show up?

Sandman said:
StanSmith,

Thanks so much for the compliment. Yes, it is the flash that
permits faster shutter speeds and smaller apertures. This series
was taken at ISO 100, f13 and 16, and shutter speed of 1/200
second. I've gotten similar results using the Canon 550EX using a
Stofen or Lumiquest diffuser. If you don't have an external flash
unit yet, that is one choice. That Metz flash looks pretty sweet
too.

Thanks again. Looking forward to seeing your shots.

Cheers,

jim

--
Shoot more, ***** less!
galleries at: http://www.pbase.com/sandman3

mpaynter · Jul 7, 2004

Thanks Jim,

I really thank you for your advice. I'm new to SLR photography. Got the Rebel a week ago. I just don't know how deep to jump in, and how quickly to jump. I really enjoy nature photography, and it's probably 95% of the pictures I take. My last camera was the Olympus C-730UZ, so I took mostly birds and as macro as one can get with a semi-manual point and shoot. The only reason I was even considering a flash for the Rebel was for enhancing macro, but don't think that I want to look at macro dedicated flashes. The 550 or Metz would be a better decision, since they're general-purpose for me at this point. The decision I'm trying to make right now is between a long telephoto zoom or a macro and a flash, and I'm kinda headed towards long telephoto zoom, since it seems so much more versatile. The Bigma has me curious, but as one person mentioned - his wife wouldn't go out with him if he brought it with him. As for the family events, I've never had an eye for candid shots, so I pretty much leave that up to others.

Thanks for posting all your great macros. It gives us something to strive for. Thanks also for telling us how you achieve your great results, as it would take us much longer to figure it out on our own.

~~mark~~

Sandman · Jul 8, 2004

StanSmith11,

This shot earns you an honorary membership in the Official Rebel Macro Club! Awesome! Just look at all that detail. Great composition and nice colors.

Yes, use the flash on-camera, but do tilt it down. There is a position just below the 90 degree angle for close-up stuff. Clearly you will be using the flash closer to your subject than the manual suggests, but it can be done quite effectively. I found that the Lumiquest and the Stofen Omnibounce were good investments and softened the flash perfectly for macros.

Finally, why is your EXIF data not showing up in Pbase? It is most likely related to some step in your post-processing routine. If you can't figure this out, let us know so we can help you troubleshoot it. We need to see your EXIF data!!!

Again, kudos with this fine shot and good luck with your 550EX setup.

Cheers,

jim

--
Shoot more, ***** less!
galleries at: http://www.pbase.com/sandman3

StanSmith11 · Jul 8, 2004

Sandman-

Yes, I am frustrated about the exif data also. All I ever get is a NO for Flash if I type something in the tech notes. I use photoshop CS. Adjust curves. Very little sharpening with unsharp mask (100%, .5, 0). Save as psd document (should I save as a TIFF? I'll try that). Then save for web and resize still using photoshop. I'll see what I can figure out this week. I have a friend here in Sac that knows his stuff (a D70 user but he's still OK).

Thanks!
Stan

Sandman said:
StanSmith11,

This shot earns you an honorary membership in the Official Rebel
Macro Club! Awesome! Just look at all that detail. Great
composition and nice colors.

Yes, use the flash on-camera, but do tilt it down. There is a
position just below the 90 degree angle for close-up stuff.
Clearly you will be using the flash closer to your subject than the
manual suggests, but it can be done quite effectively. I found
that the Lumiquest and the Stofen Omnibounce were good investments
and softened the flash perfectly for macros.

Finally, why is your EXIF data not showing up in Pbase? It is most
likely related to some step in your post-processing routine. If
you can't figure this out, let us know so we can help you
troubleshoot it. We need to see your EXIF data!!!

Again, kudos with this fine shot and good luck with your 550EX setup.

Cheers,

jim

--
Shoot more, ***** less!
galleries at: http://www.pbase.com/sandman3

Sandman · Jul 8, 2004

StanSmith11,

I think it is the "save for web" step that is stripping your EXIF data away. PS is trying to make as small a file as possible for publishing to your website and, therefore does not save the EXIF data.

Instead of "save for the web" do a "save as" and select jpg from the list. You will be offered an opportunity to adjust the "quality" and can see the resulting file size.

As for the PSD vs TIFF, TIFFs will usually be smaller in size and are lossless too.

Here is a link to my present workflow:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1031&message=9324177

Hope this helps!

--
Shoot more, ***** less!
galleries at: http://www.pbase.com/sandman3

StanSmith11 · Jul 8, 2004

Sandman said:
StanSmith11,

I think it is the "save for web" step that is stripping your EXIF
data away. PS is trying to make as small a file as possible for
publishing to your website and, therefore does not save the EXIF
data.

Instead of "save for the web" do a "save as" and select jpg from
the list. You will be offered an opportunity to adjust the
"quality" and can see the resulting file size.

As for the PSD vs TIFF, TIFFs will usually be smaller in size and
are lossless too.

Here is a link to my present workflow:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1031&message=9324177

Hope this helps!

--
Shoot more, ***** less!
galleries at: http://www.pbase.com/sandman3

pinophoto · Jul 12, 2004

Sandman said:
Roberto Costa Pinto,
painted, you are finished. Now flatten the layers and save.

Jim

Where in PS do you flatten the layers??

I tried the first sharpening technique with 3 layers. I will try your version next.

Pino

Sandman · Jul 12, 2004

pinophoto said:
Where in PS do you flatten the layers??

You have two choices:

Layers ------> Flatten image

or

On the layers palette, right click the arrow on the top and you will get a menu that includes Flatten Image.

Any other questions, do not hesitate to ask.

Cheers,

jim

--
Shoot more, ***** less!
galleries at: http://www.pbase.com/sandman3

pinophoto · Jul 12, 2004

One More Question

Jim,

Do you have a condensed version of how to correct a landscape photo.
How can we apply the sharpening technique to lighten and darken a photo?

A technique is on this link but it seems a little too hard to follow.

http://www.seittipaja.fi/data/Photography_lessons/Processing/Lesson_5/a_Layers_and_Masks.html

"a sky that's too bright or a ground that's too dark, and I'll want to darken the one and brighten the other" Photography Lessons

Pino

Sandman · Jul 12, 2004

pinophoto,

There are a number of ways to skin this cat.

As you have seen from my previous posts on LAYER MASKS, these are the tools I use most to do this kind of correction. The advantages to using LAYER MASKS are:

1. no use of the selection tools! Whenever I use the lasso or an alpha channel, I invariably am not happy with the boundary. I know I can feather the transition, but I get far better control using the LAYER MASK.

2. infinite do and undo. With a LAYER MASK you can do and undo the editing as much as you like.

3. ease of use. The LAYER MASK is a very logical approach. You are stacking "versions" of your image in a stack and looking down from the top to the bottom. Whatever portion you "cut" out of the top layer, will permit one to see that portion in the version beneath.

4. multi-session edit. If you are in the middle of a complex edit and need to stop and return to the project at a later time, simply save as a PSD file and all of your work is intact, ready for you to resume your work.

So, with an image like the one Petteri has posted on his site, start with a duplicate layer.

On the duplicate layer, adjust the levels to achieve the exposure you want for the dark areas, ignoring any of the lighter areas that will get way too bright.

Apply a LAYER MASK. Using the black color paint brush, begin to paint over the areas that are too bright. As you do, the overly bright areas will disappear, revealing the better exposed bright areas beneath.

If you need to "feather" the transition, simply select a softer brush and/or adjust the opacity of the brush.

If you paint too far and need to undo your painting, simply swap the swatches so your color is white, and gently paint over the area again.

When you have this to your liking, merge or flatten the layers.

Also, you can do this multiple times, working on small areas.

Sure this is perhaps more time consuming than using the selection tools, but I believe this technique offers superior results. Sure it is a pain, but it is not something you are going to do on every image!

Questions? Comments?

Cheers,

jim

--
Shoot more, ***** less!
galleries at: http://www.pbase.com/sandman3

TOF guy · Jul 12, 2004

Jim

Thank you for sharing ! Your macro pictures are among the best I've ever seen!

Thierry

drhoads · Jul 12, 2004

Please tell us more what you do to prepare for these shots if you have not already done so. 90% of the work is finding the shot. Where are you getting them?

Thanks!

Sandman said:
Fellow Rebels,

Been a while since I posted some macros. Took these this morning
with the EF 100mm f2.8 macro and the Canon MT-24 Flash. Comments,
suggestions, & critiques welcome!

Biting My Nails

Fly on the Wall

Teddy Bear (with a snack)

Wax Off ~ Wax On: Words of the Grasshopper

Walk This Way!

That's All Folks!

Cheers,

jim
--
Shoot more, ***** less!
galleries at: http://www.pbase.com/sandman3

pinophoto · Jul 13, 2004

Jim, This information is gerat!!!

Can you repost this in a new thread so others may benefit?? It may be burried so far in the original that it may not get read.

Jim you are the MAN!!

Thanks Again
Pino

P.S. When you write your book I want a copy.

Sandman said:
pinophoto,

There are a number of ways to skin this cat.

As you have seen from my previous posts on LAYER MASKS, these are
the tools I use most to do this kind of correction. The advantages
to using LAYER MASKS are:

1. no use of the selection tools! Whenever I use the lasso or an
alpha channel, I invariably am not happy with the boundary. I know
I can feather the transition, but I get far better control using
the LAYER MASK.

2. infinite do and undo. With a LAYER MASK you can do and undo the
editing as much as you like.

3. ease of use. The LAYER MASK is a very logical approach. You
are stacking "versions" of your image in a stack and looking down
from the top to the bottom. Whatever portion you "cut" out of the
top layer, will permit one to see that portion in the version
beneath.

4. multi-session edit. If you are in the middle of a complex edit
and need to stop and return to the project at a later time, simply
save as a PSD file and all of your work is intact, ready for you to
resume your work.

So, with an image like the one Petteri has posted on his site,
start with a duplicate layer.

On the duplicate layer, adjust the levels to achieve the exposure
you want for the dark areas, ignoring any of the lighter areas that
will get way too bright.

Apply a LAYER MASK. Using the black color paint brush, begin to
paint over the areas that are too bright. As you do, the overly
bright areas will disappear, revealing the better exposed bright
areas beneath.

If you need to "feather" the transition, simply select a softer
brush and/or adjust the opacity of the brush.

If you paint too far and need to undo your painting, simply swap
the swatches so your color is white, and gently paint over the area
again.

When you have this to your liking, merge or flatten the layers.

Also, you can do this multiple times, working on small areas.

Sure this is perhaps more time consuming than using the selection
tools, but I believe this technique offers superior results. Sure
it is a pain, but it is not something you are going to do on every
image!

Questions? Comments?

Cheers,

jim

--
Shoot more, ***** less!
galleries at: http://www.pbase.com/sandman3

pinophoto · Jul 14, 2004

Jim, I am considering purchasing the Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro.

From your post I see the wonderful results of the what this lens can do in the macro mode. What can I expect from this lens if taking portraits?

Pino

Sandman said:
Fellow Rebels,

Been a while since I posted some macros. Took these this morning
with the EF 100mm f2.8 macro and the Canon MT-24 Flash. Comments,
suggestions, & critiques welcome!

Biting My Nails

Fly on the Wall

Teddy Bear (with a snack)

Wax Off ~ Wax On: Words of the Grasshopper

Walk This Way!

That's All Folks!

Cheers,

jim
--
Shoot more, ***** less!
galleries at: http://www.pbase.com/sandman3

Sandman · Jul 14, 2004

pinophoto,

It takes lovely portraits!

Personally I don't use it much for that purpose, as I prefer the freedom of a zoom, but you will not find a sharper non-L class lens from the Canon line-up. Many have suggested that this lens could easily earn Canon's coveted "L" designation.

I wish I had better samples to show you, but these are the only ones I have posted on the web:

Cheers,

jim

--
Shoot more, ***** less!
galleries at: http://www.pbase.com/sandman3

pinophoto · Jul 14, 2004

Jim

Is it the USM Filter or do you always have very very sharp Photos??

When you take a Macro what is your usual distance from your subject?

Pino

Sandman said:
pinophoto,

It takes lovely portraits!

Personally I don't use it much for that purpose, as I prefer the
freedom of a zoom, but you will not find a sharper non-L class lens
from the Canon line-up. Many have suggested that this lens could
easily earn Canon's coveted "L" designation.

I wish I had better samples to show you, but these are the only
ones I have posted on the web:

Cheers,

jim

--
Shoot more, ***** less!
galleries at: http://www.pbase.com/sandman3

Sandman · Jul 14, 2004

pinophoto said:
Is it the USM Filter or do you always have very very sharp Photos??

Your shots are probably as sharp as mine. What I have found about the Rebel images is their "tolerance" for sharpening. With my Olympus E-10 and 2100 UZ, you can only sharpen the image so much before it begins to fall apart before your very eyes ~ with halos, jaggies, and vastly increased noise. The Rebel images, on the other hand, just BEG to be sharpened. You can really crank up the sharpness in post-processing if you get a nice unsharpened original! (if shooting jpgs, turn the sharpness WAY down).

pinophoto said:
When you take a Macro what is your usual distance from your subject?

With the Canon 100mm f2.8 macro, you can get very close. At 5.9 inches, you get true 1:1 macro. This is a very nice working distance.

Cheers,

jim

--
Shoot more, ***** less!
galleries at: http://www.pbase.com/sandman3

pinophoto · Jul 15, 2004

Now I really know how good you are. Getting so close to insects can be almost impossible. With the Promaster I was about 3 ft. away from my subject. When I get the Canon I will need to work on how to get 6X closer before they fly away.

Thanks Again
Pino

Sandman said:
pinophoto said:

Is it the USM Filter or do you always have very very sharp Photos??

Click to expand...

Your shots are probably as sharp as mine. What I have found about
the Rebel images is their "tolerance" for sharpening. With my
Olympus E-10 and 2100 UZ, you can only sharpen the image so much
before it begins to fall apart before your very eyes ~ with halos,
jaggies, and vastly increased noise. The Rebel images, on the
other hand, just BEG to be sharpened. You can really crank up the
sharpness in post-processing if you get a nice unsharpened
original! (if shooting jpgs, turn the sharpness WAY down).

Sandman said:

When you take a Macro what is your usual distance from your subject?

Click to expand...

With the Canon 100mm f2.8 macro, you can get very close. At 5.9
inches, you get true 1:1 macro. This is a very nice working
distance.

Cheers,

jim

--
Shoot more, ***** less!
galleries at: http://www.pbase.com/sandman3

pinophoto · Jul 15, 2004

I found several Books by Scot Kelby which one do you think is the best?

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=QM7926h9Fm&isbn=0735713537&itm=1

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?userid=QM7926h9Fm&pwb=1&ean=9780735713567

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=QM7926h9Fm&isbn=0735712360&itm=3

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=QM7926h9Fm&isbn=0735714118&itm=4

Sandman said:
pinophoto,

Thanks for the compliments and kind words.

As for good PS Books, the Scot Kelby book, THe PhotoSHop Book for
Digital Photographers is very good.

Also, read the forums and ask questions. Take it one step at a
time and soon you will have a logical workflow and be on your way.
Each of us who uses PS today was completely bewildered and
overwhelmed by the application in the beginning.

Your efforts will not be wasted! PhotoShop is THE gold standard in
image post-processing. What you learn today will still be useful
years down the road!

Cheers,

jim

--
Shoot more, ***** less!
galleries at: http://www.pbase.com/sandman3

A Few New Macros

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