Photography Discussion ⇒ Tiny Things: A Learn-and-Share Activity Thread = Join In!

[minniev]

Minnie, I'm very glad you showed the woolies and mentioned "tiny things in context" as that is more my style, too!

I admire and enjoy true macro, especially adorable jumping spiders, but I don't have the gear or patience. My technique for the below water strider insect (with sunlight reflecting off its legs) was mostly spray and pray. Fast-moving insects in low light and close to zero contrast for auto-focus - oy. But digital film being cheap, and the delight of the moment being high on my list of reasons to pick up a camera to begin with, I was happy

I've bookmarked this topic, Minnie, and will go out searching for appropriate subjects this week. I hope the thread can keep going for a long while!

Thanks so much for stirring the creative juices once again!

The water strider with the starburst is a wonderful example of using shooting skills to create art from an ordinary tiny critter. Thank you for sharing this, and keep sharing!

[minniev]

subjects are not difficult to find. These can be found under the pillows of little girls. They are worth one dollar each!!

tooth1600.jpg
toothcrop.jpg

An abundance of riches here - both teaching and sharing, but also demonstrating what can be possible. When I see your work I am sorely tempted to buy at least a macro lens. For the most part I shoot tiny things with my long lens. Your artistic images of little tiny creatures are inspiring.

Thank you for helping me with this thread!

[Charles Haacker]

Oh wow are these terrific so far! I went digging through my Flickr since I have been thrilled with the capability of even the most modest point-and-shoot to get in close. Most of them, however, get closest with their shortest focal lengths, so you can end up shading your subject with the camera itself. Min, you mentioned shooting with longer focal lengths, and I've seen commentary here and there that suggests many P&S folks don't know that you can still get close with a longer focal length on a fixed lens camera, just generally not as close. If I ever step up to a "real" camera I will definitely want a good macro in the 85-100 mm range (or equivalent). Such lenses are not at all restricted to macro. They can double as portrait lenses or whatever, they just have the additional capability of getting in to 1:1, but being longer focal length you can shoot from further away than, say, a 50 mm. That additional distance may mean the difference between spooking an insect or not.

I've been shooting closeups since I got my itsy-bitsy Nikon L-12, which incidentally allowed closest focus at its longest focal length, which is how they all ought to be designed. My Sony RX10 is always in "macro" mode without necessity for switching anything, and focuses closely at all focal lengths (24 - 200 equiv) but the longer the focal length the less close it can physically get. With my Nikon P7XXX's I had a little cheap set of diopters I sometimes used, making sure to keep the subject centered because those simple lenses are not edge sharp. Often I will resort to cropping the image further in order to get the size and impact I want.

I have a whole Flickr album called Itsy Bitsy Teensy Weensy. Here are six of my faves:
This one was made in 2007 with that first tiny Nikon L-12. It still holds up pretty well.
Wild Blue Flax (Linum lewisii) by Charles Haacker, on Flickr

This one made in 2009 in a butterfly house in Seattle with a Nikon P5000
In The Butterfly House (Seattle) by Charles Haacker, on Flickr

This one is also 2009, still the P5000, and it is now reedited in Lightroom and improved I hope:
Bee-ootiful 3 by Charles Haacker, on Flickr

This one is also with the P5000. It did not need to be cropped much. Shot one-handed...
Differential Grasshopper (Melanoplus differentialis) by Charles Haacker, on Flickr

Made in 2011 with a P7000 on the ground, flash on. Blister beetles in flagrante...
Blister Beetles in Flagrante… by Charles Haacker, on Flickr

Finally this one, made with the Sony RX10 unaided, tripod mounted, manual...
Stegosaurus Puzzle 1 by Charles Haacker, on Flickr

(Uh oh. Forgot to include a picture I made of the stegosaurus setup to show why it qualifies as a not-very-large thing:

If you click on any of these they take you into Flickr where some of them will enlarge by clicking again. Remember they are all made with what we consider glorified point-and-shoots.

[LindaShorey]

Super photos and information, Chuck!

On the theme of small cameras and dof, #1 below are the tiny flowers of spreading phlox that I photographed at elevation 6,000' in the Cascades. Canon SX50 bridge camera at 15 mm (equiv full frame about 80 mm), with additional cropping.

#2 is a very cool moth I discovered on my window screen as I headed out at dawn one morning. Canon T3i dslr (crop sensor) at 100 mm. Flash used.

As we're enduring yet another drizzly day, there will be more college basketball watching than picture taking today, so these are from last summer

[minniev]

Oh wow are these terrific so far! I went digging through my Flickr since I have been thrilled with the capability of even the most modest point-and-shoot to get in close. Most of them, however, get closest with their shortest focal lengths, so you can end up shading your subject with the camera itself. Min, you mentioned shooting with longer focal lengths, and I've seen commentary here and there that suggests many P&S folks don't know that you can still get close with a longer focal length on a fixed lens camera, just generally not as close. If I ever step up to a "real" camera I will definitely want a good macro in the 85-100 mm range (or equivalent). Such lenses are not at all restricted to macro. They can double as portrait lenses or whatever, they just have the additional capability of getting in to 1:1, but being longer focal length you can shoot from further away than, say, a 50 mm. That additional distance may mean the difference between spooking an insect or not.

I...

These are great, Chuck. I'm especially taken with the grasshopper studying your (or someone's) watch, and the amorous bugs. All are well done, showing such a variety of subjects and compositions.

Since I don't have a macro lens (except one that fits my old 10 megapixel DSLR), I have resorted to making the long lens work. My 2.8 50-200 is my go-to lens for this purpose because it is sharp and it is bright. I have to be careful of distance, but I've learned what it will and won't do. The Oly 60mm macro is on my wish list.

[minniev]

Super photos and information, Chuck!

On the theme of small cameras and dof, #1 below are the tiny flowers of spreading phlox that I photographed at elevation 6,000' in the Cascades. Canon SX50 bridge camera at 15 mm (equiv full frame about 80 mm), with additional cropping.

#2 is a very cool moth I discovered on my window screen as I headed out at dawn one morning. Canon T3i dslr (crop sensor) at 100 mm. Flash used.

As we're enduring yet another drizzly day, there will be more college basketball watching than picture taking today, so these are from last summer

Thanks for adding these, Linda, I love waterdrops, and I'm impressed with your very exotic looking moth.

[minniev]

A few more of various types -

Waterdrops on a tiny feather on an Icelandic beach, taken with a short zoom and cropped.

Dragonfly in the swamp - with long tele

How about inverse with close up shots? A spider and her masterpiece - taken with long tele

[LindaShorey]

Oh, that spider web negative image is soooo eye-catching! Great creativity, Minnie.

[PietFrancke]

I am seeing beautiful shots - the winged creatures in particular. The tiny world holds great wonders if we but look. A gigantic planet, is but a resting place for the queen moth.

[Charles Haacker]

These all just keep getting better and better...