Macro competition entries

Post a photo to get comments and suggestions on how it can be improved. For best help you should include the relevant EXIF information. (Use "Photo Sharing" if you simply want to share images and are not after feedback.)
User avatar
Paul Heester
Posts: 622
Joined: Fri 18 Jan 2013, 13:16

Macro competition entries

Postby Paul Heester » Tue 07 Jul 2015, 16:09

Im currently submitting entries for the Amateur Photographer of the Year (APOY) http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/ap ... -year-2015. This is the first time Ive entered a national competition requiring multiple entries so Im using it as an incentive to take more images and hopefully improve my photography.

The theme this month is Macro and Ive spent the last few days solely in my garden trying to capture the Macro world. All images below were shot in my crop sensor Canon 60D with a Sigma 100mm Macro. All comments welcome and would appreciate what you think is the strongest image so far. Thanks!

IMG_9026.JPG
IMG_9026.JPG (108.58 KiB) Viewed 5284 times


IMG_9162.JPG
IMG_9162.JPG (140.72 KiB) Viewed 5284 times

IMG_9130.JPG
IMG_9130.JPG (247.71 KiB) Viewed 5284 times
User avatar
Paul Heester
Posts: 622
Joined: Fri 18 Jan 2013, 13:16

Re: Macro competition entries

Postby Paul Heester » Tue 07 Jul 2015, 16:10

IMG_9436.JPG
IMG_9436.JPG (212.53 KiB) Viewed 5283 times
IMG_9377.JPG
IMG_9377.JPG (133.53 KiB) Viewed 5283 times
IMG_9285.JPG
IMG_9285.JPG (192.02 KiB) Viewed 5283 times
User avatar
davidb
Posts: 763
Joined: Thu 14 Nov 2013, 13:45
Location: Croydon, Surrey, UK

Re: Macro competition entries

Postby davidb » Tue 07 Jul 2015, 19:25

The flying insects look good and from what I can see look reasonably focused. The ant does appear a little soft and the spiders might well do with a bit of focus stacking.

However, all the subjects are a little small within the image. A little cropping might help.

Otherwise a very good effort.
Regards

David A Beard.
User avatar
davidc
Posts: 2410
Joined: Wed 12 Sep 2012, 11:27
Location: location, location.
Contact:

Re: Macro competition entries

Postby davidc » Wed 08 Jul 2015, 03:06

IMG 9130 is by far the strongest for me, though not without a few flaws. It combines macro with some very artistic rendering of the dew & cobweb and makes the others look quite ordinary by comparison.

There are one or two unfortunately placed dewdrops obscuring the spider and it could be a touch sharper but it's probably rescuable in photoshop :)

Interesting to see, macro isn't someone that's often posted here!

What do you think of the sigma macro lens?
Check out my website - davidcandlish.photography
My Top 50 album is here
User avatar
davidc
Posts: 2410
Joined: Wed 12 Sep 2012, 11:27
Location: location, location.
Contact:

Re: Macro competition entries

Postby davidc » Wed 08 Jul 2015, 03:11

Decided more detailed feedback was only fair :)

IMG_9026.JPG

A much tighter crop of the ant would help bring out the detail and reinforce it's the ant - not the stalk - that we should be looking at. Composition is fine and the background is lovely and clean.

IMG_9162.JPG

Doesn't feel like you have nailed focus here and it suffers from "animal backside" syndrome (something I personally excel at too :P). The bokeh around the edges is lovely but it impinges too much on the main subject for it to work.

IMG_9130.JPG

Best by far in my opinion, if only there was a clear view of the spider's "face" :)
Check out my website - davidcandlish.photography
My Top 50 album is here
User avatar
davidc
Posts: 2410
Joined: Wed 12 Sep 2012, 11:27
Location: location, location.
Contact:

Re: Macro competition entries

Postby davidc » Wed 08 Jul 2015, 03:14

IMG_9436.JPG

Again needs cropping onto the fly to make the focus point unmistakeable. The green leaf in the background is quite a strong, angular shape and is distracting but easily cloned out. Including the plant it's on is often a good idea too - this is different in style to the bokeh-loveliness of the spider but is more of a record shot.

IMG_9377.JPG

Background is super busy and overlaps with the subject. In the fly above it's busy but doesn't overlap so easier to ignore/remove. Here it'd be more time-consuming to fix it.

IMG_9285.JPG

Nice effect as it's clearly human skin it has landed on. Quite good, but I do sort of wish it was somehow feeding on you :D

Overall, bokeh spider is the strongest for me still.
Check out my website - davidcandlish.photography
My Top 50 album is here
User avatar
Paul Heester
Posts: 622
Joined: Fri 18 Jan 2013, 13:16

Re: Macro competition entries

Postby Paul Heester » Wed 08 Jul 2015, 14:37

Thanks for all comments and David C's image by image critique.

I agree that 9130 is the strongest. Colour wasnt tweaked that much either. Its the old trick of using a water spray on a cobweb. Surprisingly I had to use ISO 800 @ F11 1/250s in bright sunshine and added a reflector and still alot of shots were blurred. However, I was using the Sigma at its maximum 1:1 and all of these bugs were no more than 4mm in size so its insanely tricky on focusing :roll: Apart from the ant shot all were handheld.

The ant shot probably took longest to setup. I saw them coming up a strawberry stem to feed on flies so setup camera on tripod and had it parallel for best focus. However, they were too fast so had to use off camera flash to freeze their movement. That took ALOT of experimentation, holding it at different angles and different powers. I later had a great water drop under another stem but they wouldnt perform for me, I even managed to drop a few of them nearby and they walked away :(

Well the spiders are still there (on an allium head) so I may retry and hope to avoid backside syndrome ;)

David C - Ive had the Sigma for years and bought it second hand and find it fantastic. Robustly made, easy to focus and its got good glass. I still remember the first time I used it and saw the world very differently.
User avatar
Paul Heester
Posts: 622
Joined: Fri 18 Jan 2013, 13:16

Re: Macro competition entries

Postby Paul Heester » Wed 08 Jul 2015, 14:40

I almost forgot that I took another shot I really liked. This one probably tells more of a story than the others. FYI I went back the following day and it had gone, circle of life!

IMG_9413.jpg
IMG_9413.jpg (237.29 KiB) Viewed 5261 times
User avatar
davidb
Posts: 763
Joined: Thu 14 Nov 2013, 13:45
Location: Croydon, Surrey, UK

Re: Macro competition entries

Postby davidb » Wed 08 Jul 2015, 15:12

That's a much better shot than the original six. It's much more in focus (especially where it matters) and, as you say, has a story.

But I still think it would benefit from a crop and perhaps toning down the whitish background.
Regards

David A Beard.
GrahamL
Posts: 173
Joined: Fri 01 Aug 2014, 18:11
Contact:

Re: Macro competition entries

Postby GrahamL » Thu 09 Jul 2015, 17:30

Hi Paul,

I agree that this new one is the best of the group. With the crop you re-orient the spider to be on top? The bokeh is very good and not there's much to indicate the actual position gravity-wise.

Best wishes with the entry,

Graham

Return to “Image Critique”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests