Photographing the Earth, one millimeter at a time…

OK, I wouldn’t exactly call this technique “new” because I suspect a large number of real estate photographers already use it, but for me it is new.  Before I get into explanations about the workflow, here is one of the shots.

First the basics.  This is not an HDR shot and was taken in a single frame.  I used a single flash with this shot, although very soon I will move to using multiple flashes triggered by Pocketwizards.  The agents that have seen this so far really like it, though I suspect some photographers may not like the effect.  Continue reading for the workflow I used.

Keep reading →

Sometimes, when I am not working or photographing or playing with the kids, I think about where I would eventually like to get to in terms of photography in general.  In general I like macro photography and would like to stay within the macro realm.  I will of course continue to shoot other things, but certainly as I grow I intend to improve this area first.  However, eventually I would like to spin off a bit, so here is my plan in general.  Note that this is more of a “what other things I would like to do” kind of plan rather than a general photography plan.  If I want to become better, I need to spend my efforts on improving my technique rather than purchasing additional things (my wife will like that part).  However, there are of course other - rather expensive - things I hope to get into in the future.

Keep reading →

This weekend I finally received one of the most coveted lenses remaining on my list - the Canon 180L.  This lens is the second in what I call - “The Holy Trio of Canon Macro Lenses”.  They are the following.

Canon MP-E 65 - The only macro lens capable of going beyond 1x without extenders or extension tubes.

Canon 180L - The longest macro lens available for Canon.  Also considered to be the sharpest and the only one with an L designation.

Canon TS-E 90 - Not truly a macro lens (.33x) but the tilt and shift capabilities make this a very interesting lens.

I almost didn’t get a chance to play with the lens this weekend.  The package needed to be signed by an adult and, though Nelya was home that day, the UPS truck arrived while she was picking the kids up from school.  Luckily I was able to pick it up at the facility that evening, only to find that the order was messed up and I am still working at getting it corrected.  Luckily, the 180L was not one of the items messed up so I opened it immediately.

Keep reading →

Well, to be honest, this month sucked!  My sales fell considerably with approximately a 24% decrease.  Right now, I’m not currently sure what the reason for the falloff is, but I suspect that it is seasonal.  Last year between March and April at Shutterstock I had a 24% drop in sales.  I noticed that the sales drop seems to affect all sites - not just a single one.  If the pattern from last year holds, then I should see improved sales in May as last May was a very good month for me.  The good news, though, is my real estate jobs have been picking up, more than making up for the slack in stock sales.

The following are breakdowns of how each site did.

Keep reading →

Not much to say today, but I thought I would discuss some more photos I took by my building at work.

I found this small centipede in some leaf litter I was going through and decided that was not the most photogenic place for it.  Therefore I found this flower nearby and placed it on top.  The centipede seemed rather confused and wandered around the flower for a bit, before I placed it back in the leaf litter.  It’s probably the equivalent of someone putting us an Mars - we would likely wonder - “where the heck are we?” (note: I am assuming whoever did it was kind enough to give us a space suit or else we wouldn’t have much time to think).

Keep reading →

While most flies tend to be extremely annoying, they are a boon for us macro photographers.  The reason is they are simply everywhere.  It is not difficult to find a fly, and on some days when it seems I can’t find anything, there’s always a fly there to help.  Of course, with some flies it can be tricky to get close enough to get a shot - especially when you go above 1x.  This is even trickier when the fly is on a leaf and you need to make sure not to bump anything.  For the majority of flies I try to photograph I never get a shot or if I get a shot then it’s not clear.  Some flies only allow me to take a single shot - then they take off.

During a recent outing in the ponds next to my work, I found several flies and managed to successfully photography them.  This is the first one I found.

Keep reading →

A few days ago while examining my patio furniture for more insects after my last find, I found some interesting critters on a chair cover.  My first reaction is it’s a springtail, but I’m not entirely sure.

It certainly looks like a springtail, but I couldn’t find any pictures resembling it on the identification site for springtails.  (Update: after posting this shot on Flickr I have found out that it is not a springtail but a juvenile Hemiptera) Speaking of the patio furniture, I find it quite interesting that it’s so popular with insects.  I would be curious to know what they find so interesting with patio furniture covers.  I just hope when the weather gets better they still find the patio furniture itself to be interesting - as right now it is one of the best places in my yard to find things.

Keep reading →

We’ve finally had some good weather over here, so I took the opportunity to photograph the ponds next to my building.  While rummaging in some leaves, I found a very interesting beetle.  It didn’t seem like it wanted to do much of anything so it was more than happy to let me take some pictures of it - including letting me place it in some more photographic areas and in general annoy it.

After spending time researching this in my insect books, I found that this is a Ellychnia corrusca, or Winter Firefly.  Wow!  A firefly!  I was instantly excited.  Unfortunately this particular firefly cannot emit light in the adult stage - just when it is a larva.

Keep reading →

When buying camera equipment, one of the most confusing areas I have found is in the area of lens plates and camera plates.  Therefore, in this post I will attempt to give the best explanation of them possible.  This information, with hope, will save you some money in the future, as you can quickly spend a lot of it when you start getting into brackets.

Lets get some basic definitions out of the way before we start.

Tripod - Those things, usually with three legs, that we use to hold our camera still.  Note that when you talks about professional tripods, only the legs are considered.  The head is sold separately.

Tripod Head - There are many types of heads you can buy for tripods - ball heads (the most common), panoramic heads, gimbal heads, panning heads, etc.  However, the important thing to remember is the tripod isn’t very useful without a head.  The head is what you put the camera on.

Plate - There are a number of different types of plates, which I will explain in more detail later in the post.  The short definition, though, is a plate is what allows you to place your SLR on the tripod head.

Bracket - This is a general term, but when I write about brackets here I generally mean something that holds something for the camera.  Usually, brackets hold lights - and flash brackets are among the most common types of brackets.  Note that macro rails and panoramic heads are not brackets.

OK, now that we have some basic definitions, lets look at what types of plates there are.

Keep reading →

While walking around my yard taking pictures of insects several days ago, I noticed a spot on the cover of one of our yard chairs.  I didn’t think much of it and continued to photograph other things.  Some time later I looked at the chair again but for some reason the “spot” seemed to be in a different place.  I shook it off as a misperception and continued to find other things to photograph.  When I came back to the same chair and noticed the spot was in a different place, I began to think this was more than meets the eye.  I watched the spot for a minute and noticed that it was slowly moving.  This was no spot, but instead was a fascinating bug that I have long hoped to get a picture of.  Therefore I proudly introduce the debris-carrying larva of a lacewing.

However, as will soon be evident, this highly beneficial bug has a rather macabre habit.

Keep reading →