Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/03/27
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Marc, with landscapes I'm kind of a either/or sort of person. Meaning either a wide angle using very strong near/far or a true macro with razor thin DOF. With that said. The use of a tele zoom makes these photos hard as you can not get close enough or sharp enough to do justice to the images. Try finding one of the two element close up lenses made by Canon, Nikon, Minolta(yes they made a very nice 55mm one). Or better yet, acquire the 60mm Elmarit which is a stunning lens on a tripod. Also, acquire John Shaw's "Close Ups in Nature" as a basic text on this sort of photography. Track down John Netherton's work as he also has some very fine work in this field.. Specifically, take the backlit seed cones, the DOF used brings up distracting background. By getting closer and including maybe a third of the plants you could have emphasized the beautiful light, lost the background and still retained the sense of abundant fecund plant life. The same thing would apply to the curvy seed pod. Shot to just show the curved shape with possibly just a hint of the fern in the background by using F16-22 you would have a much stronger image. To do this well you are going to end up with some off camera TTL flash, some fill cards, little clamps to hold thing where you want them, a tripod that can get really low, a focusing stage so you can fine tune the point of focus, a really good ball head, several macro lenses or a bellows. Just think, you thought that Leica's were expensive. Macro takes you to whole new plane. Have fun and if you have any questions don't hesitate to e-mail. Don dorysrus@mindspring.com - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html