Info about April Photo Contest!

[Tom Kitten]

Hi there!
So it's my turn to host the photo contest and I am here to announce that our esteemed member and contest winner mnhtnbb has decided the theme for the April contest shall be Macro.
For further detail here is her description for what that entails. I


"I'm inclined to use the basic definition that macro photography refers to any photograph that depicts a close-up and extremely detailed image of a small subject, usually larger than life. Due to the availability of digital cameras and technology of phone cameras, close-ups can result in a larger than life photo of a subject. So we could say that the Macro theme means a close up larger than life regardless of whether the shot was taken with a special macro lens. But because we do have some very sophisticated photographers in the group, I do think--in the interest of "leveling the playing field"-- that post processing should be limited and not run through special macro post processing software (no stacking)."

So, macro it is! I'll be here to try and to answer any questions folks may have.

I'm not of the inclination to start a contest on a day that celebrates fools, so I shall open the contest for entries sometime on Sunday April 2. I'm on the west coast so I'll try to do it early in the day here for all you easterners! That gives us about 2 weeks to come up with entry!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. This is great info for the contest, my dear Tom Kitten!

I'm already shooting likely subjects for this one.

It's going to be fun!

[Tom Kitten]

8. Thanks Peg.

I' m going to have to do some reading up on this subject!

[2naSalit]

2. I like it!

[AndyS]

3. So 1:1 or greater? nt

[Tom Kitten]

5. I would say so.

I mean that's the definitive ratio for macro, correct? I don't have macro lenses or a camera that you could use them on right now so not much experience in it at all. Basically I'll just go with what our more knowledgeable members think!

[Gato Moteado]

16. i can almost hear andy licking his chops....

....he just got that amazing new olympus 2:1 macro lens and he's probably focused in on some molecules or single celled organisms as we speak!

[Behind the Aegis]

4. If you wouldn't mind, could you give an example photo of an acceptable one and one that isn't?

"I do think--in the interest of "leveling the playing field"-- that post processing should be limited and not run through special macro post processing software (no stacking).""

I have no idea what that means.

Would this be an example of a photo that is allowable?



or this?



or this?



or?



Sorry for all the pictures, but I am just a hobbyist and not really sure what some things are when it comes to technical photography.

[Tom Kitten]

6. I'd say

I'd say the first two are too distant but the last two would be fine! At least by my judgement!
If anyone thinks otherwise please let me know!

[Behind the Aegis]

7. Much appreciated! n/t

[mnhtnbb]

9. The concept of Macro photography

is to focus on the small details of an object to make the subject larger than life.

Looking at your example photos, here's how they could be turned into macro shots:

1. Focus on just the twist in the barbed wire. You'd also want a background that isn't distracting, usually one color. So shoot the barb with only the grass as background. Get really close to see the texture and shading of the barb.

2. crop the shot of the dog just to see it's nose and the blades of grass in front of it.

3.again, crop the profile of the dog to remove the distracting background. You want to have the eyeball, fur, whiskers and shape of the dog's snout be the subject of the shot. Think detail and larger than life.

4. Flowers are excellent subjects for macro photography. Look for small details that you want to be the focus of your shot. Pattern, shape, color variations are all present in your shot, but the shot could be cropped to emphasize one of those aspects over the others.

Googling macro photography will bring up lots of photos as examples. Objects that make great subjects for macro photos include flowers, water droplets, bubbles, stones, leaves, feathers, shiny objects, toys, jewelry, fruits and vegetables, cutlery, insects...there are all kinds of things all around us that would be great subjects. The purpose of macro photography is to focus on the small detail and make it larger than life. Have fun with it!

[Behind the Aegis]

10. Thanks!

1. Can't retake the 1st shot as that was from my trip to Auschwitz.
2. and 3. Sadly, those are pics of my beloved Voodoo who passed away.
4. Winter has killed ALL of my flowers.

But, it seems you are suggesting I can take at least one of the first three pics and edit it (is that OK for the contest?).

Thanks again for all the helpful info!

[mnhtnbb]

11. Yes, editing a shot by cropping it

is quite common and is possible even with phone cameras.

I'm sorry about Voodoo. I have photos of my much loved Snowy hung where I am reminded of her every day.

[Gato Moteado]

15. very nice images, but, technically, none of them are macro photographs...

...that said, it hardly matters anymore because macro seems to have become synonymous with close up, or even somewhat close up.

but, true macro is thought to be photography that shows a reproduction rate or magnification of 1:1 or 1x or greater. what 1:1 or 1x means is that the subject is the exact same size on the sensor as it is in real life. in order to shoot macro photography you need a macro lens that will provide you with at least 1:1 reproduction...or you could use a close-up filter over a normal lens. there are some other tricks to achieve true macro reproduction and they include reverse mounting a regular lens on your camera.

so, a close up of an animal, like a dog, showing the dog's face or part of the face would only be true macro if the dog's head was the size of the sensor in your camera. same goes for a flower or anything. here is a photo of a curled up millipede that i took last year...you can even see parasites on the millipede, yet, even though i used a macro lens, this is not a true macro photograph as the reproduction rate wasn't quite 1:1 (it was a large millipede and was about the size of a half dollar or silver dollar when curled up):



this photo i took of a bee's head is a true macro shot...i used a reverse mounted lens and got about 2.3x magnification (it's also a focus stack, BTW):



i'm guessing the april contest won't be limiting entries to true macro, but will be accepting anything fairly close up.

[AndyS]

17. I think the close up theme is better because

not many people have the hardware or software to do good macro. I'm down with it as it will invite more entries and just have fun.

But while we're out in the weeds about what macro is . . .

The definition you gave, ie, subject the size of the sensor, raises a question. You shoot full frame which is 24x36 mm (1 inch x 1.5 inches for the metric challenged ). I shoot M43 which is 14x17mm or half the size of FF. Is my macro the same as yours or is it twice the magnification? For that matter what if I'm shooting medium format (2.25 x 2.25 inches)? Or 4x5 inch?

I think macro became a thing during the 35mm full system period so it's probably based on the 24x36 size so it would make sense to assume 1:1 based on that dimension. OMS is going with the 'sensor size' concept so 1:1 on m43 will be the same magnification as 2:1 on FF. Besides 43s there is Nikon and Canon crop sensor sizes not to mention cell phones and such.

A bit confusing and it sure clouds the definition doesn't it?

When this contest is over perhaps we can do a true macro competition outside the regular schedule just for bragging rights . . .

[Gato Moteado]

18. i know what you're saying....

....but 1:1 is still 1:1 no matter what the sensor size is. the disadvantage of a m43 is that something at 1:1 that just barely fits on a full frame sensor won't even come close to fitting on a M43 sensor. on the other hand, M43 is the choice for almost all macro and extreme macro shooters who are photographing tiny insects and other small stuff because:

1. olympus, and to a certain extent, lumix, have added technology for macro photography that the FF and APS-C cameras don't have.

2. additionally, at 1:1 or greater magnification, you'll get more resolution on your subject with a 16MP or 20MP M43 sensor than you would with practically any other full frame or APS-C camera on the market.....you'd need over 60MP on a FF to match the pixel density on a 16MP M43 sensor and over 80MP on a FF to match the pixel density on a 20MP M43 sensor. M43 sensors are actually about 1/4 the size of a FF and about 1/2 the size of an APS-C, give or take.

on edit: 2x is the crop factor of a M43 compared to a full frame sensor....it's the difference needed in the lens's focal length to simulate the same angle of view. but i think you'd need a 4:1 magnification on a FF to fill the frame with something that fills the frame at 1:1 on a M43 sensor. the area of a M43 sensor is 221 square millimeters and the area of a FF is 840 square millimeters.....not quite 4x, but close.

[Gato Moteado]

19. ....but yeah.....if we had a camera with a sensor the size of an elephant....

...and we took a full body shot of an elephant, would that be considered a macro shot?

i'm not sure.

[Gato Moteado]

20. sorry....just one more thing, andy.....

...i wanted to tell you that i bought the nikon 18-55 kit zoom to try to replicate the image quality that these close-up shooters here in costa rica get with that lens. i'll use it with my D7200.

also, i bought the olympus 12-42 f/2.8 pro zoom for my lumix G9 to try the same kind of stuff.

finally, i bought an on-camera macro-diffuser from a friend of mine here in CR that designed his own and sells them. here is his reptile and amphibian IG page....he uses his diffuser (the EM diffuser) for these shots:

https://www.instagram.com/anfibiosyreptiles_cr/

and here is his extreme macro focus stacking IG profile:

https://www.instagram.com/macroextremo_cr/

[AndyS]

21. Any more info on the EM flash diffuser?

I'm curious about it because I like the light quality. There's a soft direction to the light that gives modling and shape to the subject.

My criteria is that it must fold absolutely flat but still be rigid enough to not be frail.

I've got a prototype that works pretty well but if it already exists why re-invent the wheel?

[Gato Moteado]

22. it folds flat and it's floppy but i don't think it's fragile....

...he uses thicker plastic for the diffusion material than the other folks....not sure yet how that will affect my shooting.

and i was wrong about the oly lens i bought....it's 12-40, not 12-42.

[Callalily]

12. Wow! What an exciting theme!

[mnhtnbb]

13. An example of Macro that I took yesterday

I happened to notice the first Yellow Swallowtail of the season in my garden yesterday. Grabbed the camera and went out to see what I could get. Took about 20 shots--the butterfly was not staying still, but moving from one flower to another, and from one group of flowers to another. I just posted a thread about it with two of the shots.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1036112936


As I was looking at the peek-a-boo shot, I thought about cropping it more tightly to post as an example of Macro. So, here it is. I like it for the detail of the black markings on the yellow butterfly and the black markings on the yellow/violet flower. There's also a bit of transparency of the wing through the flower which mimics the shading in the purple of the flower.

Macro: small details making the subject larger than life.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

14. Nicely caught, and beautiful as well. I like it a lot. nt