There's life in the garden - macro photos with Sigma 105mm.

There’s life in the garden – macro photos with Sigma 105mm.

It’s a while since I posted macro pictures, that because it’s been a while since I did any macro photography. I suppose macro photography is like many things, if left for a while it can take a little time to ‘re-learn’.

In fact I couldn’t even remember basic settings and had to look back at notes and one or two You Tube videos. Previously I have either used home made ‘softboxes’ to soften and distribute the light or I have used a Neewer ring flash.

Ring flash

The pictures in this blog were almost all taken using the ring flash. I’m not sure this particular model is still available as new, time moves on and as far as I am aware it has been replaced by a newer model.

My experience to date has been to find that light is just about everything in successful macro photography especially when capturing detail in extreme close up.

The softboxes I have made and which simply slip over my Canon flash (Speedlite 430EXII) normally provide pretty good results. The Speedlite is a pretty decent bit of kit, although I only use it for macro photography. A key advantage of the ring flash is that it’s all built into one unit and although it can feel a little bulky it’s more compact and easier to carry round than the softboxes I have made. But there are pros and cons to both.

Practice, practice, practice

I don’t think there is a quick way to become proficient at macro photography. There have been many occasions when I have felt quite pleased and satisfied with the results I have obtained but I am always aware that as an enthusiastic amateur I have plenty of room for improvement – and that’s something I hope to do over the coming summer.

There really is so much life that can go unnoticed in the garden – all being well I’ll post more pictures from the garden and other places over the coming weeks and months.