I would say macro photography is like everything: easy to start, very hard to master Everything looks interesting because of the different perspective, but to get a really go picture, thats looks nearly like you imagine it.... damn that can become difficult...
Mum, the neighbour has lost his mind. What do you see dear? I've seen him come out to the yard, on his knees, for minutes at a time only to rise up with a single fallen leaf pulled right up to his face. He's done this like 6 or 7 times over the last 3 hours!!
I thought my neighbors must think I've lost it. I was bent down with my face inches from a plant on my balcony trying to get pics of my praying mantis for like 10 mins. 😄
For part 2 you could take your macro setup into your garden when it's still cool in the morning and shoot some little critters. They move slower when they're cold. Another fun thing is looking for micro landscapes. The patterns on rocks and things can look like tiny landscapes sometimes. It takes a little while but once you get your eye in you'll see them everywhere.
I really appreciate your honesty Thomas. It can be very tiring to look at RUclips videos where people always try to impress and present themselves in the best possible way. They often emphasize one success after another whilst "hiding" the truth that .... a lot of planning, time + energy AND failure goes into what they present. Well done for being so truthful here Thomas, it made this video 100% more interesting than if you had simply presented best shots and left out all the hard work and fails.
Ha! It has taken me literally years to understand and successfully shoot macro. Thanks for highlighting the process. Your setup is perfect, extension tubes are cheap! and the more you do it, the better it gets! You never cease to amaze me...btw, all you need is a thinner needle (micro syringe let a diabetic kind) to achieve the water drops.
Zebra Jumpers and Wolfies here. Took me a couple of summers before I got the hang of it with a speed light. I'm working on improving my natural light abilities. Little buggers are *fast!*
I routinely shoot visitors to my porch light, it can be challenging to get the focus right while holding the camera above my head to get a subject on the ceiling!
Many years ago I was "trapped" at home for a very bad cold and after 4 days I needed to do something to avoid getting bored, so I bought as well some cheap exentions tubes to do the same. I setted up a frame to attach flashes, lights, coloured gels, also a drippling bag to shoot drops sequentially...it took days to have a decent good image then I moved to a sliced orange thinely, litterally puttend in front of my flash and started to shoot and this was very satisfying, at the end of my 10 days of "detention" I was able to "master" macro photography but, at that time spring came out and I prefered to walk in the nature as you know well how it is powerful. Thank you mister!
Thank you. I feel so much better after watching that. I've spent the last few days trying to do a timelapse of a small flower opening. Apart from having to know the exact time when they start opening, you also learn, that from bud to flower, they move a lot. The lighting has to be absolutely consistent throughout the timelapse while allowing for any change in exposure needed when the bright petals emerge. You get just one chance per day to get it right unless you want to try shooting them closing up. And the buds don't open at a constant rate. It seems that every variable possible is exercising its right to vary. And none of this gets mentioned in the memoirs of the Marquis de Sade. Still, your sufferings have encouraged me to continue.
You in the hooded dressing gown looks just like how I picture someone who spent 3 days in their kitchen learning macro. Great job. You're doing wely staying safe.
You can never be bored with a macro lens. I bought a Sigma 105 prime macro and I don't think I'll ever tire of it, it can be challenging depending on the subject but it opens up so much creativity.
Love this video. I did the exact same thing, well sort of. I bought the extension tubes and jumped in. I am not a pro like you, just a newbie trying to learn something new. Set up in my garage next to a large window for natural light. Bought some cheap daisies and and use a spray bottle. I think the difference was my expectations were really low and so my pics were much better than I thought. Then I went searching for other subjects and thanks to Mr. Spider I was able to get a nice bumble bee and dragonfly that made for excellent subjects. But although I was not overthinking the composition of the shots I completely relate to the frustration. Nice pics btw, much better than mine.
Speaking as a Macro Photographer...You got some very nice results. I did like your feather shot and mix of colour and the last flower shot was gorgeous. Great job.
The biggest problem with tubes is they lose a lot of light, probably two stops for the set you used. I will get you started as will +Filters, or even turning your lens around backwards but you will not regret getting a Tamron 90 True Macro lens. I now should a nice Nikor 105 Macro but the Tamron worked really well for the price. A lens will really get you moving and make it much more enjoyable, especially with insects and outdoor subjects.
Hi Thomas, I bought a doubler for my Pentax from the AGE UK shop for £3 and discovered that with my 18-55mm kit lens attached to it I can do macro photos too. The step is to do focus stacking so that I can get all of the flower in focus. For that I bought a slide contraption thingy from Amazon for about £20. I've yet to do a set up like you've done in this video but you've added some ideas to my kitbag, so to speak. As an extra I'm going to be trying using some additives to the water, such as salt and detergent and anything else I can come up with from the kitchen cupboards. Thanks for this inspiring video. Stay safe, stay well, stay recording.
I'm actually shooting a macro timelapse as we speak... It's a flower opening, and I've been improving on it for days, trying new things and then hoping they turn out as planned. Each time goes differently and there's always tweaks to be made and lighting to be played with... It's such a fun but often frustrating challenge! There's an infinitely deep world to explore right beneath us, should we choose to look! Great video, and I appreciate you giving it a try! More people need to experience this!
Well done, Tom! You're expanding your repertoire, I'm very impressed! Glad you are keeping busy during the lockdown. I'm sure you'll be raring to go once it ends. The biggest part of each of my days is taking out the trash and walking slowly back and forth to the bins in the warm sun. Stay safe and well. Bob
A reflector is best . Flash can overpower what you are shooting too . I'm in the same boat . 3 months at home . I was just getting into doing Landscape photography . Mainly been doing motorsport . Can't do that now far too worn out . Macro is great fun . Great vlog Thomas .
I have the extension tubes and they work great. Mine are 13, 21 and 31mm for my Canon. I have been working on macro for a few months now and I have found it is much easier to move my tripod then to disrupt my subject that took a long time to set up. Also water and oil mix works great for spraying and landing on the subject. As well as using a syringe instead of an eye dropper to put minute droplets on. Also try soap solution in water to spray
So I have a set of extention tubes and haven't really used them. Time passes and I just got a Lensbaby Trio 28 a few days ago. I am so pleased with the images I get with that I now 'see differently'. Your vidoe gave me new inspiration. One step backwards : Two steps forward ! ( well, I know what I mean anyway ) Cheers !
Great idea Thomas. Especially in times like now. I used to have a set of extension tubes years ago. Tried inverting my tripod center column and photographing beads of water droplets on the grass. Not exactly rain drops but water from a water sprayer bottle. A good excuse to not cut the lawn quite so often also. Now just watching your video have decided to give it another shot :)
you make something beautiful out of the most mundane things. well done sir. I used them to photograph an old pocket watch which I disassembled and placed on a black felt back ground. Very cool.
Well I've done macro photography for years but one thing that I have learnt from this is how to get rid of all my calendars I didn't sell last year! :D Great vid Thomas and definitely not easy!
Keep going with macro it will be worth it in the end. A lot of patience is needed to get the best results but when you start getting them and finding you have learned a new skill you will never look back.
I just bought a set of Kenko extension tubes ($254) and they work great. Looking forward to trying them on different lens. I have heard cheap tubes can get stuck on the lens and this can be a disaster. Caveat Emptor during lock down. Going to a flower shop to get some exotic looking flowers. That should cover the next three daze.
Y'know, Thomas, I've been meaning to try macro for ages, and your video reminded me and inspired me to have a go. I got some extension tubes online, and I've had a tremendous amount of fun in the last few days. Even the daisies in the lawn look fantastic at that scale! Thank you so much for your content, I always find it enjoyable.
I feel your pain, I was the same when I first started in macro, I also use Glycerine, a 50/50 mix with water works well for me and yes get a syringe with a needle, the metal repels the water so you get nice droplets. Also get a memo crocodile clip these are great for keeping subjects still that aren't in water. Look forward to seeing more of these, stay safe and well!
One of your best lessons... lots of learning from mistakes, the best learning... with that dropper, you need the actual fine point syringe... looks like 3 incredible days of learning...
I have done lots of macro but dont have the 100, i rented it and went to the botanical gardens for texture, color, still life desert, rainforest plants. Most disappointing photo/rent-shoot day of my life. Great glass, but I was probably expecting it too do too much for me over finding creativity.
Thanks Thomas, I literally woke up this morning thinking I was gonna go watch RUclips videos about macro extension tubes. And like you’re some kind of wizard you come out with a video convincing to get some.
Thanks Thomas, great video and something we can all try at home. My efforts were with a second hand Nikon D3200 with just the kit lens. I started taking a dandelion but just too much yellow and settled with a small blue flower. I didn't manage to get a reflection but happy with the result. Would love to see another video of something else we can try at home.
Ha! Funny you should post this. Yesterday I cleaned out/straighten my photography gear shelves. I found a set of extension tubes collecting dust in the back. It's been years since I used them and I had honestly forgotten I had them.
I just dug out last Saturday an old macro zoom lens (not a true macro lens, but a close focusing zoom "not bad") I'd forgotten I had. So excellent timing on this video.
Fantastic video once again my friend. I am so glad you show how hard macro photography can be but at the same time you simplify it. P.s your background Lighting is the key. Bouncing the light off your backgrounds will help your pictures
Ooh interesting! Now where did I put my extension tubes... I had a ring to reverse the nifty 50, could see the makeup of a fly's eye with it. Cool things to try in these times. Thanks for the light relief Tom 👍
I think he'd be a trick doing still life and product photos in that kitchen and room walls. He usually does big landscapes so went to the oposit extreme, but I think he'have more fun with more stock product photos in the middle and b-roll shooting in the house.
I had the same idea when I couldn't go out and about this past week. Macro is much trickier than I expected... especially figuring how to create an interesting composition. I also picked up three of these from Amazon to hold small items in place... Pro'sKit 900-015 Helping Hands Soldering Aid. They were helpful in locking things down, but not so much for inspiring creativity. Thanks for the video. I had not thought about shooting subjects in water... I will give that a try.
I have the greatest respect for landscape photographers because this seeing these compositions is not something I've ever been able to master. However, macro photography, my speciality is quite a different skill set to other forms of photography. Although it's good to see that Thomas has learned one of the most important lessons and that is often in macro photography you get serendipitous opportunities when something you are trying for doesn't work, but you get another opportunity you'd not thought of. This is what a lot of macro photography is about, and that is exploring these opportunities, which weren't what you had in mind.
Yes! The photography adventure continues! Our hero (tragic hero?) triumphs once again, after many interesting trials and tribulations. And along the way, we learn some new lessons :-) Thanks again Thomas!
How timely ! I was quite charmed by this video. I have mostly been shooting wildly active movement of dancers for the last four years. Now that is not happening I decided during this crisis to set up for macro and drag out an expensive tripod I rarely used and shoot a little. I do have Nikon 105 vr lens which I love and last year before I lost my studio I purchased a Nikon 850 camera...so perfect combo right!!!? I had some success but then when I saw some stunning images on RUclips I realized wow I have a lot to learn....this style is painstaking and zen like ...I have a bunch of subjects Im interested in . Today I spent about 3 hrs styling and setting up. I liked two or three images...but damn you are so right...this is not easy....but rewarding and Im going to give this still work a go before I get back to my peak action shots ...who knows when??Stay safe and thanks for this fun video which perked up my spirits!!!!
A great way to keep your photography going during the lockdown. Those tubes are available with electronic pass through for the lens - well worth looking at to keep auto focus if you want it.
Hi Thomas, add about two drops of liquid soap to your small bottle sprayer. It will reduce the hydrophobic behavior of the water droplets on flower petals ... actually anything. Great post
Get a Tamron 90mm f2.5...quality is superb. Its what I moved to after learning with extension tubes. It has the Adaptall 2 mount so you can take it to most brands of camera.
Genius. Its been raining for 2 weeks straight and quarantined. You gave me an idea and just did this project. Effing hard. my flower kept sinking lol.. but my final image came out really good actually. Wish i can send it to you. I used a 4x macro lense
I started with extension tubes on my old film cameras and I always carry one in my backpack for close-ups. They weigh next to nothing and take up little room. One of the great bargains of photography and much easier to use than a reversing ring IMHO - you don't lose autofocus or normal aperture control for a start.
Nice video, as usual. I'm currently starting my third week stuck at home and your videos make things easier. Can't wait to watch the next one! Thank you, Thomas, thank you very very much!
Reversing rings are great too, they're a few quid and even hand held you can have some fun with flash or great light. A focusing rail helps enormously but for a decent one your looking at a bit of an investment. Spices are good subjects, Star Anise, mixed peppercorns and so on. It's definitely helped my sanity this past few weeks!
Yea! Nailed it! I got some glycerin to do close ups of beer cans and bottles. I don't know if glycerin would be less fickle than water for water droplets on flowers or not. Here in the States, lockdowns permit going out for exercise, although not in groups. I don't know what the situation is in the UK.
Beautiful images Tom I tried Macro a while back and gave up its so hard, Good positive video that helps us all to take time out to watch our favourite landscape photographers that are keeping real and positive at this time 👍👍👍
Made the same experience. It's really and your easily get frustrated. I tried to shoot a frozen water bubble last winter. Took me uncounted triies 3 days being outside in the cold. But finally succeeded. ;)
Thoroughly enjoyed watching that and have just ordered some cheap as chips tubes from amazon now just got to sort out my wardrobe to get into character!😄
Good work there Thomas, a nice image at the end of it. An often similarly cheap way to get into macro would be a lens reversal ring which allows you to mount your lens backwards. That can give pretty good results too. Next job, get out in the garden and start chasing flies around. If you don't have dirty knees by the end of a good macro session outdoors then you haven't been trying hard enough.
Also, if you want cool pictures, try dropping butter in a hot cup of water, tea or coffee, you can try dropping droplets of liquid soaps too. You can also try to make supercooled water in your freezer, and photograph the rapid progression of the ice when you bang the bottle.
Hi, Tom! I 've seen a lot of videos by different photographers, but this video of yours is so good at motivating action, looking for a result! I 'll start doing macro, too, from now on. The long quarantine, of course, has a negative psychological effect, but now I know how to move on. I 'm your new subscriber. Thank you! Health to you and your loved ones!
Yep. Most people think macro is easy until they try it! Giving up on that was actually one of the main things that led me to get outside and eventually start making time lapse sequences.
Now you just need to get into focus stacking... then handheld focus stacking... of live insects of course :) Yes, extension tubes are the best way to get started in macro photography, not only coz they're cheap but also to find out if it's really a path you want to go down before you start shelling out the bucks :)
Great video, Just finished tidying my room ready for week 2of WFH, so sorting out all photo gear etc for some possible ideas to save me going mad in between boring office work: found an old Film camera and an old film so project one sorted, (maybe you could go old school if you go that mad). Macro was next but cannot find my cheap extension tubes anywhere!! Then thinking of long exposure string light photography, Would love to try Infra-Red but don't have the filter or the expensive camera. then maybe try some time lapse, the list will go on and on. Enjoy and please don't go to Mad and keep the ideas coming
Yeh, I'm having the same 'lock down blues', I get my camera out, sit it on the desk, and find myself shooting ball point pens, the computer keyboard keys, half filled cups of tea, door handles, aaaaargh! What am I doing!!! Nice kitchen by the way, thanks again Tom, stay safe mate...
I love close-up photography, i use my 2000D with the 18-55 kitlens, but when youre just out in nature, have the sun behind or right above your subject... Even at 55mm f/5.6... Although i want to try making scenes myself when the weather turns, or we go in lock down. I'll enjoy nature and until things change you'll find me outside!
I always do insect macro, all this time in lockdown and I've spent it wa.... walking round my flat. Time to go pick some flowers. thanks for the inspiration.
Funny, I have been working on my macro/abstract photography as well. I have some really cool results. It helps having an 8 year old daughter because I have stuff everywhere that I have no idea what it is. Most of my results if I admit are not my original idea but seems to be byproducts if not only trial and error but rewards of over compensation. One example of this is a tiny silver plastic bead necklace that she has was laying around so I grabbed it put it on a purple plastic plate she love to eat on from ikea, set the plate on a speed light and played with different lighting. When that didn't work I just kept adding more plates and additional diffusers and what I got was totally amazing abstract art that had an image not of the main subject but the shadows and lighting created what look like a persons head. Personally everyone uses insects and flowers but try using things around your house, yard or office. Magnification does amazing things to simple items. Also, last tidbit, when I am shooting landscapes or travel, I always shoot oddball things that can be used for abstract. Like in Rhodes Greece, I shot a steel sewer drain and I turned it into a cool industrial abstract photo.
I haven't forgotten the night when aided by the dull incandescent bulb in my bedside light, I managed to take a sharp shot of a male Bluebottle flies face in 1976. M42 thread bellows and a lens on backwards, and a long exposure on slow Black & White print film @ 25ASA. Only this week I learnt that tracing paper is the best surface for putting samples on as it sheds no dust. A dead fly laid on its back overnight on a envelope, will have a line of microscopic dust across the top of it's eyes within hours.I've also reminded myself that some insects look the same at both ends. I'd set up my camera on a very small tripod in full hot sunshine, with the lens some 17mm away from the subject, a small 12mm brightly coloured hairy caterpillar. I'd trapped the leaf it was on so the wind stopped moving it around, and put enough extension on so the subjects face was prominent in the frame. i decided as there was extreme light levels in the scene, that I'd risk video and set it recording. Being so hot, I covered my camera and retreated indoors, and left it to fill the card or run out of battery. Later i got to watch one hour and seventeen minutes of a caterpillar on a sometimes windy day. It's only activity was lost in the boqeh at the other end. The end I was watching was glued to the leaf with it's little feet. When it started to move I was expecting teeth. Instead i've got a 1080p video of it having a dump, then wandering off into the distance. Floating petals on water is in the section Macro for rainy days with a howling wind, and even then floating petals doesn't feature high on the list. You've hardly dipped your toe into the world of Macro. The landscape of the leaf is the habitat of many a good scene at the macro level and so is moss and even grass.
I spent my whole career shooting jewellery - the key is all in the equipment - I use Zeiss 100mm macro lense - Nikkor 120mm macro on Sinar specially modified for nIkon D850 and Phase one back when needed - for water try glycerine water mixture so the drops don’t explode on contact - love your landscapes BTW
I kind of disagree with that. I can get the same pictures with my canon 100mm macro or my 24-105 with macro tubes attached. The 100mm just makes it a bit easier. And depending on the subject, when you start focus stacking I find the macro tubes even better because I can reduce my minimum focal distance much more. So for moving objects like living insects I go with the 100mm because it’s faster, but when I have the time to set up the shot I prefer my tubes.
Been trying this this week...bought some tubes six months ago and never tried. I feel your pain. In the end though I have one image I may frame. It was a bit of luck granted but will persevere and see what else i can find to photograph. Good vlog Tom.
Sometimes trial and error is more inspiring than getting it right first time. Time I got my macro lens out of mothballs and have another go. Thanks Tom, always entertaining.
My first experiences with macro photography was stepping out of the house in the early morning or after a rain, and looking around for the best water droplets on grass blades and flowers. :) They are some of my favorite photos that I've taken. I haven't gotten a chance to try landscape photos yet, but I do know now that I adore macro, because you can find chances for it anywhere at any time! A snowflake on your car windshield is a good example, and one that I did this year. :D
Macro photography is something one can do if they're on the brink of losing their sanity. So they can lose it quicker.
I would say macro photography is like everything: easy to start, very hard to master
Everything looks interesting because of the different perspective, but to get a really go picture, thats looks nearly like you imagine it.... damn that can become difficult...
dammit you. You are even in the photography videos
This might be the biggest tale tale sign of the impending apocalypse. Thomas Heaton recording videos in his kitchen.... The end is near
Nick Page 🤣
With his hooded dressing gown, perhaps Thomas is going through a Big Lebowski moment.
I am surprised he got any shot at all and just walked away due to conditions not being right
the day you shave your beard off is the day I know the apocalypse is coming. The Page knows when to look fresh for meeting his maker!
Hahaha
Mum, the neighbour has lost his mind. What do you see dear? I've seen him come out to the yard, on his knees, for minutes at a time only to rise up with a single fallen leaf pulled right up to his face. He's done this like 6 or 7 times over the last 3 hours!!
i actually do that
So kid, you watched him doing this for 3 hours ?
@@mohammadbabar6979 Sounds like a bright kid: Never turn your back on a crazy.
Mohammad Babar nothing else to do...kid stuck in the house too 😂
I thought my neighbors must think I've lost it. I was bent down with my face inches from a plant on my balcony trying to get pics of my praying mantis for like 10 mins. 😄
You need glycerin for the water drops and a small needle
Yep. You beat me to it
Thanks for the tip. Will keep in mind.
A man spent years trying to figure that out in the 90s. He gave up and wrote a song about Glycerin.
I was going to say the same thing. Old trick from the product studio days.
You beat me too
For part 2 you could take your macro setup into your garden when it's still cool in the morning and shoot some little critters. They move slower when they're cold. Another fun thing is looking for micro landscapes. The patterns on rocks and things can look like tiny landscapes sometimes. It takes a little while but once you get your eye in you'll see them everywhere.
I really appreciate your honesty Thomas. It can be very tiring to look at RUclips videos where people always try to impress and present themselves in the best possible way.
They often emphasize one success after another whilst "hiding" the truth that .... a lot of planning, time + energy AND failure goes into what they present.
Well done for being so truthful here Thomas, it made this video 100% more interesting than if you had simply presented best shots and left out all the hard work and fails.
2:05 When an outdoorsy guy starts wearing an animal onesie and says he's "on the edge" you'd do well to heed that warning.
Ha! It has taken me literally years to understand and successfully shoot macro. Thanks for highlighting the process. Your setup is perfect, extension tubes are cheap! and the more you do it, the better it gets! You never cease to amaze me...btw, all you need is a thinner needle (micro syringe let a diabetic kind) to achieve the water drops.
Lol, try handheld with insects at stupid o’clock in the summer..
those ants never seem to hold still for more than a nanosecond....
Bees and wasps here. I'm allergic - which makes it more interesting,
Zebra Jumpers and Wolfies here. Took me a couple of summers before I got the hang of it with a speed light. I'm working on improving my natural light abilities. Little buggers are *fast!*
I routinely shoot visitors to my porch light, it can be challenging to get the focus right while holding the camera above my head to get a subject on the ceiling!
Dinosaurs here. Ate me thrice.
Many years ago I was "trapped" at home for a very bad cold and after 4 days I needed to do something to avoid getting bored, so I bought as well some cheap exentions tubes to do the same. I setted up a frame to attach flashes, lights, coloured gels, also a drippling bag to shoot drops sequentially...it took days to have a decent good image then I moved to a sliced orange thinely, litterally puttend in front of my flash and started to shoot and this was very satisfying, at the end of my 10 days of "detention" I was able to "master" macro photography but, at that time spring came out and I prefered to walk in the nature as you know well how it is powerful.
Thank you mister!
Thank you. I feel so much better after watching that. I've spent the last few days trying to do a timelapse of a small flower opening. Apart from having to know the exact time when they start opening, you also learn, that from bud to flower, they move a lot. The lighting has to be absolutely consistent throughout the timelapse while allowing for any change in exposure needed when the bright petals emerge. You get just one chance per day to get it right unless you want to try shooting them closing up.
And the buds don't open at a constant rate. It seems that every variable possible is exercising its right to vary.
And none of this gets mentioned in the memoirs of the Marquis de Sade.
Still, your sufferings have encouraged me to continue.
You in the hooded dressing gown looks just like how I picture someone who spent 3 days in their kitchen learning macro. Great job. You're doing wely staying safe.
You can never be bored with a macro lens. I bought a Sigma 105 prime macro and I don't think I'll ever tire of it, it can be challenging depending on the subject but it opens up so much creativity.
I love that you're using this time to learn something new. You never stop inspiring Thomas! Thanks for everything over the years
Love this video. I did the exact same thing, well sort of. I bought the extension tubes and jumped in. I am not a pro like you, just a newbie trying to learn something new. Set up in my garage next to a large window for natural light. Bought some cheap daisies and and use a spray bottle. I think the difference was my expectations were really low and so my pics were much better than I thought. Then I went searching for other subjects and thanks to Mr. Spider I was able to get a nice bumble bee and dragonfly that made for excellent subjects. But although I was not overthinking the composition of the shots I completely relate to the frustration. Nice pics btw, much better than mine.
Speaking as a Macro Photographer...You got some very nice results. I did like your feather shot and mix of colour and the last flower shot was gorgeous. Great job.
The biggest problem with tubes is they lose a lot of light, probably two stops for the set you used. I will get you started as will +Filters, or even turning your lens around backwards but you will not regret getting a Tamron 90 True Macro lens. I now should a nice Nikor 105 Macro but the Tamron worked really well for the price. A lens will really get you moving and make it much more enjoyable, especially with insects and outdoor subjects.
I agree. I have the Tamron 90mm macro and love it!
Hi Thomas, I bought a doubler for my Pentax from the AGE UK shop for £3 and discovered that with my 18-55mm kit lens attached to it I can do macro photos too. The step is to do focus stacking so that I can get all of the flower in focus. For that I bought a slide contraption thingy from Amazon for about £20. I've yet to do a set up like you've done in this video but you've added some ideas to my kitbag, so to speak. As an extra I'm going to be trying using some additives to the water, such as salt and detergent and anything else I can come up with from the kitchen cupboards. Thanks for this inspiring video. Stay safe, stay well, stay recording.
I'm actually shooting a macro timelapse as we speak...
It's a flower opening, and I've been improving on it for days, trying new things and then hoping they turn out as planned. Each time goes differently and there's always tweaks to be made and lighting to be played with... It's such a fun but often frustrating challenge!
There's an infinitely deep world to explore right beneath us, should we choose to look!
Great video, and I appreciate you giving it a try! More people need to experience this!
Well done, Tom! You're expanding your repertoire, I'm very impressed! Glad you are keeping busy during the lockdown. I'm sure you'll be raring to go once it ends. The biggest part of each of my days is taking out the trash and walking slowly back and forth to the bins in the warm sun. Stay safe and well. Bob
A reflector is best . Flash can overpower what you are shooting too .
I'm in the same boat . 3 months at home .
I was just getting into doing Landscape photography . Mainly been doing motorsport .
Can't do that now far too worn out .
Macro is great fun .
Great vlog Thomas .
I have the extension tubes and they work great. Mine are 13, 21 and 31mm for my Canon. I have been working on macro for a few months now and I have found it is much easier to move my tripod then to disrupt my subject that took a long time to set up. Also water and oil mix works great for spraying and landing on the subject. As well as using a syringe instead of an eye dropper to put minute droplets on. Also try soap solution in water to spray
So I have a set of extention tubes and haven't really used them. Time passes and I just got a Lensbaby Trio 28 a few days ago. I am so pleased with the images I get with that I now 'see differently'. Your vidoe gave me new inspiration. One step backwards : Two steps forward ! ( well, I know what I mean anyway ) Cheers !
So this is what it's come to - I'm watching a frustrated, grown man in a bear costume try to drip a drop of water on a tiny flower. Repeatedly.
Great idea Thomas. Especially in times like now.
I used to have a set of extension tubes years ago. Tried inverting my tripod center column and photographing beads of water droplets on the grass. Not exactly rain drops but water from a water sprayer bottle.
A good excuse to not cut the lawn quite so often also.
Now just watching your video have decided to give it another shot :)
Thank goodness we have blokes from the north of England. They are the salt of the earth. Thanks Tom I get my macro lens out this afternoon 😊
I love macro photography, and yes it’s hard, but so much fun and gratifying when you finally capture that oh so sweet image. Loved your video!
OMG there is nothing funnier than a landscape photographer stuck inside! You 4 are really keeping me entertained! Than you!!
you make something beautiful out of the most mundane things. well done sir. I used them to photograph an old pocket watch which I disassembled and placed on a black felt back ground. Very cool.
Well I've done macro photography for years but one thing that I have learnt from this is how to get rid of all my calendars I didn't sell last year! :D Great vid Thomas and definitely not easy!
Keep going with macro it will be worth it in the end. A lot of patience is needed to get the best results but when you start getting them and finding you have learned a new skill you will never look back.
I just bought a set of Kenko extension tubes ($254) and they work great. Looking forward to trying them on different lens. I have heard cheap tubes can get stuck on the lens and this can be a disaster. Caveat Emptor during lock down. Going to a flower shop to get some exotic looking flowers. That should cover the next three daze.
Y'know, Thomas, I've been meaning to try macro for ages, and your video reminded me and inspired me to have a go. I got some extension tubes online, and I've had a tremendous amount of fun in the last few days. Even the daisies in the lawn look fantastic at that scale! Thank you so much for your content, I always find it enjoyable.
I feel your pain, I was the same when I first started in macro, I also use Glycerine, a 50/50 mix with water works well for me and yes get a syringe with a needle, the metal repels the water so you get nice droplets. Also get a memo crocodile clip these are great for keeping subjects still that aren't in water. Look forward to seeing more of these, stay safe and well!
One of your best lessons... lots of learning from mistakes, the best learning... with that dropper, you need the actual fine point syringe... looks like 3 incredible days of learning...
The 100ml L series lens is amazing for this stuff, sharpness, clarity, bokeh, the whole malarkey.
I have done lots of macro but dont have the 100, i rented it and went to the botanical gardens for texture, color, still life desert, rainforest plants. Most disappointing photo/rent-shoot day of my life. Great glass, but I was probably expecting it too do too much for me over finding creativity.
Love your frankness and humility. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Thanks Thomas, I literally woke up this morning thinking I was gonna go watch RUclips videos about macro extension tubes. And like you’re some kind of wizard you come out with a video convincing to get some.
Thanks Thomas, great video and something we can all try at home. My efforts were with a second hand Nikon D3200 with just the kit lens. I started taking a dandelion but just too much yellow and settled with a small blue flower. I didn't manage to get a reflection but happy with the result. Would love to see another video of something else we can try at home.
Ha! Funny you should post this. Yesterday I cleaned out/straighten my photography gear shelves. I found a set of extension tubes collecting dust in the back. It's been years since I used them and I had honestly forgotten I had them.
You have my sympathy and empathy regarding macro - it's a slow learning process, but very enjoyable.
So enjoyable seeing landscape and wildlife photographers trying macro for the first time!!
This is so good watching you do something different and seeing how your managing with change and keeping us all inspired
if you want to go total insane try photographing the surface of soapbubbles, but if you get it the result is totaly stunning aswell
Fun! Thanks for the idea. Not sure my dear wife would be so patient with me using the (her) kitchen.
Stay healthy and happy everyone.
I just dug out last Saturday an old macro zoom lens (not a true macro lens, but a close focusing zoom "not bad") I'd forgotten I had. So excellent timing on this video.
Fantastic video once again my friend. I am so glad you show how hard macro photography can be but at the same time you simplify it. P.s your background Lighting is the key. Bouncing the light off your backgrounds will help your pictures
Ooh interesting! Now where did I put my extension tubes... I had a ring to reverse the nifty 50, could see the makeup of a fly's eye with it. Cool things to try in these times. Thanks for the light relief Tom 👍
Finally this quarantine gave us a review of your home
I think he'd be a trick doing still life and product photos in that kitchen and room walls. He usually does big landscapes so went to the oposit extreme, but I think he'have more fun with more stock product photos in the middle and b-roll shooting in the house.
I had the same idea when I couldn't go out and about this past week. Macro is much trickier than I expected... especially figuring how to create an interesting composition. I also picked up three of these from Amazon to hold small items in place... Pro'sKit 900-015 Helping Hands Soldering Aid. They were helpful in locking things down, but not so much for inspiring creativity. Thanks for the video. I had not thought about shooting subjects in water... I will give that a try.
Thomas, you took the commonplace and made it exceptional. Well done!
Thomas your skill as a film maker shines through and looking forward to the next one.
I have the greatest respect for landscape photographers because this seeing these compositions is not something I've ever been able to master. However, macro photography, my speciality is quite a different skill set to other forms of photography. Although it's good to see that Thomas has learned one of the most important lessons and that is often in macro photography you get serendipitous opportunities when something you are trying for doesn't work, but you get another opportunity you'd not thought of. This is what a lot of macro photography is about, and that is exploring these opportunities, which weren't what you had in mind.
Thanks for the macro post! I know it is not your usual post. Your work is fantastic you know how nature produces light and how to capture it.
This video arrived just in time! Picked up a macro and I’m SUPER excited to get going.
Thomas in a dressing gown with ears, going mad to the sounds of acoustic music.
This is quality content.
Yes! The photography adventure continues! Our hero (tragic hero?) triumphs once again, after many interesting trials and tribulations. And along the way, we learn some new lessons :-) Thanks again Thomas!
How timely ! I was quite charmed by this video. I have mostly been shooting wildly active movement of dancers for the last four years. Now that is not happening I decided during this crisis to set up for macro and drag out an expensive tripod I rarely used and shoot a little.
I do have Nikon 105 vr lens which I love and last year before I lost my studio I purchased a Nikon 850 camera...so perfect combo right!!!?
I had some success but then when I saw some stunning images on RUclips I realized wow I have a lot to learn....this style is painstaking and zen like ...I have a bunch of subjects Im interested in . Today I spent about 3 hrs styling and setting up. I liked two or three images...but damn you are so right...this is not easy....but rewarding and Im going to give this still work a go before I get back to my peak action shots ...who knows when??Stay safe and thanks for this fun video which perked up my spirits!!!!
A great way to keep your photography going during the lockdown. Those tubes are available with electronic pass through for the lens - well worth looking at to keep auto focus if you want it.
Hi Thomas, add about two drops of liquid soap to your small bottle sprayer. It will reduce the hydrophobic behavior of the water droplets on flower petals ... actually anything. Great post
Get a Tamron 90mm f2.5...quality is superb. Its what I moved to after learning with extension tubes. It has the Adaptall 2 mount so you can take it to most brands of camera.
Genius. Its been raining for 2 weeks straight and quarantined. You gave me an idea and just did this project. Effing hard. my flower kept sinking lol.. but my final image came out really good actually. Wish i can send it to you. I used a 4x macro lense
I started with extension tubes on my old film cameras and I always carry one in my backpack for close-ups. They weigh next to nothing and take up little room. One of the great bargains of photography and much easier to use than a reversing ring IMHO - you don't lose autofocus or normal aperture control for a start.
Nice video, as usual. I'm currently starting my third week stuck at home and your videos make things easier. Can't wait to watch the next one! Thank you, Thomas, thank you very very much!
Thanks, Thomas. That was fun. Indoor sports time! Phil
Reversing rings are great too, they're a few quid and even hand held you can have some fun with flash or great light. A focusing rail helps enormously but for a decent one your looking at a bit of an investment. Spices are good subjects, Star Anise, mixed peppercorns and so on. It's definitely helped my sanity this past few weeks!
Yea! Nailed it! I got some glycerin to do close ups of beer cans and bottles. I don't know if glycerin would be less fickle than water for water droplets on flowers or not. Here in the States, lockdowns permit going out for exercise, although not in groups. I don't know what the situation is in the UK.
Hang in there! Vegetable Glycerin is the trick to getting droplets to stay. I have a few small spray bottles and syringes I use to apply it.
Beautiful images Tom I tried Macro a while back and gave up its so hard, Good positive video that helps us all to take time out to watch our favourite landscape photographers that are keeping real and positive at this time 👍👍👍
Made the same experience. It's really and your easily get frustrated. I tried to shoot a frozen water bubble last winter. Took me uncounted triies 3 days being outside in the cold. But finally succeeded. ;)
I just got my first maco lens last week... Holy hell... This is so hard!!! However, when you get that good shot, it's beautiful!
Best dressing gown ever!
Thoroughly enjoyed watching that and have just ordered some cheap as chips tubes from amazon now just got to sort out my wardrobe to get into character!😄
Good work there Thomas, a nice image at the end of it. An often similarly cheap way to get into macro would be a lens reversal ring which allows you to mount your lens backwards. That can give pretty good results too.
Next job, get out in the garden and start chasing flies around. If you don't have dirty knees by the end of a good macro session outdoors then you haven't been trying hard enough.
Also, if you want cool pictures, try dropping butter in a hot cup of water, tea or coffee, you can try dropping droplets of liquid soaps too. You can also try to make supercooled water in your freezer, and photograph the rapid progression of the ice when you bang the bottle.
Hi, Tom! I 've seen a lot of videos by different photographers, but this video of yours is so good at motivating action, looking for a result! I 'll start doing macro, too, from now on. The long quarantine, of course, has a negative psychological effect, but now I know how to move on. I 'm your new subscriber. Thank you! Health to you and your loved ones!
Yep. Most people think macro is easy until they try it! Giving up on that was actually one of the main things that led me to get outside and eventually start making time lapse sequences.
I have the Nikon version of the extension tubes, had them a while and there great, very powerful for snow flakes or insects etc
Arguably your funniest video to this day! 😁 Keep up your efforts, and stay healthy!
Great job. I just bought a set of bellows and intend to do the same very soon.
Now you just need to get into focus stacking... then handheld focus stacking... of live insects of course :)
Yes, extension tubes are the best way to get started in macro photography, not only coz they're cheap but also to find out if it's really a path you want to go down before you start shelling out the bucks :)
Great video, Just finished tidying my room ready for week 2of WFH, so sorting out all photo gear etc for some possible ideas to save me going mad in between boring office work: found an old Film camera and an old film so project one sorted, (maybe you could go old school if you go that mad). Macro was next but cannot find my cheap extension tubes anywhere!! Then thinking of long exposure string light photography, Would love to try Infra-Red but don't have the filter or the expensive camera. then maybe try some time lapse, the list will go on and on. Enjoy and please don't go to Mad and keep the ideas coming
Yeh, I'm having the same 'lock down blues', I get my camera out, sit it on the desk, and find myself shooting ball point pens, the computer keyboard keys, half filled cups of tea, door handles, aaaaargh! What am I doing!!! Nice kitchen by the way, thanks again Tom, stay safe mate...
I love close-up photography, i use my 2000D with the 18-55 kitlens, but when youre just out in nature, have the sun behind or right above your subject... Even at 55mm f/5.6...
Although i want to try making scenes myself when the weather turns, or we go in lock down. I'll enjoy nature and until things change you'll find me outside!
Great video. Nice kitchen. Was picturing a macro competition between the other F4 group. Also Competition on who had the best dressing gown. Stay Safe
Did you try to do focus stacking? Defo need water and glycerin mix 50-50, well at least that's what I've used for droplets on a beer bottle.
I always do insect macro, all this time in lockdown and I've spent it wa.... walking round my flat. Time to go pick some flowers. thanks for the inspiration.
Great photo! I love doing macro, the beauty of small things..
Macro is as tough a method as there is in photography. Good on you for trying your hand at it. Nice work Thomas.
Funny, I have been working on my macro/abstract photography as well. I have some really cool results. It helps having an 8 year old daughter because I have stuff everywhere that I have no idea what it is. Most of my results if I admit are not my original idea but seems to be byproducts if not only trial and error but rewards of over compensation. One example of this is a tiny silver plastic bead necklace that she has was laying around so I grabbed it put it on a purple plastic plate she love to eat on from ikea, set the plate on a speed light and played with different lighting. When that didn't work I just kept adding more plates and additional diffusers and what I got was totally amazing abstract art that had an image not of the main subject but the shadows and lighting created what look like a persons head. Personally everyone uses insects and flowers but try using things around your house, yard or office. Magnification does amazing things to simple items. Also, last tidbit, when I am shooting landscapes or travel, I always shoot oddball things that can be used for abstract. Like in Rhodes Greece, I shot a steel sewer drain and I turned it into a cool industrial abstract photo.
I haven't forgotten the night when aided by the dull incandescent bulb in my bedside light, I managed to take a sharp shot of a male Bluebottle flies face in 1976. M42 thread bellows and a lens on backwards, and a long exposure on slow Black & White print film @ 25ASA. Only this week I learnt that tracing paper is the best surface for putting samples on as it sheds no dust. A dead fly laid on its back overnight on a envelope, will have a line of microscopic dust across the top of it's eyes within hours.I've also reminded myself that some insects look the same at both ends.
I'd set up my camera on a very small tripod in full hot sunshine, with the lens some 17mm away from the subject, a small 12mm brightly coloured hairy caterpillar. I'd trapped the leaf it was on so the wind stopped moving it around, and put enough extension on so the subjects face was prominent in the frame. i decided as there was extreme light levels in the scene, that I'd risk video and set it recording. Being so hot, I covered my camera and retreated indoors, and left it to fill the card or run out of battery.
Later i got to watch one hour and seventeen minutes of a caterpillar on a sometimes windy day. It's only activity was lost in the boqeh at the other end. The end I was watching was glued to the leaf with it's little feet. When it started to move I was expecting teeth. Instead i've got a 1080p video of it having a dump, then wandering off into the distance.
Floating petals on water is in the section Macro for rainy days with a howling wind, and even then floating petals doesn't feature high on the list.
You've hardly dipped your toe into the world of Macro. The landscape of the leaf is the habitat of many a good scene at the macro level and so is moss and even grass.
I spent my whole career shooting jewellery - the key is all in the equipment - I use Zeiss 100mm macro lense - Nikkor 120mm macro on Sinar specially modified for nIkon D850 and Phase one back when needed - for water try glycerine water mixture so the drops don’t explode on contact - love your landscapes BTW
Ferd Mels glycerine instead of water is a genius trick! Saved me from many breakdowns in the past! 😂
'The key is all in the equipment'. Now thats a quote for any aspiring photographer to live by. It should be on a t-shirt.
I kind of disagree with that. I can get the same pictures with my canon 100mm macro or my 24-105 with macro tubes attached. The 100mm just makes it a bit easier. And depending on the subject, when you start focus stacking I find the macro tubes even better because I can reduce my minimum focal distance much more.
So for moving objects like living insects I go with the 100mm because it’s faster, but when I have the time to set up the shot I prefer my tubes.
The end result was worth it. Great job :-) Yes, we're all stuck in right now, but thankfully we're all being responsible.
If you are talented and hard-working, it's easy 👍👏🏆
That was great - definitely one of your more entertaining recent videos...
Been trying this this week...bought some tubes six months ago and never tried. I feel your pain. In the end though I have one image I may frame. It was a bit of luck granted but will persevere and see what else i can find to photograph. Good vlog Tom.
Love it! Quite an entertaining sheltering in place video!! Thanks
It's surprisingly very easy to pay attention to your Marco tips 🐻 Awesome indoor photo challenge. Next should be Macro Wildlife Photography.
I do that with my 100-400 Tamron lens, butterflies, dragonflies ... while I wait for birds and critters.
Sometimes trial and error is more inspiring than getting it right first time. Time I got my macro lens out of mothballs and have another go. Thanks Tom, always entertaining.
Brilliant
I have been setting up my sons star wars lego figures in the garden
That produces some interesting and fun images
My first experiences with macro photography was stepping out of the house in the early morning or after a rain, and looking around for the best water droplets on grass blades and flowers. :) They are some of my favorite photos that I've taken. I haven't gotten a chance to try landscape photos yet, but I do know now that I adore macro, because you can find chances for it anywhere at any time! A snowflake on your car windshield is a good example, and one that I did this year. :D