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Thank you! The workshop was incredibly useful. I've been playing with SLRs for 12 years (first film, now digital), yet could never quite wrap my head around the technical side. The light bulb went off in my head that night, and it all just clicked. It's done wonders for my confidence behind the lens.
I highly recommend taking a workshop if you get the chance - preferably one with a field trip with the instructor on hand to help with any questions.
CLAIRE! Amazing! Can you tell us about how you got such beautiful lighting?
LOL! Don't have macro lenses, either. These were taken with a simple, automatic digital camera, non-SLR. I'm planning to buy a DSLR before the end of the year but I won't be able to afford any additional lenses yet.
Lovely shots, Claire. Was the workshop useful?
Did you use portrait mode to blur the background, then? I saw a website once where a guy took a Canon Power Shot (isn't that the name?) and a Canon Rebel and took pictures of the same things from the same spot. The pictures often looked exactly the same.
CLAIRE! Amazing! Can you tell us about how you got such beautiful lighting?
Thank you so much!
Actually, I didn't use a flash for any of them. The only except would be the strawberry, and I used a flashlight for that one, not the on-camera flash. The pepper and the light bulb were shot in my house with just room lighting, the pickle jars were inside a shop with no flash, and the rest were natural light at the farmers market, which is kind of both indoor and outdoor.
Oh, I almost forgot - the last one was in my backyard, natural light.
Did you use portrait mode to blur the background, then? I saw a website once where a guy took a Canon Power Shot (isn't that the name?) and a Canon Rebel and took pictures of the same things from the same spot. The pictures often looked exactly the same.
Nope, I take most of the photos in the sports mode, in case the plants move too fast.
Seriously, I use this setting cause it helps with hand shaking. The background blur is simple if you know how to use the auto-focus: I just point the camera at my hand, first, to get the right distance, and only then take the shot. I actually prefer this look to many photos I've seen taken with Cannon or Nikon SLR - the blur is too much for the miniature landscapes I love doing. Take a look at Claire's caterpillar photo, for example. It's absolutely lovely but the DOF is not something I could use there. A totally different image.
I've also been told that digital cameras are not that bad but I can't wait to get my hands on the "real stuff". The auto-everything is tough to get around. Hopefully, I'll learn how to operate it. I used to have a film SLR but it was ages ago!
Mark, a tripod would help tremendously if you ever wanted to take macro on a slower shutter speed, such as in lower light conditions.
The prices of digital SLRs have dropped dramatically, even in the few years since I got mine. The newer Canon Rebels also have sensor cleaning systems and wireless file transfer - two features I would love to have on mine. It's hard to believe that even as recently as seven years ago, a DSLR was about $10k - and nowhere near as advanced as they are now. Now you can get one for as low as $550.
Thanks, Claire. Yeah, the frog shot is one of my favorites, too.
Oh yeah, tripod is on my shopping list as well. I decided to go for Olympus, though: it's a better bargain for me with two kit lenses than Cannon. I'm hoping to be able to buy some macro lenses in a few months, too, but that remains to be seen. First, I will need to learn how to use the camera!
Oh, I can't wait! I'm hoping to get it before Christmas. It is possible to set the depth of field to something I'm doing now, isn't it? I think I'll be using my old Premier and the new Olympus interchangeably for some time, before I learn what I need to know. Lucky for me, the Olympus also has the full auto-setting so I can start from there. No time to take up any courses, I'm afraid and I've always learned better on my own but I do envy you the workshop. Can you post any more photos, please? I love them!
Thanks, Claire. Yeah, the frog shot is one of my favorites, too.
Oh yeah, tripod is on my shopping list as well. I decided to go for Olympus, though: it's a better bargain for me with two kit lenses than Cannon. I'm hoping to be able to buy some macro lenses in a few months, too, but that remains to be seen. First, I will need to learn how to use the camera!
Oh, I can't wait! I'm hoping to get it before Christmas. It is possible to set the depth of field to something I'm doing now, isn't it? I think I'll be using my old Premier and the new Olympus interchangeably for some time, before I learn what I need to know. Lucky for me, the Olympus also has the full auto-setting so I can start from there. No time to take up any courses, I'm afraid and I've always learned better on my own but I do envy you the workshop. Can you post any more photos, please? I love them!
Don't forget about extension tubes as a relatively cheap alternative to a macro lens. You do have to get a lot closer to the subject when using an extension tube, and a tripod is an absolute must, but you can get some decent shots that way. Two of the photos I posted above were taken using an extension tube, before I got my macro lens - the light bulb, and the strawberry.
I'm hoping to take some more macro photos soon, and will post them when I do.
Len-NJ, your photos are absolutely gorgeous! Thanks for sharing!
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I'm planning to buy a DSLR before the end of the year but I won't be able to afford any additional lenses yet. 
