Frog Macro

Frog Macro, originally uploaded by ....Tim.

Yes another Macro shot. I really like this extension tube kit, for £9.99 I have certainly got my money's worth from it. With this shot I used the "DOF Hack" that I read about to increase the DOF.

When using extension tubes such as the ones I have, your camera has no electronic connection to your lens; this means that the camera has no control over the lens. Firstly this means you have to manually focus on your subject, this is difficult normally, but when focusing on such small subjects it becomes very tricky indeed.

The slightest twist of the focus ring can take the subject in and out of focus very quickly with such a small depth of field. So to increase the DOF you need to set a smaller aperture. To do this you must attach the lens as normal to the camera body, set the required aperture and hold the DOF preview button. With this button depressed you must now remove the lens and attach the tubes and the lens again.

The camera will still say f/0 but your lens will have been set to f/10, f/20 or whatever you chose. This choice will take practice and experience as too high a number will decrease the amount of light to the point where you will need a very long exposure to expose your image sufficiently. Not set it high enough and you will still over expose your shot.

Experience will help you set the right balance and soon you will be able to get the settings your require for your chosen shooting method. This shot was in quite bright daylight, a shutter speed of around 1/250 and the aperture was set to f/20.

If this keeps up my photography knowledge and hopefully skills will come along nicely.

If you look really closely ...

If you look really closely ..., originally uploaded by ....Tim.

Having another go with the extension tubes. I have also processed this a little with some black feathering around the edges and a bit of a contrast adjustment.

This shot hasn't been cropped at all and shown how i framed it. Composition is vital in macro shots otherwise it just looks like a close up. Though we can appreciate the detail captured making the image pleasing in other ways is equally as important.

Hoping for some sun tomorrow to take this out doors again.

Macro Love

Macro Love, originally uploaded by ....Tim.

I bought some extension tubes from Amazon and they came today. These are not the expensive ones - these cost me £10.00 delivered.

OK you have to manually focus but once you get the knack you can get some great results. The subject matter is now a challenge as well as framing shots this small.

Great piece of kit for an absolute bargain! The letters above are 4mm high by the way!

Twitter Profile Background

titter, originally uploaded by ....Tim.

I have used some of my photos to spruce up my Twitter profile page. This has become a kind of new artform and design topic with there being loads of lists produced showing great Twitter profile designs. I will probably do something more exciting with mine soon.

Artists and web designers can use thier Twitter profile to show off examples of thier work and creativity - I want to make it on to one of those lists!

Just a few examples to get you thinking about your Twitter page design:

http://indeziner.com/design/50-awesome-twitter-profiles-part-1/

http://www.instantshift.com/2009/05/17/90-smashing-twitter-themes/

http://www.instantshift.com/2009/01/18/125-incredible-twitter-themes/

Wall•E : Don't hurt me!

Wall•E : Don't hurt me!, originally uploaded by ....Tim.

This is an old one of mine from last year. But I was just looking through my Flickr account and wanted to share this one. I am pleased with the lighting and mood of this shot. The Wall•E toy has so much sorrow in his face, it's hard not to take photos of him looking sad or frightened.

How to Select and Compose a Triptych - Helen Bradley

How to Select and Compose a Triptych in Lightroom

The article link above is a great little piece written by Helen Bradley and atlks about how to select the best photos to create a triptych image. The picture above is mine taken in Bowood House and Gardens about 2 years ago.

Triptychs are easy to do and can transform a few simple images into sompething much more interesting.

Helen Bradley is a Lifestyle journalist who divides her time between the real and digital worlds, picking the best from both. You can view her site at helenbradley.com. She writes and produces video instruction for Photoshop and digital photography for magazines and online providers world wide. She has also written four books on photo crafts and blogs at Projectwoman.com.

Pushing up the daisies

Pushing up the daisies, originally uploaded by ....Tim.

Not sure about the composition - I didn't want to crop any further. But I do like the mystical, ethereal look of this shot. I feathered the edges to enhance the effect more.

These streets have too many names for me

These streets have two many names for me, originally uploaded by ....Tim.

As I got low to the ground to take this shot I wasn't sure what to expect. What I saw was a crowd of people on a busy city street. Amazing irony considering I was far from a city, people and being busy.

I know it's simple but I really like how this shot came out. Hope you like it too.