The Flower, Nature Macro and Garden Photography Thread! (Caroline Jensen)

[CarolineJensen]

Awesome pictures, it looks like a painting, I like your editing style as well  

Thank you so much! 

[Sheepdog76]

Great pix, love your style.  I tend to go macro (to justify the lens) out of habit and personal choice, but I am working on different compositions…

[CarolineJensen]

Beautiful photos. I am finally getting around to setting up custom menus for my a7riii. Ive got a separate settings for wildlife and astro and wanted to set up one for macro. What settings would you recommend?

I was thinking aperture priority, steady shot on, and leaving ISO on auto. What focus area would you select? Is there anything else you would recommend? Thanks

I usually try and shoot manual with manual ISO. Macro can really fool the sensor! I find aperture priority and auto Iso tend to shoot the ISO higher than necessary. Steady shot is a must! I like to use either wide focus (for times when things are moving and I just want something to be in focus) and flexible spot small for finer work. 

[CarolineJensen]

Great pix, love your style.  I tend to go macro (to justify the lens) out of habit and personal choice, but I am working on different compositions…

I love all the little details! This is making me long for summer! 

[Paul Rodgers]

Some recent shots taken in NYC parks

[ST]

Bee with pollen pellet in a poppy.

 

ILCE-1
Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II (SEL70200GM2) + 2X Teleconverter (SEL20TC)
400.0 mm ƒ/5.6 1/4000 sec ISO 5000

[ST]

Borage (Starflower)
Which do you prefer (f/6.3 or f/2.8)

First image 
ILCE-1 200 mm f/6.3 1/100 sec ISO 200 
 

Second image
ILCE-1 200 mm f/2.8 1/500 sec ISO 200

Edited July 11 by ST

[alpha-jessica-a]

I like the first one myself! Seeing those little fuzzy bits of the flower makes me want to touch them to see how they would feel. 

[bmcdonough]

16 hours ago, alpha-jessica-a said:

I like the first one myself! Seeing those little fuzzy bits of the flower makes me want to touch them to see how they would feel. 

I agree with Jessica! The first one is so textural and vibrant that I'm more drawn to it. 

[TrekRover]

On 7/9/2023 at 11:52 PM, ST said:

Bee with pollen pellet in a poppy.

 

ILCE-1
Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II (SEL70200GM2) + 2X Teleconverter (SEL20TC)
400.0 mm ƒ/5.6 1/4000 sec ISO 5000

WOW ST! This is an awesome shot!!!

[ST]

Bee on a Purple Coneflower.

ICLE-1 FE 200–600 mm F5.6–6.3 G OSS with 2X Teleconverter
712 mm f/13 1/500 sec ISO 2500

 

[thesaltedimage]

Yes to all the flowers! 

I love seeing how everyone photographs florals. Here are s few of my favorites from my flowerbeds this summer.   

[thesaltedimage]

On 7/11/2023 at 6:29 PM, ST said:

Borage (Starflower)
Which do you prefer (f/6.3 or f/2.8)

First image 
ILCE-1 200 mm f/6.3 1/100 sec ISO 200 
 

Second image
ILCE-1 200 mm f/2.8 1/500 sec ISO 200

I think I like the contrast of the first image but also teh muted tones of the second. 🙂

[thesaltedimage]

On 3/20/2023 at 5:31 PM, Sheepdog76 said:

Great pix, love your style.  I tend to go macro (to justify the lens) out of habit and personal choice, but I am working on different compositions…

I love the color combo and insane detail of that last shot. They are all lovely!

[TrekRover]

On 7/17/2023 at 7:59 AM, thesaltedimage said:

Yes to all the flowers! 

I love seeing how everyone photographs florals. Here are s few of my favorites from my flowerbeds this summer.   

wow! this is beautiful! was this done with a studio setup? what kind of lighting did you use?

[ST]

Sony ILCE-1  FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II  2.0X Teleconverter
400 mm  f/8  1/200 sec  ISO 400

[LensBrew]

I tried it, not sure what I did or what I'm lacking. It is very tough and I found out I really don't like being around bees (never been stung!).

Oh, and I forgot my ISO at 800 from the night before.

 

[bmcdonough]

@LensBrew this is pretty great for what sounds like one of your first attempts! I found being comfortable around bees to take a TON of practice!! What gear did you use? 

[LensBrew]

4 hours ago, bmcdonough said:

@LensBrew this is pretty great for what sounds like one of your first attempts! I found being comfortable around bees to take a TON of practice!! What gear did you use? 

I can never be comfortable around them. That buzzing sound triggers my flight-or-fight system.

The gear I used were the A7RIV with 90mm G macro lens.

[thesaltedimage]

On 7/22/2023 at 1:14 PM, TrekRover said:

wow! this is beautiful! was this done with a studio setup? what kind of lighting did you use?

Yes, it was. I love creating my own light. 🙂 I used a Flashpoint Streaklight 360 with either a APollo Orb or a small diffused beauty dish, I hop between those two modifiers quite a bit.

 

[ST]

Another busy bee

ILCE-1 FE 200–600 mm F5.6–6.3 G OSS 
400 mm  f/6.3  1/200 sec  ISO 500

[ST]

A stunning Dahlia - a high point of my morning

ILCE-1 FE 200–600 mm F5.6–6.3 G OSS 
600 mm  f/6.3  1/250 sec  ISO 640

[TrekRover]

On 7/29/2023 at 7:00 AM, thesaltedimage said:

Yes, it was. I love creating my own light. 🙂 I used a Flashpoint Streaklight 360 with either a APollo Orb or a small diffused beauty dish, I hop between those two modifiers quite a bit.

 

Thank you for sharing! I've never used lights or diffusers before! So interesting to see how the lighting difference makes such a huge impact!

[NormanB]

Etlingera Elatior taken at Akaka Falls State Park, HI

Sony A7 IV - 70-200 F2.8 GM 2 - ISO 125 1/200 185mm F2.8

[CarolineJensen]

On 7/29/2023 at 5:13 PM, ST said:

Another busy bee

ILCE-1 FE 200–600 mm F5.6–6.3 G OSS 
400 mm  f/6.3  1/200 sec  ISO 500

I am just loving your dahlia images! 🔥