Practise, I need a whole lot of practise

Critiques [Translate]

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• Runnerduck (1847)
• [2005-06-26 15:31]
• [2] [+]

Oh Pieter I know exactly how you feel. At the moment I spend my whole time lying on the grass in our garden desperately trying to shoot the wolf spiders who are currently running around with their backs covered in spiderlings! Do I get any shots? What do you think!
I have tried without a tripod (as I don't have one) but it isn't really working. My camera's max f no. is 9 which isn't ideal either.
I'm now using a cushion from the living room (if I caught the children doing this I wouldn't be impressed ... !).
You have a great shot here, and just as your title states, practice, WE all need practice!
A great shot Pieter, well done, and keep at it. It is hard and so it should be, think how boring this 'hobby' would be if it was easy.
Thanks for posting.

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• liquidsunshine (11488)
• [2005-06-26 16:08]

Hi Pieter,
this is well captured, good DOF and detail. Excellent colours and good exposure.
I understand your frustration with the insects vanishing by the time you've set up a tripod, but that's the beauty of catching one. I find that using a tripod gives me a higher % of usable shots. but if you have a steady hand (like Jaap or Paul) the results can be fantastic. Keep going with the way you're comfortable. This is a good capture Pieter.
Thanks for posting, have a good week my friend.

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• Robbrown (6054)
• [2005-06-26 16:28]

Hi Pieter, I fall in the camp of not using , and also not seeing how most natural history in the wild can be shot with one. I suspect a lot of shots seen in books are shot in controled situations such as fish tanks in sudio's. A lot of butterfly and dragonfly shots were done when the beasties were cold ether early in the morning or after being cold down in a fridge.
The secret I find id to try to press the shutter button as you breath out. It takes practice but can deliver a steadier platform to capture your image, it also has the effect of overcoming the shakes from the excitment of finding a new beastie ;0)))
The photo of the spider , sorry no idea which it is maybe Paul (PDP) will have an idea. the image its self is not bad just a fraction short of perfect DOF as a couple of leg ends are OOF.
How and where did you measure the light reading as some areas seem a fraction bright, I find for macros that single point is best and meter for the brightest area which can give darker pictures which you then lighten afterwards.
hope this is of use.

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• Signal-Womb (10933)
• [2005-06-26 17:37]
• [2]

Hi Pieter, I rarely use a tripod for anything Iv even seen me resting my camera on my knees to take a motion blur of stream hold camera to end of telescope etc. Now thats silly and I'm quite lazy in this respect. I'm sure id get better results if I used filters and tripods for most things and Il try to do so. I don't know if I would have the patience to set up my tripod for moving insects. I usually take a number of shots changing apertures and speeds quite fast, I also force my camera to refocus on each shot by moving it away. I use manual in poor light. Your post today is a very sharp, more aperture would bring rear leg into focus I would have increased ISO to do so, your 350D can handle it. Good post.

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• PDP (11755)
• [2005-06-26 17:37]
• [2]

Hi Pieter, the spider belongs to the family Lycosidae. The arrangement of eyes is a give away for this family, although the eyes can't be seen here. The genus is Pardosa, the longer 3rd and 4th pairs of legs coupled with the more prominent spines on those legs compared with the anterior pairs are good ID points. I can't be sure of species, they are tough. It is a mature male though.

It's a pretty good shot, the focus would have been better directed onto the 'head' and eyes but the details are ok. The light wasn't excactly favourable so good work there. A little more DOF than what F5.6 can give you would also improve things. Well done on your first macro post and I'm pleased it's a spider!

As for tripods, I rarely use one on macros mainly because by the time I have set it up the subject has gone. You can get good quality results without a tripod and you can get bad quality shots with.


Paul

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• Luc (14713)
• [2005-06-26 20:52]

Hello Pieter!
Personal assessment of the photo: good. You are lucky, you got some very good comments and help for the future, but you already know the basement: practise, try and try again and again. Digital makes this work easiest. Macros and long shot are similar. I use tripod in both cases.
Good visual impact.
Aptness of the photo for the site: excellent.
Personal assessment of the note: good. Sorry, no idea for the ID.
Thank you very much for sharing.
Have a great week!

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• annagrace (2992)
• [2005-06-26 21:35]

Awesome macro, Pieter - I see you are experimenting with macro too! All of the critiques thus far have been very helpful to me too, as I just discovered the macro mode this week. I love how the colors of the spider blend with the background.

Excellent post!

Alli

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• Kris (1808)
• [2005-06-27 2:29]

Excellent macro, good shot.
Perfect sharpness, pretty composition.
I greet , Pieter.

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• AndyB (3978)
• [2005-06-27 3:01]

Hello Pieter,
Its a nice capture.
Good detail and composition.
I never use a tripod for macros of insects,I find it virtually imposible with butterflies etc which fly away at the slightest movement.Most times I crouch down and rest my elbow on my knee this gives some stability when taking shots.
I've also found that manual focus is better than AF in most macros I've done.
Well done on your 1st macro,I look forward to seeing many more from you.

TFS

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• red45 (26857)
• [2005-06-27 3:25]

Hi Pieter!
Practice is the key ;-) Make as many photos as you can in manual mode and suddenly you'll realise that you take very good pictures some day ;-) Your spider is quite good in my opinion. I like its shadow and composition with wood on BG. I use tripod only to shots under 1/60, most insects are far too fast to capture - you start installing tripod and then you can admire empty place where insect was few seconds before ;-)

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• dew77 (13069)
• [2005-06-27 3:31]

Hello Pieter!
Wonderful close up.Lighting are perfect.Colors,details,sharpness are excellent.
TFS...:-)

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• wallhalla15 (13787)
• [2005-06-27 4:23]

Hi Pieter - good macro of a spider ;-) Beautifull colors, good DOF and we can see many details. Well done !

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• Janice (17458)
• [2005-06-27 5:31]

Pieter, I've found all the critiques to be so helpful and interesting. I borrowed Pam's macro lens and found it hard to use and the tripod too restricting and the monopod still kept moving for me. But I'm off to buy a Canon EF 100 F2.8 USM Macro soon. Practice is the word...
You get the smilie for the help I'm receiving!
Janice

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• slrnovice2 (1197)
• [2005-06-27 7:26]

I think this should be made into a thread of its own on the discussion board, it is so useful! Great shot Pieter, macro isn't easy at all and you have good colour, detail and sharpness, just a bit OE in places.
I am of the don't use a tripod variety I'm afraid. I'd love to use one but find it just isn't practical with insect shots. Howard, I'd love to know how you get around the 'inaccessible insect' or the 'insect flying/running away by the time you've set up your tripod' problems.
Tips (I've learned here) for good macros...
- think about what you want your image to say about the subject
- experiment with flash and flash diffuser
- experiment with POV
- focus on eyes, then select aperture so that your DOF includes head, then main part of body, then rest of subject
- experiment with aperture to get subject in focus and bg OOF
- shoot in calm conditions, early morning is good
- last but not least select a speed that will minimise shake (choose a speed that matches the focal length of your lens as a minimum though you can get away with less with an IS lens)
I hope this helps, I think most people have said the same thing already but it never hurts to hear it twice - I think I should be repeating it to myself every day at bedtime :)

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• marhowie (34537)
• [2005-06-27 7:39]
• [2] [+]

Very good effort Alan, really! ;-) Good details and colors with an interesting composition..You already know where I stand with regard to tripod. I don't think I need to speak of the technical aspects, you already know? You just stick to what works - The tripod is only essential in macro photography if you are interested in producing a quality shot!! ;-)))) The same applies at either end of the focal range, whether zoomed out or zoomed in. Every tittle of movement translates into lack of sharpness..Especially when you R at slower shutter-speeds and small apertures. Some would say that tripods R 2 confining..I say that for me, the tripod has opened the door!!
ONE MORE THING, I can't help myself in this debate; To those who say you can't use or follow a fast moving subject with a lightweight tripod I say ba-humbug!!! Most times shooting insects requires much patience, letting the insects come to you! Hand-held shooters will invariably have to take many, many more shots to get just one good one..I would prefer to occasionally miss a shot than to to shoot a high number of misses..Which is more time consuming?? I might miss an opportunity sometimes..But like anything else, when you do it enough you get good at it (using a tripod). I would go as far as to say that many who do not primarily use a tripod for their macro have not given it a chance, preferring the "freestle". When you get down to it, you are simply a technician AND IT WILL SHOW IN THE END RESULT!!!

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• Comandante (1403)
• [2005-06-27 7:56]

Hello Pieter!
Wonderful capture.Lighting,colors,framing and composition are perfect.Thanks for sharing.

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• malgosia (0)
• [2005-06-27 9:15]
• [+]

hello:) I am sorry also I dont know what kind of spider is it. But I like POV here. Nice shot with great DOF and great colours. BTW I am scary :);)

rgs

Malgosia

PT

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• livios (16856)
• [2005-06-27 12:41]

Pieter, I like the shot. Besides, dealing with new devices is always tricky and takes lots of time for one to get used to them.

As for the tripod, I don't use one - although I know they are a useful tool. Through them, I know one can get better and sharper pictures. The problem is I don't how to deal with mine properly; I'm completely awkward when I have to use it. That's why I never shoot with it, even knowing it's necessary.

Anyway, I do believe that, as time goes by, you and I and other guys around will be able to use a tripod properly, won't we?

Best regards.

Lívio

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• extramundi (12692)
• [2005-06-27 15:07]

Pieter, I have just told Paul that is just the one I am wishing to buy, so please practice a lot and tell me something about it! This image looks promising, but far from what I spect from you and that new baby!
F45 WOOOW! I want to see it!!!
Regards, Felipe.

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• TAZ (10918)
• [2005-06-28 3:32]

Beautiful and interesting macro for this impressive spider ! Good pose, colors, light and details ! Thanks for sharing Pieter.

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• optic (0)
• [2005-06-28 8:00]

Hello Pieter!
What a stunning macro, i like the razorsharp details & colours, composition is great.

Very well done!
Christian

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• scottevers7 (12257)
• [2005-06-28 21:58]

Hi Pieter,

I think you have a very good capture here. A hot spot of light, but not much you could do with that. I am saving for a Canon 180mm macro(Someday) This allows you to be alittle farther away. I personally use a tripod for alot of my shots, if I have the time. It makes me slow down and think about the shot more.

Scott

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• gerhardt (11529)
• [2005-06-29 1:23]
• [+]

Hi Pieter, I usually prefer shooting macro handheld. The hit miss ratio is not very high when practised. Robert is so right about controlling your breathing.

I gather this was handheld. As the technical details in your note does not correspond with the exif info I took the exif info as the correct data.

A shutterspeed of 1/50s on a 105mm lens is risky for handheld. I won't go slower than 1/125s when handheld on that lens. I have seen very little macro work on DSLR that has enough DOF when opening up wider than F8. Start there and step down given the amount of light. Change the ISO setting when you need more light but I won't consider using a higer setting than ISO400. Lastly your focus point in this capture as Paul said was not on the head.

Keep this up it challenging but very rewarding. Well done.

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• Fisher (8915)
• [2005-06-29 6:57]

I'm not a tripod user either. LOL
Excellent capture and well done on the composition.
The more you do, the more comfortable you will feel.

Mike

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• flagman (2381)
• [2005-06-29 10:11]

Hi Pieter

Well, it's a fine shot, and I know how hard it was for you to come by, so I don't want to hit you too hard.....
What I don't like.....
DOF too shallow, but then you already knew that. The hind leg and the thread are OOF.
What I do like....
POV, different from the other 'in front' shots we usually see.
Composition, just right
Background - again, unusual.
Keep trying!
I would guess that you need a VERY VERY steady hand without a tripod, because any slight movement toward or away from the subject ruins your focus and DOF.
Andy.