Sturgeon_Catcher 0 Report post Posted July 17, 2006 Hey Graham......thankx for the kudos When I worked as a gardener (Driving for miss Daisy????) the lady I worked for took me to New Zealand for 25 days as a vacation and so I could see formal gardens. A little addition to my gardening knowledge. We visited a 600 acre Rhodendron garden shortly after an area of volcanic springs and such. My light meter got wet. I put it on the defroster and waited for it to dry in the parking lot of a tea house. The owner offered his Minolta for a light meter. Someone else who shared a passion - sound familiar? Long story to short....She shot 65 rolls of film and I shot 60. The photo shop gave me 30 8X10's for free. When we went through the pictures she had taken a photo of a Rhodie bloom and my picture of the same flower was a little more (1/2") to the left than hers. Could not believe it. She finished in the garden almost an hour before I did. We did not see each other in this garden. She had instilled in me a focus on flowers to such an extent we not only chose the same plant but the same bloom. There were Rhodendron trees 60' tall in this garden. Truly a surprising thing the bond this lady and I had established. A clue for you Graham. In my tripod bag I carry a reflective umbrella (30") a diffusion screen (18") tied to the handle (it folds like a windshield cover) and 2 pieces of wire from large diameter clothes hangars. They are bent in half to fit my bag. When the wind blows, I stick the wires into the ground, bend the wires in half circles to wrap around the stem of the flowers. If you place them correctly, you can make a tripod configuration from the two wires and the stem of the flower. Then the umbrella set on the ground to light underneath the flower and a deflector to send the air over the flower. Hold the diffuser screen to shelter the light and you are in business. It won't work in 20 MPH but it sure will in light breezes and natural shifts of air in most garden or nature environments. Green house and arboretums are a little different. Carrying two camera bags and a tripod bag is touchy enough but to do a set up can be a little trying. Of course, I did it and found other peoples rather intrigued with my antics rather than an interruption. Lots of things to consider in greenhouses. By the way, the photos from NZ......only 12 did I not put in my albums and did no bracketing. I shot almost a thousand pics. Felt I had reached a new level at that time. Stopped streams and water features. Even got a group of Maori children to pose for me after they watched me set up on a fountain for some pics. Graham - do you think anyone would be interested in the photo shoot of the Housi? The focus was to demonstrate what happens when you attempt to do macro with a 100mm lense. I must say before you answer that it should not be done. 100mm reversed to macro should be focused at elements 3-5 feet from the object and defeats the close up desire by we fly tiers. I had hoped to post it after I get home so I could quote the text from where I gathered the knowledge. Perhaps I should wait till I can post the quote and in that way give credibility to my presentation. By the way, the book was written in the early 60's by a German gentleman in an attempt to educate Photographers of the methodology and techniques to employ shooting Photomacrography photos. Also interesting are the words Macrophotography, and Photomicrography. later Fred employing diopters. http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-3/1159310/three.jpg Method employed to take fly photos prevously posted. http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-3/1159310/one.jpg Both lenses are the same except for the diopters. http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2006-3/1159310/four.jpg I would suggest not all cameras have this ability. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sturgeon_Catcher 0 Report post Posted July 17, 2006 For some reason my computer is giving me flak. So sorry employing diopters Both lenses are the same This is the setup employed to take the fly photos. Please excuse the jitters as took these before I figured out to employ 2 second delay to prevent them. again sorry I messed up the previous reply. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Graham 0 Report post Posted July 18, 2006 Hi sturgeon_catcher, what an interesting camera set up you have! I have read about reversing lenses, but have not tried doing it. For macro I have a 105 and 200mm Nikon. I have the 200 mounted on a Manfrotto macro focusing rail, have a NovoFlex flash mount with adjustable arms and an SB600 and 800 flash. I have questions about using disk diffusers, such as the best distance to place them from the macro subject. Some people place them a few feet away, while others advise to place them as close to the subject as possible, just out of the pic frame, to make the subject pop, with better color. I was going to keep typing here, but I need to rush out the door now. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Isonychia 0 Report post Posted July 18, 2006 Dang, Graham! You've sure sunk a lot of cash into your setup -- and in a very short time, I might add. But all the stuff you've gotten is the right stuff. I just ordered a new toy -- a Nikon R1C1 macro flash setup with an extra unit. It will allow me to adjust three separate flash heads within inches of my subject, with individual diffusers/color gels on each if I so desire. Each flash head works independently through Nikon's iTTL system, and is controlled from a central unit mounted to the camera's hot shoe. It's supposed to be delivered in about a week. I'll post some results here. John Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Graham 0 Report post Posted July 18, 2006 Hey John, I've had my eye on the R1C1 setup, looks amazing and very well equiped. The wireless controller can also be used in comander mode for firing several groups of larger wireless flashes, totaly cool... Yea, the costs do add up, quickly, and your new flash kit is one of those expensive add ons. I wanted to try and use the larger flashes I have but the SB200's that come with your kit are probably better suited for close up macro. Really Right Stuff also has some sweet macro flash setups. I think I'm just about done investing in gear, for now. But as a contractor I appreciate the value of quality tools, which hopefully prove durable, effective and last a life time. I also hope to have more than a couple of decades to play with my gear... One thing I have wondered about with the R1C1 setup is when taking insect pics will it place two white highlight spots on each eye, as opossed to the more natural looking single highlight? I guess you can move and aim each flash to achive the desired shadow and highlight effect, perhaps one near the top and one on the side of the lens ring? Wireless flash systems sure are awesome! About the gear I've been collecting, the Nikon 17-55 lens is the one I love the most, and is the lens that has a full time home on the camera until macro or telephoto is needed. I'm dying to take a full day off work, spend the morning at the L.A. Zoo and the afternoon at the Arboretum. Too bad its such a long drive to sizable trout streams becasue I'm also dying to take macro aquatic insect pics, on stream. Damn, it feels good having so many fun things to look forward to. I'm very much looking forward to seeing pics using your new macro flash setup!!!! Cheers, Graham Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sturgeon_Catcher 0 Report post Posted July 18, 2006 Hey Graham.... The setups I showed you do not include lense reversal. I do have this capability and suggest when I get home will shoot with : Bellows Diopters Lense reversals as for the gels. I do have a complete set and apply them directly to the lense. Have you tried screw on diopters to your 50 lense that lives on your camera? The flashes I employ can and do shoot multiple with 1 hot foot and slave cords. Very easy to procure at the pawn shop for peanuts. later Fred What you saw was a 50mm lense employed as a focusing aid. I also have the capability to change the lense on the viewfinder for whichever function I require. Have 8 different lenses from fresnel to split vertical, split horizontal and double split again in both directions. A gradiated view finder to approximate magnification for ease in estimating f stop allowance. It is often a task just to assemble all of the components for a very high magnification shot. Time is nothing when I am having fun. That's the only reason I do it - to play with my toys of course. later Fred Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
