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How I PP MACRO pictures – making gif animation

Every macro shot that I shoot, I trying my best to get few focus shot to increase my MACRO picture DOF which previously discuss how I stack it @ How I increase MACRO DOF . Because of that, I always shoot few shots before I stop and while I am shooting I will not leave the insect but keep monitor them… some time, they will so some action which may attract me to capture the action to make it as an animation to show …

And one of very early day share

another Tiger beetle

How Young Tiger performance
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2750/4066074743_9d5ab59482_o.gif

How mature Tiger performance
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2779/4066071239_5f6aaf5a87_o.gif

and … this is 😀
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2427/4066076445_03b911fc6b_o.gif

Let me share how I make my gif file… there are many software can make that but I use only Photoshop to create the animation gif file …

1. load the file into stack

2. if you doing this with full size it need a lot of memory to work on .. so normally resize before load into single stack. it will align the pictures …

3. crop the main object so all the picture in same size and same location

4. from the left panel (layer) save file by file with the new orientation and size

5. after save all the file , load it again into a stack

6. click on Windows –> Animation

7. from the animation window, choose all the files, or re-order the files. highlight all then choose the time for each picture to appear

8. save as web, choose gif file … then the gif file animation is ready

and my final result

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New Collection – Ant-mimic – Male myrmarachne

just another add-on for my ant-mimic collection … this ant-mimic seem to be mimic Tetraponera rufonigra ant…

as usual this spider found near where the ant that it mimic , and quite active which need alot of patient to be capture …

some other ant-mimic previous share

… another Ant-Mimic Crab spider – 蟻蟹蛛 …

Black Ant-Mimicking Jumping Spider (Myrmarachne)

Ant-mimic jumping spider | 蟻蛛 (male)

Ant-mimic jumping spider | 蟻蛛 (female)

more spider from my collection

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Landscape : Will you go out for Photography while Monsoon Season ?

every year Nov -Jan , Peninsular Malaysia will have Monsoon season or we call raining season … some places of east coast of Malaysia always face flood issue after days raining … and most of the fisherman stop go out to sea due to the bad weather ….

Most of the photographer will get rest this period as normally the sky look cloudy … wave is too strong …. but I have the plan to shoot the wave, slow shutter … and if luck on my side then I can get strong wave hit the rock .. so  I went there 2 times 2010 for my wish …. even though we not seeing any sun at all for ~6 days trip but I still enjoy the strong wave … and beautiful places found (thanks Yusri, Azizi & CK Zinal for bringing us there…)

a quick capture how strong is the wave

even we missed out the beautiful egg yolk

but we still trying our best to get some slow shutter shots

cloudy day is good too

How Shunfa shooting a slow shutter in this type of environment … and video below show how he shoot slow shutter without filter holder 😀

there are few issue shooting in this type of environment

1. get ready be wet, get extra shirt, pants ….
2. protect your gear
3. solid tripod
4. look for stable ground (rocks) for tripod
5. temperature different cause Water vapor inside len

safety first ……..

More Beautiful pictures from Malaysia East Coast – Terengganu

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How I Shoot MACRO – my update lighting/diffuser setup [Jan 2011]

my last update for my MACRO setup was Jul 2010 … which discuss @ http://liewwk-macro.blogspot.com/2010/07/how-i-shoot-macro-new-accessories-and.html

but since then I have put most of my time to landscape … not much thing change but just to share it to my new blog …

my update short focal length full flash setup

some result

some result as below
i. concave, V & Light tent
... a boring Giraffe ? ...

... litttle green bee ...

ii. UV & Light tent
... there is something on my body...Apple , egg ??? ...

my SIGMA150 with Kenko ET, Kenko 1.4TC still my natural light macro setup … while I am still trying to resolved the full flash concern .. my last update @ http://liewwk-macro.blogspot.com/2010/08/how-i-shoot-macro-lighting-result-for.html

some results

possible for MP-E65 and the Background color (F8, 1/160, ISO100)
... full body shot ...

ii. with only ET @full magnification
.... only ET ...

iii.plus 1.4TC
... at ~2:1 ...

iv. full magnification front view
... @2:1 , front shot ...

it look pretty acceptable to me but I still trying to improve it and I will mostly use SIGMA150 for coming weekend outing ….

think now the light tent diffuser started by Stephen is a very good solution for macro .. do not worry on what you have trying to find a good way to DIY your tent/cup diffuser, yours lighting will be almost ready …..

few sample of the simple tent diffuser user

sample result from kit len + raunox202 + lighting diffuser with build in flash …. visit Jeffrey Photostream

if you interested to know more and know how to DIY the lighting for your MACRO setup … you may attend one of my workshop or outing to ask further 😀

http://www.liewwkphoto.com/Macroworkshop.htm

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How I shoot MACRO – CROP to change Depth of Field (DOF)

think DOF is one important part we need to understand if we serious in MACRO photography … it is just as important as we need to know about light ….

an Old share How I Shoot MACRO – What Depth of Field (DOF) you have while shooting MACRO (I will migrate it ASAP….)

I am not want to discuss further on what is DOF, what DOF we have while we do MACRO … but I am sharing how do we increase DOF, as below

i. choose best angle to have more visible DOF
ii. using Post Processing – Stack – also discussed previously
iii. shoot smaller magnification and crop (if you want to know how smaller magnification affect the DOF please refer above link)

I have a same spider but slight change of angle but different magnification as shown below

@1:1 magnification

@2:1 magnification



I simply crop the 1:1 picture to magnification close to ~2:1

and let’s me share further magnification and further crop picture below to show what’s the different of DOF

@biggest magnification with full 21 mega pixels.

@crop from ~2:1 picture …lost ~50% of the resolution but check out the DOF it have more than the biggest magnification one

@crop from ~1:1 picture …lost >75% of the resolution but check out the DOF it have more than the biggest magnification one

##########################################################################

so if you do not mind lost the resolution which you may not want to print yours’ picture big …. crop to get bigger magnification also another choice for you .. but if you prefer to have max resolution to have your picture to be print big or sale …. use the stack method … (for the stack … you may also use 3rd party software e.g. CombineZM …..

and for me … I seldom crop my MACRO or Landscape picture >20% … the crop normally is plan while I shoot so it can be off center or not too tight into single frame …..

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MACRO PP II : How I Stitch/Pano for MACRO

I am working on 2 pano MACRO shot … and think this is quite important especially for MP-E65 user.. so just have a quick copy and paste over

Why I need to Stitch ?
I start stitch my macro due to I have my MPE where only do minimum 1:1 (1x life time) and any object that >22mm will not fit in single picture frame … and how I get the whole object into a single picture …… hmmm I am thinking a stitch it …. and I have my very 1st try while outing to Fraser Hill 21 Nov 2008, where I saw plenty of BIG moth and I cannot fit it into a single picture e.g.

12.1 Moth - Hawk Moth ... 1:1

[shot with 1:1] , and this is too big for me and I am thinking how I got the whole moth view .. and I finally did something for a smaller one

12.6 Moth - ID Need ... 1:1

[stitch picture]

12.6 Moth - ID Need ... 2:1

[picture 2:1]

How I do Stitch ???
1. for start, how we shoot

We need to shot picture at same level of view so I normally shot at standard angle where esily to shoot another e.g. face direct view, side view …….. e.g.

How I do Stitch ???
1. for start, how we shoot

We need to shot picture at same level of view so I normally shot at standard angle where esily to shoot another e.g. face direct view, side view …….. e.g.

i. face focus on left eye

ii. focus on right eye

iii. focus on face

2. use Photoshop “Photomerge” option

3. i use “interactive layout”

4. select the file you wish to stitch

5. this will take some time depend how many pictures to stitch and your PC power 😀

– if this is not auto merge then try to move around the picture to try manual to merge the pictures ….

6. click Ok after #5, then it will come out like standard JPEG with multiple layers

7. for the non-cover area, either crop it away or clone it 😀

8. normally I will use multiple shots again to stack the focus area by using method discuss in

“How I Increase My Macro Picture DOF”

…..please comment and let me know if you need further question.

😀

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a most difficult MACRO PP ever for me ….

I was planning to participate a local reserve jungle competition last weekend and decided to make my sensor clean before I proceed … I had my class on last monday and decided to send in Wed and that time my sensor have <30 sensor spots …. as blow

before cleaning

and some how I make a big mistake, I didn;t verify the cleaning done by the Canon service center after the session … and I went out outing next day morning from 8am –> 1am (fri) … managed to have some great find and shots for the long hours outing …

but after I uploaded to my workstation to view my result .. I found so many dusts in my pictures and it was started early morning of Thu (my 1st shots of the Thu ……. ) and I check back my last shot of Monday (<30 spots) … WOW mean the dusts develop while I sent for cleaning !!!!! (all my gears will be into dry box without leave open without lenses so far)……

So what Happen ?????

I went back Canon the next few hours .. and ask for why ? and I am disappointed with the service and they told me I can’t make complaint at the service center and need to write a email for that !!!!!!!!!!!!!

and I ask for re-clean for sure .. but then it took 4 round waiting to get my sensors clean and still more spots before I sent in Wed condition !!!!!!! make it short what happen

– before went Canon

– 1st round , they pass back the camera with ~100 spots with a line effect ….

after 10 minutes … waiting

– water spots …

– bubble effect ????????

I lost my patient and ask the technician out … and ask him .. are you make joke on me ? as the sensor never clean or even clean not you give me free bubble effect

then he went for another cleaning ………and this time ~30min again

the sensor is clean .. but then the watermark still there !!!!!!!!

I make some noise again .. and this time the technician told me I need to leave my camera in the service center because they need to check … I told them the water mark mostly their cleaning “effect” ask them re-clean the spots should go away instead open up my 5d …

ok …. finally another round of waiting , the water marks gone ….. and the technician come and told me it is because of my lens !!!!!!!!!! and I told him, before I send in here I shoot with the same len and it do not have any spots and I have the picture as prove !!!!! then he keep quiet and sound like it still cause by my len ……………..

I immediate draft a complaint letter to Canon Malaysia .. but they only response me on today and claim they will investigate …………

I think it is good to share this experience to all so to make them give us more professional service in future …

end up ……………….. I spend hour to clone one of the picture dusts slowly and apply it to all other pictures I shoot ………(man … ~200-300 spots… it is real kill) … and even after the clone every pictures still need to verify further ……………………….

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How I Shoot MACRO (update Jan 2011)

I am migrating most of my sharing from previous blogspot to here …. at the same time also update some of my update …… for how I shoot MACRO, I didn;t change much except lighting, diffuser (which I do keep improving it …..) and time spent on MACRO had been reduce @2010. Hope I can spend more time to MACRO 2011 ….

1. Manual Focus

– this not been change I use manual focus for my MACRO and Landscape shooting … may be that’s why my 5dm2 still serve me well …….
– due to the swallow DOF so it is not easy to get the AF work correctly what you going to focus especially at >1 life times
– so I will fix my magnification, then move myself backward & frontward to get object focus instead of turning the focus ring (do not do this for start) …

2. setting

2.1 ISO

– lowest possible but depend on whether how efficient is yours’ diffuser… if you make one lost too much light and you may need to push higher ISO but this have to be control together with aperture … normally I will suggest reduce one stop from ISO then follow by aperture instead only pushing ISO straight

– this may also depend you want to control yours’ BG or not … more old discussion – How I control Background …. to bring more BG color, we may need to push higher ISO ….

2.2 F number or aperture

– refer to how is Aperture affect MACRO Here

– so minimum F number I use will be
<1:1    F5.6 – F16      —> F8
1:1      F11 – F16      —> F16
2:1      F11 – F14      —> F14
3:1      F8 – F13       —> F11
4:1      F5.6 – F8      —> F8
5:1      F5.6 – F8      —> F7.1 –

I provide the recommended aperture range and F number I use 😀
– you may ask
i. why I reduce the aperture/F number and this eventually reduce my DOF
– yes, it will reduce DOF but i have to maintain the sharpness which impact by Diffraction (higher F number use will make picture softer)

ii. why my pictures DOF look thicker and ~same with 1-4 :1 even smaller aperture/F number use ….
– I focus stack my pictures so DOF in my picture is result of multiple shooting with stacking. what is focus stack ? please refer here

2.3 Shutter speed

– for full flash MACRO, I try to use flash MAX sync speed normally it should be ~1/200-1/250
– for Natural Light/Fill Flash MACRO, use aperture mode and let the body decide for you .. so mostly it may require tripod for slower shutter speed to avoid shake
– for start I will prefer to have minimum 1/125 or above
– what I use –> 1/200… 5d MAX sync speed

3. Flash, Yes or No???
– if we use flash, it will depend full flash or fill flash
– full flash will give flash compesate all the light requirement but fill flash is like Natural/available light macro where most of the light should be ambient light but flash just to try to light up, reduce shadow …..
– this is very subjective question where it depend environment, bug, light condition .. etc ….
– normally while shoot Natural Light (NL) without flash, I will use Aperture priority mode…. F8 then will adjust ISO to get correct aperture

– what I use –> 90% full flash
– while use flash, the flash have to be diffuse. why .. may be I should share more on this .. but simple share 2 pictures below to share different diffuser result …

different with different diffuser

– I will share another topics regard diffuser very soon …

4. diffuse or not ?

– this is most important portion (for me)
– if you din’t get diffuse correct, object details will be loss even you got it focus

my new lighting for both

long focal length full flash macro lighting – SIGMA150mm

shorter focal length full flash macro lighting – Canon MP-E65

*** sorry for most the link still old one.. and I am trying my best to update those link  and migrate over here

5. flash exposure compensation (FEC)
– it is important to control the light require…
– most of the time we need find a standard value for our setting .. for both of my setup I use -1 FEC as dafault
– what/when I change ? I normally plus FEC while I have brighter BG or I need more BG color to be light up…. then if the BG have black or dark BG then I will reduce the FEC ….

ok …. let’s go out and shoot now ….

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New Collection – Twig-Like Feather-Legged Spider, Miagrammopes sp.

don;t think this is rare but 1st time seeing it, found this after few hours waiting for the Owl Frog (going to share this later) … just before  I step up to my car found this spider on my tripod , can;t recognized it as spider for start but after a while decided to change the len to have few shots of the weird spider …

update

more spider pictures

http://www.flickr.com/photos/liewwk/sets/72157605367434629/with/5362789837/