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On March, 8, 2011, OVCC members had an evening of learning and experimenting with techniques demonstrated by Mike Hensley. He had several setups including water drops using an IV bag, smoke trails using incenses and a cored apple with a flash light inside. And let’s not forget the hypodermic needle used for more macro water drops! Members tried their hands/cameras at each station, sharing lenses and tripods to get the shot they envisioned. We had 17 present for the program – Great turnout! Here are a few snapshots of the evening. Click on the first one to enlarge, then arrow through the images. One just never knows what might be in store for them when coming to an OVCC meeting. Mike Hensley is known to try different things with his photography. At our February print meeting he decided a 3D image would be just a little different than the norm. Mike brought 3D glasses for everyone to use to view his image. If you still have your glasses you can check out what it looks like on this image Mike did. Click the image to enlarge.
Our members seemed to enjoy posing for their 3D snapshots! Click the first image to enlarge. Everyone had a great time at the Annual Christmas Banquet on Dec 2 at The Marshall Cafe in Huntington. Our guest speaker was Randall Sanger. He spoke about his first book and the steps he took to get it published. His book is West Virginia Waterfalls: The New River Gorge, which is co-authored by Ed Rehbein. Click here for Randall’s Flickr images. Here are a few snapshots from the Banquet. Click on the first image to enlarge then use the arrow keys to scroll though. The first OVCC Coffee House was held at our meeting on 11-18-10 with a great turnout. Everyone enjoyed refreshments and a time to talk about everything from photography to the weather. A program on Portrait Lighting was put on by Mike Adkins during the meeting. Click on the first image to enlarge, then use the arrow keys to scroll through. Enjoy a few of our member’s images from 2010. Click on an image to enlarge it some then use the arrow keys to scroll through the images. Members enjoyed an evening in Point Pleasant, Ohio, for a photo outing in August. Here are a few snapshots. Check out some images of members enjoying the photo outing to Green Bottom Wildlife Sanctuary in Green Bottom, West Virginia, to photography dragonflies!
I have spent a lot of time lately at the Green Bottom Wildlife Sanctuary in Green Bottom, West Virginia shooting macro shots of insects (mostly dragonflies). I wanted to share some of the methods that I’ve used, in the hope that it helps others get the shots they want. I shoot hand-held because it allows me to move around better. I tried a tripod early on, but found that by the time I move it into place, I have either scared them away or they died of old age. Because I’m shooting hand-held, with a 180mm lens and fast moving subjects, I try to keep the shutter speed as high as possible. I shoot Aperture Priority and adjust the aperture to balance depth of field vs shutter speed. Another trick that I’ve been using lately is to put my ISO on auto. The camera is smart enough to balance ISO and shutter speed to get you the maximum shutter speed for each shot. I also never shoot only one shot. When I line up, I hold the release down and take two or three shots in a row. This is done in the hope that at least one will be in good focus. At the macro level, moving as much as a millimeter, will pull you out of focus. Also, manual focus is the only way to go. My technique is to use the focusing ring to get close, then rock my body slightly, back and forth, to fine tune it. While stalking is generally frowned upon in social settings, it is key to getting good insect shots. Patience and slow movement will (sometimes) let you get close enough to land that great shot that will put you on the cover of National Geographic. When I see something interesting, I shoot a series-moving closer with each shot. Occasionally, they will let you get as close as a few inches away. Just like when taking a photo of a person, keeping the eyes in focus is paramount. The depths of field are so narrow, in macro, that getting the entire body in focus is nearly impossible, but if the eyes are focused correctly, then the shot will be pleasing. The faceted eyes are particularly cool when sharply defined. I’ve noticed that the reflection on the sun makes a dot on their eyes. I concentrate on this spot for my focus and let the aperture carry as much of the eye/body as possible. It really sounds harder than it is. Just an excuse to take lots of pictures, right ?
If I can leave you with three words to help take better macro shots, they would be: patience, patience, patience. Sometimes it is frustrating, but if you take your time the good shots will come. Most everyone in attandance on April 17th for the Light Painting Outing submitted images for the website. Check out the results.  Club Outing I want to thank Mike Hensley for the great time we had Sat. night “Painting with Light”. Mike went out of his way to make it a great experience and those of you who did not attend, watch for our next outing which will have water and fire. We had 5 club members and a guest at the shoot and were able to do some really cool things with common lights and a little practice. The results were really good for the first time we tried some of the techniques. Be on the lookout for some more shots on the club page or additional posts to the blog. |
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