Portfolio 26 of 80

I took this as part of my tests on a new Sigma 105mm F2.8 macro lens. It isn't anything special but is good to illustrate a couple of points about macro photography. The shot was taken using just the light from the modelling lamp on one of my studio lights.

First of all, the exposure was really pushing things to the extremes, 30 seconds at F29 is about as rarely used as my chocolate tripod. I wanted to check things such as the stability of my Manfrotto tripod, dust on the sensor and any other problems at such small apertures or long exposures on the EOS 20D.

All in all I was pretty pleased as the image came out "relatively clean", sharp and well exposed. I must say though that such a small aperture isn't absolutely necessary and always achievable with macro photography, nor is such a long exposure.

Some of the best macro images I have seen are of insects and there is no way that they will sit still for 30 seconds!

When shooting macro there are a couple of important points to remember. If using a telephoto such as 85mm, 100mm or 150mm macro, the depth of field available becomes ridiculously small and the working space for sharpness is minimal.

Even if you use an extremely small aperture, you run the risk of slight light diffraction which will affect the clarity of your images.

Obvious things to do are; use a tripod (a good one, not chocolate), stop down the aperture as much as possible (F16 or F22 is good) and use the fastest shutter speed that the light will allow to reduce the risk of movement. At "macro" level, the slightest movement is going to show up and ruin the picture.

It is a difficult combination to master which is why I am in awe of some of the beautiful photos I have seen on my travels around cyberspace. It is something that I would like to spend a lot more time on...when I have the time!