skull and plum

skull and plum, a photo by Phynyght Studio on Flickr.

I shouldn't play with my fruit, but I do.

I have been having a tough couple of weeks, and well to be honest, it's not seeming to get any easier. I'm struggling with some personal demons, and know that it will get better not only in time, but when this time of year is over.

I took this shot thinking of Life and Death. Let me know what you think.

Dead Lilly in Still Life

dead_lilly, a photo by Phynyght Studio on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Even my Lilly's couldn't handle the Melbourne Heat..

Macro or Micro or Close Up..... Whatever you call it they're pretty!!

Being a stay at home dad does have it's benefits. I get to wander the streets like a lost puppy, and do pretty much anything I like during the day!! I can eat what I like, watch what a like, and listen to what I like (until the kids come home then all my fun is spoiled)..

So in these times of waning enjoyment of having not really that much to do all day, I get to experiment more than most others on photos and photographic techniques.

So yesterday was a nice sunny day in Melbourne (yes sun in winter) and I had to go shopping to get bread and milk, pick up some mail, and maybe even get a bite to eat. I always grab my camera before I leave the house, and chose to pop the Nikkor 60mm Micro. Now I must explain I have the older version of this lens (mine is the f2.8 D), but many of the characteristics of the lens are very much the same. 

I would LLLLLLUUUUURRRRRRRVVVVVEEEEEEE to get my hands on the new edition of this lens, even a slightly longer length would be nice, but I am loving what is achievable with more and more practice. On a technical level, one of the hardest things to get right is the DOF (Depth Of Field). Your working in such a small area that the DOF can be thrown out by something as simple as you breathing! I try and shoot at least f8 for most of my Macro use. If you can got to f14 or f16 you will get an even better look, but you risk needing a tripod unless its very sunny out (or you use a close up flash).

Think about these tiny little flowers we are trying to shoot.

These are barely the petal tips. Look at the amazing detail though!! The look as though the were snipped with scissors, or clipped at the ends with a punch. It's truly amazing what you can do with a macro lens. Remember that flowers and water drops aren't the only things you can photograph.

Sometimes a sign behind a wire fence can have a great repetitive pattern. The wire looks almost like you can touch it, and the pattern behind on the tin giving you something else to follow. 

So get creative with your Macro lens. I will be!!

Is it a product shot, or is it to "Arty" for that?

Well I think it's time to start a little more talk.. 

I have tossed around the idea of  doing a few product shots, not only for more practice, but just to build a portfolio of a salable style and an expansion of my talents.

This is a shot I started to practice with on Sunday. Out of about 7 shots, I chose this one based simply on it's position in the frame and clarity of the shot. It has a lovely High Key playful background; really crispy crunchy tones and contrast; and some interesting shadow in the shift lever blade.  

But I beg to ask, is it a product shot or is it to "Arty"??

shimano_lever, a photo by Phynyght Studio on Flickr.

Bokeh Photography

Here is one of the BETTER tutorials on how to shoot Bokeh... Or "How to get those cool light blobs in the back of my photo"...



 

Compact Cameras and the Macro setting.

lock_tumbler, a photo by Phynyght Studio on Flickr.

I have recently got my hands on a Nikon AW100 compact camera. I have to say that I'm quite wonderfully impressed with the quality and consistency of the images produced from it. This was taken using the Macro setting.