Some autumn macro photos

[motetus]

As it was the first weekend in ages that wasn't rainy and miserable, I took the camera and an uncooperative boy (sometimes I think he was put on earth to prepare me for having children. "I'm bored. I need the toilet. Can we go home yet?") to Healey Dell nature reserve to try out the extension tubes.



The few flowers remaining:







Blackberries don't really look that tasty close up:



and neither do the soggy mushrooms:



Dead bracken:



Water droplets:





Moss:



Some green thistley thing (I'm not a botanist!):



An autumn leaf:



And finally, a tiny little spider which I pissed off a lot by blinding the poor thing with my flash a dozen times:

Comments

[storylikeascar.livejournal.com]

Wow Zo! These are totally gorgeous pictures. You sure you don't want to pursue a career in photography?

Oh you do know what that second picture resembles right? Sorry I'll get my mind out of the gutter now. *g*

Some green thistley thing (I'm not a botanist!):
haha.

How awesome are the details of that leaf? And those are fantastic shots of "Charlotte" :D I tried taking a picture of a HUMONGOUS spider this summer with my power-shot and yeah didn't come out nearly as good as these (it looked like a tiny speck of dirt, lol).

I want your camera! What kind do you use? Digital rebel?

Lovely new layout by the way.

[barking-cats.livejournal.com]

If it's any consolation, anyone could see the ressemblance in picture 2, so it's not just you. AND LEAST OF ALL Zoe who probably see a ressemblance in each and every picture. And every rock, and leaf, and building, and car, and.. basically in anything. She's good like that ;)

[motetus.livejournal.com]

I swear in all honesty that I never had a dirty thought about that photo until you two pointed it out. You two are both as dirty as I am.

I can see how obvious it is now though. How did I miss that one?

[barking-cats.livejournal.com]

Well, if you wanted to freak us out, you certainly have.
You're basically telling us that at this point we have a dirtier mind than YOU ?
I'm scared for my health, is it safe to be more sexually obsessed than you ?

And yes, it is obvious, I even can't stare at it for too long or I start blushing.

[motetus.livejournal.com]

Yes, you're a filthy, disgusting pervert now. Shame on you.

[storylikeascar.livejournal.com]

It is totally so obvious! I can't believe she didn't see it first. I'm kinda scared now too, I mean if we're more perverted than Zo what has the world come to?

I think those sexually explicit romance novels have ruined me because that's what they call it. "He gently caressed her delicate flower" (or something to that effect) and I used to just roll my eyes at their stupid "girly" analogy and quickly skim those cheesy parts but now I see.

[storylikeascar.livejournal.com]

What? You didn't? Really?

Damn we are dirtier then aren't we? I mean how can you miss that? *scratches head*

[motetus.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I've wanted to try macro photos ever since I owned my first camera so it was great to be able to finally get that close. That spider was less than a centimeter long - I'd love to find a great big spider to photograph, but we only get titchy little ones here.

Yep, it's one of the older Digital Rebels. I would love one of the newer fancier models, but once again it's that pesky money issue stopping me.

[storylikeascar.livejournal.com]

That spider was less than a centimeter long
You capturing it like that just makes it that much more awesome!

I gotta get me one of those too, soon as I win the lottery. Girl you better put that on your wedding gift registry ;)

[shakesmears.livejournal.com]

Those are fabulous. I love the slitghly too old blackberry and the droplets of water. Those tubes were a cool investment!

[motetus.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Those tubes produce some really nice pictures... if you don't mind falling into puddles and ditches trying to get close enough.

[shakesmears.livejournal.com]

Well, it's inspired me to order myself a set to try out for myself. I don't mind falling into the old puddle or lying in a ditch ;oP

[motetus.livejournal.com]

Ooh, great! I'm looking forward to seeing what you get out of them. I should warn you though that you'll find it hard taking handheld photos in anything but bright light without a extra flash unit, as the full set of tubes block the light from the pop-up flash on the camera.

[barking-cats.livejournal.com]

Zoe, these are beautiful ! I LOVE photography but I haven't felt like it in years since my camera broke basically. I've always wanted to have a good one. Although my thing is more portraits, or people anyway. But your pictures are stunning ! Maybe you should consider that indeed, as if I remember correctly you're bored with what you do. You have some bige creative talent, drawing and photography.
My sister and her boyfriend and ex boyfriend (yes, they're a trio. and NO, you dirty mind, it's just friendhsip, well except my sister and her actual bf) would love these pictures I think. Especially her ex boyfriend, he's very very very good at taking pictures as wel, and he loves spiders. They're all biologists, and well studying environnement and stuff. So basically, botanists ;) (not quite but you know). They'd jump on your "gree thistly thing" and bore you with the latin name and other equally interesting data for ages.

and your boyfriend sounds lovely

[motetus.livejournal.com]

Thanks! But no, I don't think it's ever something I'd do professionally though - partly because turning a hobby into a job would make it become less enjoyable, but mostly because I've seen what proper professionals can do, and dear god they are frighteningly good. Though I suppose it would be nice to have a job that lets me do a little bit on the side, but I don't know what that could be.

Ha, I think I'd like your sister and her boyfriend/ex-boyfriend. I shared a house with two of my best friends who were also nerdy biologists, and we had many pedantic science arguments. And I dread to think what the neighbours thought about us the time we found a dead seagull in the garden and were hopping around its rotting corpse declaring "It's a juvenile!"

[the-little-owl.livejournal.com]

Great pictures! Now I want to buy a better camera and a macro lens!

[motetus.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I want a better camera and a macro lens too - these were done with £10 tubes attached to the cheap 50mm lens. You can't choose what to focus on and depth of field is only a few millimeters even stopped down as much as possible, but it's such a cheap option that I can't complain much.

[the-little-owl.livejournal.com]

The more I admire the results you managed with that solution! Great job.

[inyadreems.livejournal.com]

Amazingly beautiful. It's hard to do this with the extension tubes so well done. Do you use the lens the normal way round or reverse it? I've heard that you get good results doing that. And tripod?

The bracken and water drops are my favourites. Trying not to look at the spider!

[motetus.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Yes, the tubes are a bit of a pain to work with. My trick is to take a dozen shots of the same thing, and hope at least one comes out in focus! These were handheld (though yeah, I'm buying a tripod for this next) with flash for all but the second water drop.

I didn't know you could reverse the lens with the tubes - just tried that now and wow, that gets close in. Off to ebay to get a reversing ring now!