I love macro photography. I find one of the most technically challenging, yet rewarding types of photography. Since I’m an avid collector of small things, I never run out of subjects.
Here’s some initial work testing out a recent purchase of a Sony SEL30M35 macro lens. All shots are manual on my Sony A6300 camera. Obviously, I will only get better but having a great tool like this lens helps considerably.
I did some macro photo work using a method called focus stacking. No matter how great your macro lens is, it has a shallow depth of field so not everything is in focus for this level of detail. Come in focus stacking. With the camera secured on a sturdy tripod and manually adjusted focus points, I took several shots at different focal points. Then I merged nine shots together in post (Photoshop). Voila, most all details are in focus. There is room for improvement here as I’m just getting started on this technique. At least I know it works.
There was not many better than Johnny Bower. Bower was the first goaltender to employ the poke check, an aggressive move whereby the goalie uses his stick to poke the puck away from an attacking player, sometimes leaving his crease to do so. This move has since been imitated by goaltenders at all levels of hockey. Nicknamed “The China Wall“, was a Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender who won four Stanley Cups during his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 2017 he was named one of the “100 Greatest NHL Players” in history.
“I don’t do regrets. Regrets are pointless. It’s too late for regrets. You’ve already done it, haven’t you? You’ve lived your life. No point wishing you could change it.”― Lemmy Kilmister
For product and studio photography, one of the best additions to your shooting space is a lightbox. A lightbox provides illumination and is a fantastic way to get soft, diffused lighting to your subject, preventing dark spots and harsh shadows.
If you’re photographing items, such as for an Etsy store or your e-commerce website, lightboxes will give you a higher quality image, highlighting the item itself without distracting reflections or shadows. Lightboxes are white, giving you a clean, bright backdrop for your product, although many also include colored backgrounds to customize your shot.
The left video is a demo of the light box I used. The right video is my first time using it.
