The small can be very fascinating especially when it comes to photography. I have been taking macro photos for a few years but a year or so ago I picked up a 105mm f/2.8 Macro (Nikon calls it Micro) lens and was not disappointed. Working full time doesn't allow me to do as much variety of photography as I would like but at least I can with my macro lens. I was walking along a path around the Pillar Point Harbor located in El Granada: the home of the Maverick's surfing competition. I saw this green object in a lavender flower and I stopped for a closer look. It was a green bee, which was about 1/3 to 1/2 as small as a honey bee. I had my 105mm macro with me so I put it on my D800, set the f-stop to f/7.1 and adjusted the shutter speed to 1/400s so I could use an ISO160 to keep the noise to a minimum. With macro photography, the hardest part is getting enough depth of field to take advantage of the details you can get being so close to the subject. Using a longer macro has its advantages, in that you get the 1:1 reproduction ratio but you can be farther away from the subject reducing the flight response, not so much for the flower but the bee, and there is less chance of casting a shadow on the subject from the camera.
Featured Photo 20: Metallic Green Bee (Agapostemon)
EQ: D800 f/2.8 105mm micro Taken: 7-20-13 11:32
Setting: 105mm, f/7.1, 1/400s, ISO160 Condition: Sunny in shade
I like spiders. They are interesting and when you can bring them into your size perspective you can appreciate them even more. The Flower Crab Spider I found at my home as I was working around the house. When I discovered the spider, I went and got my camera and put on the 105mm. I used similar settings as with the Green Bee but to get the ISO160 I had to use 1/160s. This was still above the target of at least 1/105s so I wasn't concerned with camera shake but I was able to step down on the aperture. For the yellow Crab Spider I wanted more depth of field so I set the aperture to 1/14.0 and using 1/160s I had to use ISO400. The added depth of field captured the entire spider in focus as well as the few surrounding pedals. Macro photography is challenging but not like capturing birds since the subjects don't move as fast. These are good examples of Where Nature is Art.
Flower Crab Spider
Setting: 105mm, f/7.1, 1/160s, ISO160 Condition: Sunny in shade 4-4-14 15:16
Crab Spider
Setting: 105mm, f/14.0, 1/160s, ISO400 Condition: Sunny in shade, 6-21-14 13:55
Setting: 105mm, f/7.1, 1/400s, ISO220 Condition: Sunny in shade 7-20-13 13:23
Your comments are welcomed and if you have any questions about the photo or any other questions leave me a message.