EDIT: since we have quite many macro photography enthusiasts here on pixls.us, I thought it would be nice to have on thread were to collect all our masterpieces from the small world… so I renamed this thread to invite people to post their macro shots here!
Here are some recent macro shots of mine, freshly processed and uploaded.
I am still working on the use of natural sunlight (I have a strong preference for backlit shots) and on the texture of the out-of-focus background… what do you think?
You can see the full set of pictures here (released under the CC BY-NC-SA license).
This is some lovely work, particularly 5 & 7. Love the smooth backgrounds, they high key #7 with the brown pop of the bug. The darkness of the background in #5 provides excellent contracts.
Great stuff! I like #3 and #8 in particular.
I think the best thing to do is look for as few hues as possible, and make things pop. For example in #4 it’s a lovely composition, but because the dragonfly is yellowish and the background green-yellowish, it is a little lackluster in appearance. In comparison, in #8 you have a wonderful black-blue background with a yellow-brown foreground. Great contrast. Just cut away the left part and you have a awesome picture!
Forgive me, I’m just back from vacations, brain is following with a little bit of lag
Nikon D300 + Micro-Nikkor 60mm f2.8, hand-held because the subjects are not collaborative and are flying around like hell…
Mainly early morning or late afternoon, but some are taken close to noon (#4) or in the shade (#2, #3). In most cases I had one eye on the insect and the other one on my kids
I don’t like the angle of #6. I think they look better from a bit lower. Personaly i always try to get on the same height or slighty below of the critter.
Nice work! In the last couple of weeks I’ve discovered the joys (and few frustrations!) of macro shooting. Here are a couple of mine. I particularly like the second one which I call “PlantetX”
I also shot these hand-held. I used a Nikkor Micro 105mm f2.8 hanging off of the working end of my pedestrian crop-sensor “enthusiast” (hah!) D7100. I really do need to get a new full frame mirrorless. Yeah, sure
Nice shots! I particularly like the geometry and colors of the second one.
Regarding the gear, I am not convinced that a mirrorless camera is the best for macro-photography. For me the immediate feedback of an optical viewfinder is a must in order to “catch” the good focus. I suspect that the small time lag of the digital viewfinder is detrimental in this respect…
Also, I am afraid it is very hard to exploit the potential of an high-resolution full-frame sensors in hand-held shooting, due to camera micro-movements…
To all the macro-photography lovers out here, what do you think about a thread dedicated to showcasing your work?
I agree wholeheartedly. And then some. I was simply being sarcastic and trying to taunt all of the gaseous fanboys/girls out there I’m looking forward to complementing my gear at reasonable prices (I also have a tiny bit of gas) when they dump all of their old bodies and glass in blind favour of the new stuff
I have been reluctant to give a critique because I am a newbie when it comes to taking actual photography and have a minimal set of aging gear on me.
The reason that I asked about gear and context is because I feel that a longer lens could have done a better job (like @Hevii_Guy’s but of course you have what you have). Also, a deeper depth of field would have been nice; more overall sharpness on the insect. I think a smaller aperture might also give the bokeh balls a bit more character.
@andabata’s advice on using a lower angle is excellent. Just think about how you would take candid photos of your children. Usually it is at a lower angle. At least, that is what my approach would be.
I’m looking forward to complementing my gear at reasonable prices (I also have a tiny bit of gas) when they dump all of their old bodies and glass in blind favour of the new stuff 
