Week 6 - Your Assignment, Should You Choose To Accept It

[wvrevy]

Ok, so here are the rules:

1 - Try to take new shots for each theme to post. The idea is to encourage people to get creative and actually take pictures, not just post those that you've taken in the past. It's ok to take pics for future themes if you want, but try to stick to the ones in the list below. :thumbsup2

2 - Each person can post up to three different pictures to the thread. This should give everyone the opportunity to try out some different ideas.

3 - Discussion on the thread is highly encouraged. Wanna know how someone got that great shot? ASK, cause there's probably three other people wondering the same thing. :teeth:

4 - Let's try to keep the pics to a similar size as those on the "contest" threads. No real limit, but it makes it easier on everyone if we don't have to do too much scrolling to see your pics. Try to make it so that no one side of the picture is more than 800 pixels.

5 - Have fun! We're going to do this at least one more week as a "discussion" thread, both to generate more interest and to make sure that everyone is comfortable with posting their pics out there for others to see (I know I'm not the only newbie involved ;) ). But this is supposed to be fun, 'cause even if we do go to a "contest" format, the winner don't get nothin' but braggin' rights. :woohoo:

I will post a new "theme" each week on Monday sometime (most likely in the mornings, but it depends on what else is goin' on out here in the real world), and the theme will run through the following Monday. Once we get into this a little we may find a different schedule works better, but we'll try it out this way and see how it goes.

*****Here's a hint: If you're planning on playing along in the weeks to come, go ahead and take a look at the upcoming themes at the bottom of this post. That way, you can get a head start and already be thinking along those lines as you're looking for shots for this week's theme!*****

Ok...now for the fun stuff:

This week's theme is: It's A Small World After All

Description: This week, it's all about the Mac...ro. :teeth: Close up shots, shots of tiny little critters, and pics of individual blades of grass. The assignment this week is to break out those macro lenses and go out to find itsy bitsy subjects (but preferably no spiders...I'm eskeered of 'em ;) ). Have fun!

THREAD END DATE: June 6th, 2008

Upcoming themes:

June 6: Colors of the Wind (Blue)
June 13: Following the Leader (Things in a Line)
June 20: Circle of Life (Round)
June 27: The Spectrum Song (Colorful!)
July 3rd (Thursday): God Help The Outcasts (Things that don't belong)

Ok...that's it. Now go grab those cameras and get to work! :thumbsup2

[dcg0317]

Shot today, Common blue damselfly.

http://amtphoto.smugmug.com/photos/305255873_9A6JV-XL.jpg

[Mr._The_King]

very pretty
nice job:thumbsup2

[Sha]

Little lady bugs :)

http://believesinfairies.smugmug.com/photos/157633104_HZiUx-M.jpg

http://believesinfairies.smugmug.com/photos/157633113_oXKrb-M.jpg

[dcg0317]

very pretty
nice job:thumbsup2

Thank you. Here's a Female Common blue damselfly I shot today.

http://amtphoto.smugmug.com/photos/305860074_CvY4P-XL.jpg

[Sha]

DCG -very COOL!!! I guess when I read the "rules" I missed the "new" shots LOL... but cant go and do those, have to get packed for trip (which I am doing a really good job of being on the laptop :rotfl: ) Anyways, the detail that you can see one them, and the wings on the first one!!! wow!

[Mr._The_King]

Not quite as intensly "macro" as dcg's (excellent shot on the female as well by the way::yes:: ) but here's the best I did on a box turtle in the front yard this morning (also lacking the difficulty level as the turtle is just a little slower than the damsefly;) )

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj232/mrtheking/IMG_6461_2.jpg

[Daysleeper40]

http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg129/Daysleeper40/8112b7a5.jpg

http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg129/Daysleeper40/efc4d5d6.jpg

[Amy]

Daysleeper - beautiful! I esp. like the 2nd one with the dew.:thumbsup2

Nice damselflies, btw. I guess they're like others in the critter world...the females aren't as brightly colored as the males.

Ok, here's one of my entries for this week: snapdragons from my yard. Kind of overcast today, so I hope to take more shots later this week.
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i187/mamagrumpy/Aug%202007%20thru/IMG_9268.jpg
Canon S3 IS, AV 2.7, shutter 1/250, ISO 200

Now, these aren't my official postings for the assignment, but I wanted to thank wvrevy for this week's assignment. I went to take a macro of these tiny flowers on my bush:
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i187/mamagrumpy/Aug%202007%20thru/IMG_9262.jpg
Which are really nothing great, which is why I'm not using it as my official submission. BUT....I noticed an ant crawling on one of the leaves; I tried getting real close to the ant, but the leaves got in the way, so this is all the closer I could get:
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i187/mamagrumpy/Aug%202007%20thru/IMG_9261.jpg
But notice all the aphids on the branch! YUK!! I never would have seen them if not for this contest, so :thanks: wvrevy, for making me get up close and personal with my plants; you may have saved this plant's life! Now it's off to find some anti-aphid spray in the shed, but I guess I'd better wait until after the rain is done.

[JimbobJimbo]

I took these a couple days ago of the Magnolia Tree in our backyard.

http://HinkelMike.zenfolio.com/img/v2/p129980736-4.jpg

http://HinkelMike.zenfolio.com/img/v2/p335210004-4.jpg

[NostalgicDad]

I took these a couple days ago of the Magnolia Tree in our backyard.



Nice shots. I love a Magnolia tree and can smell those blossoms now. It reminds me of being a kid as we had a couple of really large ones in our yard. :goodvibes

[Merrywheather]

Wonderful shots, everyone. I am very impressed. They are all great :thumbsup2 !

[dcg0317]

A dew drop

http://amtphoto.smugmug.com/photos/305858734_tPxkv-XL.jpg

[NostalgicDad]

Very nice shot there, dcg0317. I love it! :thumbsup2

[Mr._The_King]

A dew drop

http://amtphoto.smugmug.com/photos/305858734_tPxkv-XL.jpg


WOW!!! Beautiful:thumbsup2
-MR.TK

[Terri.M]

Amazing pictures everyone!

[polineedyan]

look at the reflection in the dew drop. thats a sweet photo..

[dcg0317]

Very nice shot there, dcg0317. I love it! :thumbsup2

WOW!!! Beautiful:thumbsup2
-MR.TK

look at the reflection in the dew drop. thats a sweet photo..

Thank you everyone for the comments. All the pics from this weeks assignment are great. I really enjoy this type of photography, just wish I had more time to do it. Thanks again everyone.

[Amy]

A dew drop

http://amtphoto.smugmug.com/photos/305858734_tPxkv-XL.jpg

Absolutely stunning!! Dew drop with a reflection, plus the star effect...WOW!:thumbsup2

[Amy]

Ok, remember my photo on page 1 with the ant and all the aphids on my plant? Here's what the tiny flower buds look like now that they're open:
http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i187/mamagrumpy/Aug%202007%20thru/IMG_9371.jpg

[Pea-n-Me]

Sorry wrevy, I forgot you don't like spiders. :scared1:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y69/paulandlinda/P6083777.jpg

[Pea-n-Me]

dcg, those are some amazing shots. What lens are you using?

[dcg0317]

Absolutely stunning!! Dew drop with a reflection, plus the star effect...WOW!:thumbsup2

dcg, those are some amazing shots. What lens are you using?

Thank you. Pea-n Me I was using Canon's 180mm f/3.5 L USM Macro Lens.

[MHolleman]

Here are some of my mediocre (sp) attempts. I am using a P&S so the close-ups aren't as great as a SLR. I do have a macro feature on my camera and this is all I used to get these shots. Only thing added were the frames.

Melissa

http://api.photoshop.com/home_b352f73f33f94f6ab128f29b2e397d19/adobe-px-assets/75a8ce2f505742ecb1a8e56970430518

http://api.photoshop.com/home_b352f73f33f94f6ab128f29b2e397d19/adobe-px-assets/71a6b312dca146ceb19c05e3afd0c283


http://api.photoshop.com/home_b352f73f33f94f6ab128f29b2e397d19/adobe-px-assets/1b7fa1f1abe14e7b967f14a460503a27

[Suburbanmom]

Here are some of my mediocre (sp) attempts. I am using a P&S so the close-ups aren't as great as a SLR. I do have a macro feature on my camera and this is all I used to get these shots. Only thing added were the frames.

Melissa

http://api.photoshop.com/home_b352f73f33f94f6ab128f29b2e397d19/adobe-px-assets/75a8ce2f505742ecb1a8e56970430518

http://api.photoshop.com/home_b352f73f33f94f6ab128f29b2e397d19/adobe-px-assets/71a6b312dca146ceb19c05e3afd0c283


http://api.photoshop.com/home_b352f73f33f94f6ab128f29b2e397d19/adobe-px-assets/1b7fa1f1abe14e7b967f14a460503a27

Don't put yourself down! The lighting on that rose is wonderful. :)

[tinkergrumpybuns]

Don't put yourself down! The lighting on that rose is wonderful. :)
Melissa , no excuses , these are wonderful. I love the hydrangea, but then the butterfly blew me away and the rose is stunning. What are you using for point and shoot anyhow?
Thanks for sharing!:thumbsup2

[MHolleman]

Suburbanmom- Thanks for the complement. I really am trying to improve my skills and I have been playing so much more with natural lighting. Thanks for taking notice. I loved how the sun hit the rose also.BTW... I have seen your work on here and it is wonderful also :-)


tinkergrumpybuns- You are so sweet. Thanks :-) I use a Sony H9 P&S. It really is a great little camera.

[Mr._The_King]

Here's a couple more from tonight. :)

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj232/mrtheking/IMG_6603.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj232/mrtheking/IMG_6596.jpg

[dcg0317]

Here's a couple more from tonight. :)

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj232/mrtheking/IMG_6603.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj232/mrtheking/IMG_6596.jpg

Very nice Mr._The_King, :thumbsup2 What lens did you use.

[Mr._The_King]

Very nice Mr._The_King, :thumbsup2 What lens did you use.

Thanks:goodvibes These were shot with a sigma 28-80 f/3.5-5.6 macro. I use photobucket to host my pictures (gotta love freeness) so the exif data is not included (as far as I know based on what I've read on these boards:confused3 ). here is the exif data if you're interested.
Both shots were handheld
shutter 1/125(first shot) 1/200 (2nd)
Apeture f/5.6 (both shots)
Focal length 80mm (mannual focus using macro)(both shots)
ISO 100 (both shots).

I know I'm over my quota for this week but here are two more I shot with my sigma 70-300 (also a macro lens). These are the same flowers with a visitor just after the sun came up this morning.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj232/mrtheking/IMG_6801.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj232/mrtheking/IMG_6787.jpg

[Michele]

I know I'm over my quota for this week but here are two more I shot with my sigma 70-300 (also a macro lens). These are the same flowers with a visitor just after the sun came up this morning.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj232/mrtheking/IMG_6801.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj232/mrtheking/IMG_6787.jpg


Those are cool!!!!

[Mr._The_King]

Those are cool!!!!

Thanks:goodvibes

[dr_zero]

I normally dont read these threads cause where I am at when I can all the pics are filtered. So I missed it till Mr._The_King mentioned it on the other thread so if I may ask for an indulgence and add this one here.

http://www.drzero.org/temp/leaf1t.jpg

[jenbeat1]

Here are a few I took today:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3080/2578639428_d856b35d7b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3113/2578634640_9816f1b0e7.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3171/2577803767_e095d740e0.jpg

[dcg0317]

Your shots are very good, may I suggest that you stop down lens to f/8 or more. I'm usually at f/11 or f/16, but the closer you get the shallower your depth field will be. You just have to be careful when stopping down your lens and you don't get what is called diffraction effect, which will affect the sharpness up close but with your lens you can shoot a little further back, also at these apertures you will most likely have a slower shutter speed unless you are in very good light, I always use a tripod and a focusing rail for most shots with the mirror locked up and a shutter relase cable. Another thing to keep in mind is the focus plane of the camera. You have to decide what you want in focus and be sure to put as much of that parallel to the focal plane (the imaginary plane that the sensor lies on) as possible. Your shots are very good, post more if you have them, or maybe we should start a new thread for close up and macro shots, wish I had more time to go out and shoot but working the night shift and not knowing which day I'm off week to week limits my time. Forgot to say I only use manual focusing not auto focusing.

Thanks:goodvibes These were shot with a sigma 28-80 f/3.5-5.6 macro. I use photobucket to host my pictures (gotta love freeness) so the exif data is not included (as far as I know based on what I've read on these boards:confused3 ). here is the exif data if you're interested.
Both shots were handheld
shutter 1/125(first shot) 1/200 (2nd)
Apeture f/5.6 (both shots)
Focal length 80mm (mannual focus using macro)(both shots)
ISO 100 (both shots).

I know I'm over my quota for this week but here are two more I shot with my sigma 70-300 (also a macro lens). These are the same flowers with a visitor just after the sun came up this morning.
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj232/mrtheking/IMG_6801.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj232/mrtheking/IMG_6787.jpg

[dcg0317]

I normally dont read these threads cause where I am at when I can all the pics are filtered. So I missed it till Mr._The_King mentioned it on the other thread so if I may ask for an indulgence and add this one here.

http://www.drzero.org/temp/leaf1t.jpg

Here are a few I took today:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3080/2578639428_d856b35d7b.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3113/2578634640_9816f1b0e7.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3171/2577803767_e095d740e0.jpg
That's agreat shot dr_zeero you did a great job.
jenbeat1 you have some amazing shots love the colors especially the first one, it's beautiful :thumbsup2

[dcg0317]

Guess I'll add a few more if no one minds.

http://amtphoto.smugmug.com/photos/307065772_y7XUP-L.jpg

http://amtphoto.smugmug.com/photos/311999505_Mb2kA-L.jpg

http://amtphoto.smugmug.com/photos/313038058_Go2Fq-XL.jpg

http://amtphoto.smugmug.com/photos/313047984_oaGh7-XL.jpg

[dr_zero]

That's agreat shot dr_zeero you did a great job.
jenbeat1 you have some amazing shots love the colors especially the first one, it's beautiful :thumbsup2

Thank you! How about some summer love :love:

http://www.drzero.org/temp/pic/liz5t.jpg

Check the link to the rest http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=25679247#post25679247

Hmm might should have saved him for the rainbow week

[Mr._The_King]

Your shots are very good, may I suggest that you stop down lens to f/8 or more. I'm usually at f/11 or f/16, but the closer you get the shallower your depth field will be. You just have to be careful when stopping down your lens and you don't get what is called diffraction effect, which will affect the sharpness up close but with your lens you can shoot a little further back, also at these apertures you will most likely have a slower shutter speed unless you are in very good light, I always use a tripod and a focusing rail for most shots with the mirror locked up and a shutter relase cable. Another thing to keep in mind is the focus plane of the camera. You have to decide what you want in focus and be sure to put as much of that parallel to the focal plane (the imaginary plane that the sensor lies on) as possible. Your shots are very good, post more if you have them, or maybe we should start a new thread for close up and macro shots, wish I had more time to go out and shoot but working the night shift and not knowing which day I'm off week to week limits my time. Forgot to say I only use manual focusing not auto focusing.

DCG- Thank you for the suggestions. I am very new to this (I just started moving away from auto settings in the end of march) and am always looking for a better understanding of ways to improve what I am doing. I appreciate your critique and explanation of what settings you use and why. :) I agree that I need a tripod and a shutter release (all in good time:stir:). Also... I am assuming you were talking about the first 2 pics I posted of the flowers by themselves not the ones with the butterfly. Either way I thank you for taking the time to give me some advice. Your pictures are amazing, thanks for sharing:goodvibes

dr_zero- Love the lizard:thumbsup2

Jenbeat1- your shots are beautiful as well. ::yes::

[dr_zero]

DCG- Thank you for the suggestions. I am very new to this (I just started moving away from auto settings in the end of march) and am always looking for a better understanding of ways to improve what I am doing. I appreciate your critique and explanation of what settings you use and why. :) I agree that I need a tripod and a shutter release (all in good time:stir:). Also... I am assuming you were talking about the first 2 pics I posted of the flowers by themselves not the ones with the butterfly. Either way I thank you for taking the time to give me some advice. Your pictures are amazing, thanks for sharing:goodvibes

dr_zero- Love the lizard:thumbsup2

Jenbeat1- your shots are beautiful as well. ::yes::


Thanks! and I wish I had a tripod handy there was a rose I need to move but you cant hold the camera and the flower and look through the finder LOL