I have wanted to get into macro for a while and recently decided to take the plunge.

The biggest decision for me was what Lens. I knew I wanted a telephoto macro and considered the Nikon 200 f4(pricey and hard to get) the Nikon 105 VR but have heard some less than excellent reviews, plus I wanted more reach. The next lens was the Nikon 300 F4 with the addition of the PN-11 or equivalent extension tube which I have seen some very good results with and with the added reach it was ideal. I had a line on the 300 F4 but by the time I made my mind up it was sold ;-(. So I have decided on the Sigma 150 2.8 macro which has been getting great reviews.

While I wait for the lens to come in I decided to try this macro thing out with my 35-70 2.8 and a PK-13 extension tube. This flower is side lit from the left and I used a deflector from the bottom right to highlight the Stigma and antlers as well as the underside of the petals. Light was fading fast so the effect is limited and I could have isolated the background a little better.

any macro people in the house have any suggestions?

I really like the colors and that sharp focus you got on the stem. The flower really stands out against the background, and that really makes the red dramatic. The composition is also very nice - it really draws you into the shot.

My only comment is it would have been nice to have a larger DOF so more of the petals would be in focus. I expect the only way to have done so would be to take multiple images with different focus points. I have never tried that but have seen some great results using that approach.

Thanks for sharing.

Dave

This may be a silly question, but is it upside down?

Thanks Dave

This shot was at ISO 200 F16 1sec. with this setup it was tough to get more Dof, I tried f22 but diffraction was too much and everything went soft. I'm hoping once I get the true 1:1 macro lens I can get more DoF, it seems with the extension tube it really cuts down on the focus plane. I never though of the multiple images at different focus points will have to try this out.

For the red I actually had to desaturate it as it was blown directly out of the camera.

The flower is from one of those Christmas cactus plants and is shot as is parallel to the ground

Thanks you have given me more things to think about

Hey Jim,

Sorry I did not see this earlier.

Composition/use of frame space
Very well done. The subject is easy to see, and there are no distracting background elements. Some more sense of DOF would be nice..particularly for the flowers in the top right, which are almost at risk of being a distraction...however, it really is a nit pick on an absolutely lovely photograph.

Colors/White Balance
Rich, saturated...perfect.

Exposure
Again...perfect. Very well done.

Creative use of Aperture/Shutter
It sounds to me like you did the best you could with the equipment you had.

Emotion
While the photo does not smack me in an emotional way, it is a very well done piece of work regardless. Very beautiful.

Over-all a very solid photograph with perfect exposure, color saturation and a solid composition.

Thanks for sharing.

James

I agree with James' critique.
The colors are very nice, and your choice of borders is excellent!
Hope to see your true macro work soon!