[WesternGuy]

Mike Moats, a well known macro photographer has published an interesting short article in his latest blog. Those who are just starting out and maybe some who are along the way with their photography might want to have a read (it's very short). I know it describes how I felt starting out and even today, some of these old thoughts come back from time to time.

http://tinylanscapes.wordpress.com/2015/...told-this/

WesternGuy

[johnytrout]

This is all very well if you can afford decent lenses..... You can't get good macro shots with a kit lens. You would need a proper macro lens and they're not cheap
A lens with f1.2 will knock spots of a f5.6
I think I have a keen eye for composition and I know what I want to achieve but it's frustrating not being able to get there due to lack of funds.

[WesternGuy]

This is all very well if you can afford decent lenses..... You can't get good macro shots with a kit lens. You would need a proper macro lens and they're not cheap
A lens with f1.2 will knock spots of a f5.6
I think I have a keen eye for composition and I know what I want to achieve but it's frustrating not being able to get there due to lack of funds.

With all due respect, I do believe that you missed the point of the article. It really is not about Macro photography at all. It is about the "journey" that photographers can expect to make as they start out in their photography. Whether it is for a career in photography, or just as a hobby, we all have to expect some "bumps" along the way. Our early work is probably not going to be up to the standards that we have for ourselves. I know that mine wasn't. Even today, some of it isn't up to my personal standards, but that is the way it goes. Sometimes you try things that don't work and sometimes they do work. That's just the way it is.

I am sure that we could get into a long discussion about all of this, but I would draw your attention to the work of Cartier-Bresson who took most, if not all of his pictures hand-held with a 35mm camera and a 50mm lens, although he would, occasionally used a wide angle. I would disagree with your contention that a good camera and expensive lenses will help improve your photography. Maybe it will help with yours, but I have seen folks out in the field on some of the photography tours that I have attended with high-end cameras and professional lenses shoot images that really weren't that good, so gear isn't everything. In fact, I believe it was Ansel Adams that said The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it.

I would also note that you can buy extension tubes for use with a kit lens as a start for macro - you don't really need a proper macro lens to start out with. The tubes come in sets of three and, if you do get some, get those that allow communication between the lens and the camera. When I first started out in macro, many, many years ago, that is how I got my start - a Canon consumer film camera, a 50mm lens and a set of Kenko extension tubes. I don't used the camera or the lens anymore, but I still have the extension tubes and I still user them with my macro lens and some of my other lenses as well. The extension tubes are a bit more expensive today than they were when I bought mine, but you can still get them from B&H for about $140US, quite a lot cheaper than a good macro lens. Of course, if you are going to do macro, then you will need a good, steady tripod, but that's the subject of a whole different posting!

The other thing you can buy are close up lenses. These look a bit like filters that you screw on to the front of your lens. Again there are quite a variety of these, some good, some not so good and they range from those that are cheap to those that are very expensive (more than a macro lens). If these interest you, then I would suggest you do your research before buying any - me, I would go for the extension tubes first as all they do is move your lens further away from the sensor. There is no glass in them to affect the quality of the final image.


The last thing you could look at is buying second hand lens or a refurbished lens. If you go this route, just do your homework on "second hand" stuff. What to look for, what to avoid, etc. Alternatively, you can buy a new 3rd party lens (Sigma or Tamron) for whatever camera you have for less than $400 and you can even buy a new 50mm macro lens for a Canon for under $300 (approximate B&H prices in US $)

So, I would suggest things are not as bad as you might think they are. If you have any more questions, then post back and I will only be too happy to try and answer them.

WesternGuy

[johnytrout]

Sorry if I misinterpreted, but I just stated about macro as an example, I use close up lenses myself.
I know the photographic journey starts with many bumps. I started the journey about eighteen months ago so I'm still on that bumpy road but getting better.
I realise you can add tubes etc to get closer shots and I know you can get just as good shots with a kit lens out and about ....
When I look at some of these wildlife shots in other sites, I am in awe how they get them, but look at the EXIF and they will have far better and expensive lenses.
Dont get me wrong, I love my hobby and I appreciate that it will take time before I reach a standard that I'm happy with. It's all about learning and I am enjoying my journey and will never give up.
Sorry if we got cross wired. This is a wonderful site and I am thankful for all the help I have received since I've been here.

[WesternGuy]

Sorry if I misinterpreted, but I just stated about macro as an example, I use close up lenses myself.
I know the photographic journey starts with many bumps. I started the journey about eighteen months ago so I'm still on that bumpy road but getting better.
I realise you can add tubes etc to get closer shots and I know you can get just as good shots with a kit lens out and about ....
When I look at some of these wildlife shots in other sites, I am in awe how they get them, but look at the EXIF and they will have far better and expensive lenses.
Dont get me wrong, I love my hobby and I appreciate that it will take time before I reach a standard that I'm happy with. It's all about learning and I am enjoying my journey and will never give up.
Sorry if we got cross wired. This is a wonderful site and I am thankful for all the help I have received since I've been here.

No problem. You have underlined the value of sites like this one - folks can exchange ideas and thoughts on any photographic subject that interests them and get questions answered by those who have a bit more experience than they do. I have been where you are and I know how it feels to see what is possible with different and possibly more expensive equipment. I do believe that having "more expensive equipment" does not make for a better photographer. You have to have developed the skills and abilities to use that equipment to produce better images. Some of us, myself included, have taken, and do take, the time to learn what is required to make "better" pictures. As Ansel Adams once said "You don't take a photograph, you make it." This one statement has made all the difference to me on how I approach my photography. When I first started out, many moons ago, I was one of those who just got out of my car, walked a few steps and "snapped" an image. - "another one in the bag" so to speak. As time progressed, I, like you, would look at other folks pics and realize that mine really didn't measure up to even my own standards and that is when my "quest" for good images started. I scoured the web, read as much as I could and over a period of about two to three years, my whole approach to my photography changed. My images began to look more like what I thought they should look. Am I happy with my images? Not always, but I am a lot happier with a lot more of them than I was even five years ago. One thing I do know, is that my photography today is better than it was five years ago and will continue to get better. This "getting" better" has nothing to do with the fact that I can now afford "good" equipment, but rather , it has to do with my whole approach to my own photography. It is more "calculated". By that I mean, I spend more time "up front" thinking about the image that I am capturing. Another thing that has changed - if I don't like what I see through the view finder or on Live View, then I will probably not take the picture, something I would not have done a few years ago.

I hope this short discussion has helped you as you continue your journey along the "bumpy" road. The other thing that has helped me is a statement I read, don't know where (can't remember), but it was to the fact that you, as the photographer, are responsible for everything in the frame.

WesternGuy

[WesternGuy]

John, I had a look at your Flickr site and you have some decent images posted there. If you don't mind, I would offer a couple of comments. I notice that they all seem to be taken in landscape mode. Have you ever thought of turning the camera sideways and taking some of your shots in portrait mode, for example, some of the flower pics (e.g., the rose bud) might lend themselves to portrait mode. The other point I would make is about cropping. A lot of your pictures are, in my opinion, a little closely cropped. The one that comes to mind is the one of the head-on shot of the Highland cow (hope I have that ID right). You cropped off the horns, whereas, it would be a better picture, in my humble opinion, if they were all visible. As well, as couple of the bird pics have the ends of the tails cropped off. Since you shared your images on your Flickr site with us, I will share my Flickr site with you. Please feel free to comment on any of the images that I have posted. http://www.flickr.com/photos/westernguy/sets/

WesternGuy

[johnytrout]

Thank you for looking and for the good advice.
As I said, I have been doing photography for about eighteen months or so.
I look at my images from last year and can see the mistakes I have made. A lot were too cropped and I made the mistake of saving the crops "As Image" and the originals were lost, but the mist is clearing. I am learning how to compose properly, how the light reacts and more to your point I'm taking my time.
I am following in your foot steps like King Wenceslas, all be it a few years later.
This site has pointed me in the right direction of which I'm grateful

[EdMak]

A lot were too cropped and I made the mistake of saving the crops "As Image" and the originals were lost.


Been there Johnny, you are not alone!! Probably many 1000's like us. Ed.