markus_arike

I have recently been experimenting with my larger than life size

magnifications - EF 100 2.8 Macro and EF25 Extension Tube. I've been

happy with the results and would like to get any feedback for

experienced Macro shooters and others? Comments/ratings/feedback

most appreciated.

No. I never do anything but auto-levels and a bit of unsharp mask, strength=50%, and remove any dust or scratches in Photoshop or PSP. For this photo, I didn't even use auto-levels because it made photo too bright, which did not correspond to what I saw in viewfinder. I do usually use film, color neg or slide that has good color saturation to begin with. No, I not big on changing images to make them look more dynamic, but I try to duplicate what I saw in finder at time of exposure.

No filters except an UV Haze. I think it is due to the fact that Fuji Superia 100 seems to somtimes shift to a magenta color cast. Rather than correct it with Auto Levels in Photoshop, I liked it, so I left it. Thank you for the comments.

I used my new 400mm lens, but I can't remember if it was tripod

mounted or handheld. Anyway, the original uncompressed TIFF file

looks very crisp. I only wish I had been using a film other than

Superia 100, which seems to work well for some subjects, and not so

great for others. Slide film would be best, I know, but my new

Minolta scanner won't work with slides. Any tips/suggestions from

all, especially nature shooters/birders would be appreciated.

This was the most peculiar bug, because he knew I was there, and when I would set-up the tripod in front, he would run to the back. I'd reposition the pod to the back, and he'd scurry to the front. It was exhausting. So in answer to your question, he didn't sit still for long. Because of this, I had to use a fairly wide aperture. I was dying to use f/8 or more but the light and this silly hyper bug wouldn't allow it. As far as type of bug, looks to be from lady bug family, but I've never seen a yellow ladybug. Thank you for your comments.

Under my bird feeder it seems that the birdies dropped a few

sunflower seeds because around 15 gorgeous sunflowers have bloomed in

the past few days. Aside from being beautiful on there own, they

provide a nice backdrop for shooting insects/bugs. Anyway, I was

lucky to spot this little guy one morning. Tripod mounted EOS 3 +

strobe w/ EF 100 2.8 Macro. Question For Macro experts - to get a bit

closer to subjects, would I be better off with extension tubes or

500D close-up lens for Macro lens? Any comments/suggestions/ratings

are most welcome. Thanks in advance.

Really nice sepia toning and natural pose by the model.

I have several different versions of this carnival image, but I

prefer this one as it has the silhouettes of several people along

bottom of the frame. Any Comments/Ratings/Suggestions are greatly

appreciated.

All of the images in this folder are interesting. You've made an awful lot out of a little with interesting patterns, forms, and textures.

Good observation, but as I was shooting a moving subject I needed as fast a shutter speed as possible. Stopping down to f/22 as I do for straight flower photos would have given me 1/4 of second or so. Not really fast enough to stop motion. Thanks for the comments.

In general I prefer to use a slow transparency film for Macro, but

for cost/instant feedback reasons I sometimes shoot color negative

film. Tried Royal Gold 100, and Reala and both a pretty good. Any

other recommendations. Any Comments/Ratings/Suggestions are

appreciated greatly.

The reflection of the neon sign in the water helps make this an outstanding photo. Nice serene mood. Minor nitpick: The grey in the sky is slightly distracting. What about taking it out in Photoshop? Good work. I miss Belgium.

Any Comments/Ratings greatly appreciated. I happened to have a slow

Konica color negative film in SLR but was pleasantly surprised with

the films' sharpness and colors. Also, if any wildlife/insect

specialists know the name of this little guy, please send me a note.

Thank you.

I don't think it is the fact that you left too much of the leaves, it seems that the point of sharpest focus is not on the rosebud, but on the leaves. At least that is the way it appears on my monitor. Nice colors, however.

I too prefer the original. Very good composition and execution of image. There does appear to be an issue with lack of contrast, but that will often happen when the sun is so prominent in the frame. As for the ratings, 6's. Wow. I've been getting 3's and 2's for many of my images. Anyway, nice job.

I like the composition, and the film choice seems to be a good one. Saturated, but doesn't overdo it.

I think the tree works to frame the image. I have a particular fondness for this image as my dad was from Tartu, Estonia. Also, the lack of tripod is not evident. Sharpness is good. As far as being able to get the tree in focus, I don't think you would be able to stop down enough for that to occur. Very nice image.

Sunrise

This is one of the better images of the set. Nice vertical framing. Good job.

I agree with Andy's comments regarding her face. Probably a good time to use spot meter when you have large dark areas in the background. That way you make certain the face is properly exposed. Nevertheless a good composition, and image.

I like the composition. Main problem I see is that with shallow depth of field, the top part of flower goes very soft. Maybe if you somehow parallel the front of flower this will not happen. Good job, but I think it can be better.

Good composition and nice pastel tones. Minor point: I was left wondering why you cropped the edge of the window out? Overall, good study.

I like the colors overall. Could be a bit more contrast, but I really like the pink hues of the sand. It is alittle disconcerting that the top of the mast is cut off.