Saturday 7 November 2009

Treehouse Photography Special - Macro

For those of you that don't know me, you won't know (is that some weird tautology there?) that I love photography. Yes, I admit it. I'm that sad, lonely figure walking around camera in hand jumping at anything that can be photographed. My preference is landscapes and macro and Munial suggested that I post some of my images to try and get some feedback (since I'm always badgering him). So, I will start posting a series of photographs monthly with different themes ... do let me know what you think as there is (probably) a big conflict of interest if I review my own stuff! This month's theme is macro (small stuff up close) and I've posted a very small selection from my vast library. Just bear in mind that the photographs are reduced in size and resolution for obvious reasons. Also, the watermark refers you to my website - apologies for the plug!

The camera I used was a Canon A710 IS purchased in 2006 which is a mid-range fully manual digital compact (not an SLR). I was recently visiting relatives abroad and my aunt decided she needed it more than me. I didn't know how to say no so I'm now about to purchase the Canon SX 200 IS. This is a direct replacement for the A series and it's all I need. It's a strong all rounder and a good size at a reasonable price. Although, the Nikon D5000 would be my budget digital SLR of choice for greater manual control. My theme next month may be 'lakes' and all things to do with lakes. If anyone has a better suggestion or wants to challenge me ... go for it! The photographs shown are a very small selection - I literally have thousands. If you like photography and would like to exchange tips etc, let me know.

22 comments:

Tina said...

Great photographs. You're very good.

Munial said...

Fantastic stuff. The green dragonfly is my favourite, just amazing!

S1nnerman said...

Thank you both :)

Kristen said...

Beautiful work!

S1nnerman said...

Hi Kristen

Thank you :)

Sarah said...

those are some beautiful pictures. i like taking photos as well but i don't have anything fancy. i'll check on the canon you mentioned.

S1nnerman said...

Hi Sarah,

Thank you for the compliment. I'm buying the canon compact this week and I'll get a chance to try it out in Brazil. I'll post the pics and give you an update on how I think it performs

SquirrelQueen said...

Very nice macros, I especially like the bees and the Skipper. When I was looking at the enlarged views the website the print is a little dark and distracting. Plugging your website is good but viewers like to see all the detail.You might want to lighten it a bit.

There are many memes on blogger where you can meet other photographers, most are fun and it just a matter of posting on your blog and adding a link to the meme blog. It's a great way to get feedback.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for checking out my blog :) I love your photos although moths and dragonflies freak me out if they come too close to me lol

S1nnerman said...

Hey SquirrelQueen, thanks for commenting. I'll look at my website and see what changes I can make - mostly I'm stuck with whatever templates they have

Ali, how do you feel about pics of spiders ...? ;o)

Boomer Pie. said...

Nice work! I'm thinking about buying the NikonD5000. Don't know much about it. Do you have any opinions about it?
http://www.boomerpie.com/

Anonymous said...

@s1nnerman I don't mind spiders as long as they aren't poisonous or tarantulas lol or are crawling all over me....they're ok at a distance hehe

S1nnerman said...

@Boomer Pie

Thanks for the comment. I have tried the D90 and the D5000 and they both feel intuitive and are very easy to use. The viewfinder on the D90 is much better and slightly bigger but the D5000 is still perfectly useable. The reason I'm buying the canon too is because it has a 0cm focus limit and therefore becomes much cheaper than buying a macro lens for a DSLR! Have you tried any DSLRs?

S1nnerman said...

@Ali

I'm sure I have some cool close ups of spiders ... just for you :P

Boomer Pie. said...

Good info on the NikonD5000. I'm going to do some further checking. The operative word for me is "easy".
Thanks for your expert advice!
http://www.boomerpie.com/

DancingThoughts said...

Your photographs are great. I am a beginner at photography and i love every aspect of it. I too am the crazy person that takes random pictures such as a piece of grass on the sidewalk. Sometime i think people see me as crazy. Keep up the good work. Hope to see more

SquirrelQueen said...

Spiders, love 'em. I take a lot of macros of bees, spiders, bugs and I even had a semi-pet praying mantis this summer. Heck, I even like snakes.

SQ

SquirrelQueen said...

PS, most of the templates can be easily changed in HTML!
SQ

S1nnerman said...

@ Dancing thoughts - many thanks for stopping by. The world is a crazy place. Stopping to take a pic of a blade of grass seems pretty sane to me!! :)

@SQ ... html baffles me. I'm a policy wonk and a user of technology. Anything other than a 'hi, how are you' confuses me. I'm simple :)

Dr. T.L. Sanderfer said...

Great pictures! Looking forward to seeing more.

Cory said...

Good work with the closeups! They are very sharp...the bee is my favorite!

DancingThoughts said...

I don't have any macro lenses. Right now I'm mainly using it for landscape photos. I would wondering if you could tell me anything about telephoto lens? Or how it compares to long range lenses if there is a difference? Thanks.