2023 Off to a good start

 Well its only February and 2023 has certainly got off to a great start photography wise for me. 

Michael upgraded his equipment last year and kindly gave me his Z6 which has the fantastic focus shift feature, allowing focus stacking. He had let me use it frequently over the last couple of years, but this last month I have really concentrated on focus stacking in my mini home studio ( dining room/table). I bought a couple of insects to practice with, used some flowers and other objects too. I was directed to a fantastic macro photographer youtube channel, full of excellent videos giving information on pretty much everything you could ever need to know to get started in macro focus stacking. Namely Allan Walls photography. I ended up watching the videos most days this last few weeks and joining the new livestreams. Despite having done macro and close up photography for 17-18 years, I have learned loads through this channel and put a lot of it into practice already. 

My aims in improving with focus stacking are to use it creatively, like in the Astrantia image above, combining it with creative effects in camera, and using creative lenses. Secondly is to get more into extreme macro - such as  x2 -x 5 life size and see how I get on with that. 

Now I was really over the moon and grateful to have the opportunity to use the Z6 for focus stacking. However, I had some great news this month in winning both 1st and 2nd place in the Camera Jabber photographer of the year competition and this has allowed me to add in some extra gear ( I will also sell some as the prize - £1500 voucher to spend with MPB -  didnt have the main piece of equipment I wanted) So I treat myself to an automated focus rail - the WeMacro rail, after watching video reviews on it. This allows me to use my Sony camera and all its lenses, meaning I can get more creative. I have also got a Canon MPE 65 macro lens coming as part of my prize - this allows up to 5x life size. So I will be able to really  focus on the macro side of things this year. Im feeling super lucky and grateful in winning this competition. 

I ordered some ethically sourced taxidermy specimens to photograph and Im slowly learning how to relax them, position them and photograph them. Ive ruined most of them already, breaking feet or antennae off, but its all part of learning I guess. Above is a Giraffe beetle, quite fascinating - as so many of these insects are. Its a whole new world photographing insects.

Ive had to learn new lighting techniques to help avoid glare and hotspots on shiny subjects such as beetles and small products such a jewellery, so its a great learning experience. I've been using extra scrims and flagging more, aswell as reflecting light a lot - all techniques I use for still life - but in slightly different ways. Its not coming easy with my brain fog, but I leave everything set up constantly and often enlist Michaels brainpower when I get stuck or forget things/ cant work something out. Even photographing something that might appear simple like these beautiful earrings given to me by my daughter, has been helped by employing my new knowledge and growing macro skills. 

Ive had more exciting news this month too, I have 3 images shortlisted in the SWPP Photographer of the year awards - 2 in the macro category and one in In camera artistry. The results are out in March.

Also, I was thrilled to have an image Highly commended in the Beauty of plants category and another in the Abstract category of International garden photographer of the year. So thats a total of 6 images placed in al the categories for 2022. Its worth taking a look at their website as the winning entries are quite wonderful. My favourites are the winning portfolio by Barry WEbb of Slime moulds - something I am keen to try myself once I improve with closer focus stacking. 

Yet another competition result was with the WPE - I had completely forgotten that I had entered 3 images and was browsing the winning images when I discovered I had won first place and Gold medal in flowers and two silver medals in macro. So its been a bit of a crazy month competition wise, funnily enough I had been considering pulling back from competitions and entering less, now Im not sure. Ive stopped entering a couple, but will have a think on whether I really want to enter so many. I do enjoy entering some and it pushes me to improve. So I will likely still enter my favourite subjects of macro/close up and flowers. I have entered a bit of a fun image into Allan Walls photography's macro mineral competition and funnily enough got it highly commended with the SWPP - it wasnt a serious entry but more fun. See below.

This last week I treat myself to some of my favourite flowers - Anemones - Blue mistral and Nero, and Ive been learning how to use the WeMacro rail whilst photographing these. I have some pastel Anemones coming next week - something Ive not been able to get hold of for many years. One good thing is that it doesnt use much energy as everything sits on a tripod, so easier to capture images in a way. Ive loved getting images like the one below with the centre in focus and still lots of nicely blurred out of focus bokeh. 

So anyone following my photography will be seeing lots of beetle and flower photography popping up and hopefully will see some improvements in my macro work. 

I also have two lensbaby lenses coming as part of my prize from Camera jabber and MPB which I am excited to use in focus stacking too. Lots to keep me occupied with macro at home whilst Im not managing much physically, although I really am hoping to get out to photograph Snowdrops, Crocuses and other spring flowers asap.

Lockdown photography - Part 1 Plant life

 Lockdown Photography ideas you can do at home.

As we find ourselves in another UK national lockdown and stay at home order I thought I would try to help motivate others with photography from home/garden as Ive made a bit of an art of doing this in my 14 years of having M.E. I thought I could at least pay it forward with things Ive picked up in my years adapting the way I do photography. Starting with closer up work as that compromises most of what I do. The majority of my photography is taken sat at our dining table with everything I need within reach, to conserve energy.

Macro/Close up - Plants/seedheads/leaves/berries

You dont have to own a macro lens to get up close - you can try macro extension tubes for as little as £20 ( I often use one or two with a 50mm lens or an old Helios lens) or a macro filter that screws or clips onto the end of your lens - I use my partners Raynox 250 and highly recommend it. If you would like to know more about these then do look at my blog post about them. Extension tubes / macro filters blog post You could also look into reversing lenses to get closer.

Plants/seedheads/leaves/berries/branches - from the garden, or snipped whilst on daily exercise, or ordered online. There are so many ways you can photograph plants/flowers/seedheads/pine cones etc - the list is endless - but a few suggestions -

Abstracts

Look for patterns , shape and light, or even colours to experiment with abstract photography

Intentional camera movement - Whilst I use this mostly for trees there is nothing stopping us trying it with plants too.

Backlighting - this can easily be set up at home

Add smoke or mist into your image, using a mini mist maker, or incense sticks, or smoke bombs if outdoors

Use branches, seedheads, berries etc in still life, - I know there arent many flowers in bloom so look for seedheads on your walks - teasels, money plant seeds, pine cones

with reflections ( place in water or on black glass or perspex),

spray water on them, this image is a Pulsatilla seedhead brought inside with water sprayed on

Try a triptych,

Use a light box or lay out your items in a nice arrangement on a surface of your choice for flat lay images, ( I highly recommend pressing flowers and leaves in a book ( or freezing in ice) for future use - especially given the chances that lockdowns may reoccur

Spray leaves/flowers with water and stick them on a window,

Try using shallow depth of field and holding something between the lens and your subject to get a haze/bokeh or place items behind your subject for distanced bokeh ( fairy lights), For the image below I used sparkling fibres blue tacked around the end of my lens which created bokeh as the light hit them.

These two images were obtained by ripping a jagged hole in a sheet of crinkled transparent irridescent material and placing it over the end of my lens

Use crystals and beads in front of your lens to get extra creative effects ( try Lensbaby Omni filters or irridescent materials) The Salvia image below was photographed in the garden with an Omni filter creating the rainbow effect.

This one is taken at my dining table with fairy lights behind

As its winter you could set up seedheads in your garden or on a verge outside by sticking them in the ground and wait for a very frosty morning and capture them covered in frost, or in the snow,

Freeze flowers/leaves in a plastic dish in your freezer and photograph these frozen - maybe backlight them? , or submerge them in water/fizzy water/coloured in a glass dish and snap away.

Or if you have access to one of the vintage lenses such as a Helios or a Meyer optik primoplan , or a Lensbaby lens you could get creative with those. Below are two taken with a Meyer optik primoplan 58 coupled with a macro extension tube

Try spraying water on a stem placed in front of a flower and capture the flower refracted within the droplets. See my blog on the-multiple-personalities-of-plants for more ideas and inspiration, plus kit that is useful.

The images below were taken with an old Helios lens paired with an extension tube ( the lens was only £20)

Both of these dead ferns were photographed sat at my dining table with different backgrounds, the top one had a lovely green glass vase behind it and the bottom one had a gold reflector in the background - just use what you have at home - you will be surprised at the results. Or if you want ready made backgrounds there are so many beautiful ones you can but online - Ive produced a large range myself which I print out and place on boards behind my subjects - email me if you would like to purchase some Textures

Add textures to your floral/plant life images - below is an example of my own textures on one image.

Get as close as you can 

Try focus stacking - this image was taken with a macro lens plus extension tubes and a borrowed Raynox 250. camera on a mini tripod, 36 images stacked in a free trial of Helicon software. Its a Tulip stamen, photographed on our dining table.

Photograph insects on your plants

I hope this gives a few ideas to start with, please watch for more to follow in the coming days, staying with macro and close up ideas :)