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Adaptalux Hopes To Revolutionize The Way We Light Macro Photography

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The old adage “Don’t fix it if it isn’t broken” holds a lot of wisdom, but every once in a while a new product shows up to replace an old one that we didn’t fully realize needed to be fixed. In many ways, Adaptalux appears to be that kind of item. Using a combination of interchangeable, flexible lighting arms, Adaptalux hopes to revolutionize the way macro photographers and videographers light their photos.

Sam Granger, owner and CEO, says Adaptalux will eliminate three major problems currently found in the typical macro lighting setup. He says his nifty invention will battle the inherent restrictions of most light sources, reduce the amount of time needed to setup and start shooting, and save photographers money all at the same time. That’s enough to get my attention. Let’s take a look at their Kickstarter video to see how they plan to do it.[Read More…]

Thomas Shahan Shares His Methods In Macro Photography

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A few days ago we shared some macro shots of spiders being reflected in drops of dew which were simply stunning. They definitely inspired me to pull out my extension tubes and reverse ring and get back into macro. If they inspired you to dabble, too, macro photography master, Thomas Shahan, just posted a new tutorial on the subject. There’s a lot of good advice for beginners in there, but more experienced photographers can find a few gems in the clip as well.

The video is an mostly an eight minute long slideshow of Shahan’s brilliant macro photos with some behind the scenes shots in there for good measure. Shahan narrates the clip by explaining his setup, process, and dishes out a ton of great pointers for levels of photographers. Be sure to look for the variety of DIY light modifiers he uses in some of the images. He briefly talks about how he made one of them with a paper towel and some sheets of plastic. He’s able to get some great shots using just that and the pop up flash on his Pentax DSLR. 

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Free Introduction To Macro Photography Webiar With David Saffir and C. David Tobie

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If you ever wanted to try out macro photography and did not know where to start, Datacolor is hosting a free webinar covering almost everything you need to know to get started on macro photography.

Hers is a short pitch for the webinar:

The world presents us with a variety of subjects to photograph. Some may be extremely small and a bit difficult to discover or even recognize their full potential. Macro photography allows us to capture an extreme close-up and emphasize intricate detail. It can be challenging and demands a great deal of attention to photographic technique.

Join us, Tuesday, July 16th from 3PM-4PM EDT, as Datacolor Experts David Saffir and C. David Tobie explore techniques and possibilities in Macro photography, including camera and lens selection, camera supports, focusing rails and focus control, lens reversal, extension tubes lighting, capture color control, image stacking for depth of field, and post-production techniques. You’ll find that Macro photography is easier than it looks which will enable you to produce impressive images in no time!

An interactive Q&A will take place throughout the webinar to answer any questions you may have.

Webinar attendees will have the chance to win a free SpyderLENSCAL, Fotodiox Macro Extension, a DIY Photography Camera Cookie Cutter set or Bokeh Masters Kit. Tune in to also receive exclusive discounts!

While you won’t get out an expert, you will definitely know where to start or to advance to.

Registration is free and you can sign up right here.

photo by spettacolopuro[Read More…]

The Comprehensive Guide To Macro Photography

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When we photograph something very small we call it a macro photography. I would imagine we should call it Micro photography, but I don’t have control over the jargon.

Shooting small things poses great challenges and comes with high rewards. In this tutorial I to get all the info that you’d need to take macro shots. starting from equipment through subjects and tip and wrap up of some of my favorite macro photographers on Flickr if you need some extra inspiration.

When we talk about macro photography we tend to think about small things that we shoot from a close distance. This definition works for me as an on-the-nose definition and is probably right for just about 95% of all macro images.[Read More…]

Macro Photography Tip: Spraying Flowers

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Jake O’Connell posted a comment, sharing his Ringlight in the CD Spindle Ringflash post. When doing this he also reminded me of a great macro tip. This photography tip is extremely useful when photographing flowers, but also when photographing “cold” drinks. It can also be applied when photographing some surfaces.

If you are a seasoned macro photographer, you can skip this tip, otherwise, keep reading.[Read More…]

Five tips for shooting macro snow photography to take your snowflake photos to the next level

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For the northern hemisphere (sorry, Australia!), it’s winter right now. That means lots of snow for some of us, a little bit of snow for more of us and sadly, none for a few of us. Every year at this time, though, one of the most popular subjects for photographers becomes the snow itself. Either it’s snow covering a landscape or some local landmark, or for those of us with a macro lens, it’s the snowflakes themselves.

Whatever situation we find ourselves in, though, whether the snow’s in our backyard or we have to travel a little bit to get to it, snow can be a very enticing subject to shoot with a macro lens. And in this video, photographer Micael Widell offers us his five top tips for shooting snowflake macro photography, including a couple you might not have even considered.

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Mobile Photography Awards 2023 includes AI work for the first time

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The winners of Mobile Photography Awards 2023 have just been announced. Just like last year, it showcases some brilliant images photographers took with their smartphones. But the 12th annual competition includes a new category that the new era has brought us: artificial intelligence.

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Meike announces 60mm f/2.8 macro lens for E, X, Z, EF-M, RF & M43 mounts

Meike has announced their new 60mm f/2.8 APS-C manual focus macro lens. It’s a very low-budget lens, with a price tag of only $189.99, and as such, it probably won’t be able to compete with higher-end (and autofocus) lenses with a similar field of view. But, if keeping costs as low as possible and having a play to see if you even like macro is important, this lens might be worth having a look at.

Aside from being pretty inexpensive as macro lenses go, it’s available for six different camera mounts. Sony E, Fuji X, Nikon Z, Canon EF-M, Canon RF and Micro Four Thirds. Despite the fact that the lens is available for Nikon Z and Canon RF, it is an APS-C lens. So, if you’re trying to use it on full-frame bodies, you’ll definitely need to do some cropping!

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Flash vs LED – which is right for your photography

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There are a lot of lighting myths out there when it comes to flash vs continuous LED lights for photography. There are also many options for both sides, no matter which one you choose to pursue. But which one should you choose? No blanket answer suits everybody, and depending on your needs, there may not be a single solution that covers everything you want to do.

But in this video, photographer Rob Hall at Sharpen takes a look at both flash and LED lights to help you figure out which you might need and why. It’s an interesting look at both systems, covering a lot of the pros and cons of each and why the same answer isn’t right for everybody.

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OM System announces the $1,500 M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm f/3.5 IS PRO Macro lens

As expected, OM System has today officially announced the new M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm f/3.5 IS PRO Macro lens. As a Micro Four Thirds lens, it offers an equivalent field of view to a 180mm lens on a full-frame body with a 2:1 magnification ratio for larger-than-life macro shots. A minimum focus distance of only 22.4cm means a working distance of around 8cm from the end of the lens, letting you get very close to your subjects.

It features built-in optical stabilisation, and with IP53 weather sealing, it’s useful for all kinds of location macro work in all different weather conditions. As with most macro lenses, it features a focus limiter switch, and a floating focus mechanism maintains sharpness throughout the entire focusing range all the way up to infinity. It’s also compatible with the MC-14 and MC-20 teleconverters for 2.8x or 4x magnification, respectively.

[Read More…]

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