Spent some time experimenting...
Edited to add: Shot with Nikon D200, Nikkor 105mm Micro (Macro) lens
Edited to add: Shot with Nikon D200, Nikkor 105mm Micro (Macro) lens
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Up Close and Personal with some Peppers
- Thread starter Clix Pix
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More Up Close and Personal....
Edited to add: Shot with Nikon D200, Nikkor 105mm Micro (Macro) lens
Edited to add: Shot with Nikon D200, Nikkor 105mm Micro (Macro) lens
fatsoforgotso said:
Thanks! Not familiar with that film -- guess I'll have to check it out.
The camera is the Nikon D200, with a Nikkor 105mm Micro (Macro) lens.
That first pepper shot in the second set is almost indecent 
What was your lighting set up Clix? Any post? What ISO and how are your noise results looking in darker areas right from the camera at higher ISO? Did you use a prime 105 or was it the 28 to 105 Nikkor with the switch moved over to Macro?
What was your lighting set up Clix? Any post? What ISO and how are your noise results looking in darker areas right from the camera at higher ISO? Did you use a prime 105 or was it the 28 to 105 Nikkor with the switch moved over to Macro?
I looked up that lens, seems like a pretty good one to me. My kodak won't get any closer than probably 6 inches and the detail is minimal :|.
calebjohnston said:
Try shooting through a 6 diopter lens. If there is a way to add a screw-on wide or tele to your camera then you can also thread on a "close up" lens. They are not really expensive.
Even on a DSLR macro lenses do not have to be expensive. The 105mm used for the above photos is not cheap but the 35 year old 55mm "micro Nikor" I have can be bought for about $100. Back in the 1960's the 55mm was the sharpest lens made.
I think you all are confusing sexual for sensual. I definitely feel like her pictures are sensual but not necessarily sexual. I love them.
I love the stem alone (second photo) and wished that the hues were a bit brighter in the one of the pepper and stem sideways (second to last photo).
Okay I need to stop lying to myself, I like the one where they're "kissing," too.
I love the stem alone (second photo) and wished that the hues were a bit brighter in the one of the pepper and stem sideways (second to last photo).
Okay I need to stop lying to myself, I like the one where they're "kissing," too.
Hey, thanks to the kind Mod(s) who combined these into one thread! I had hesitated to put all the images into one post, concerned that it might be a problem with post size limitations, but this really does make more sense to have them all together. Thanks!
Yeah, I took a leaf out of Edward Weston's book -- he is well known for his peppers, which are in black-and-white and which definitely show how, when shot at certain angles, the curves can be quite alluring, sensuous and sensual.
The ISO was 100, the f/stop around 40, camera on tripod. This was set up on the dining table. I used a small Photek light tent and for some shots there were two lights and in others, just one light, but the light tent itself also contributes to overall, soft, diffused reflective light. One light source is the Lowel Ego Light and the other light source is Photek's Photo Lamp, which is an all-white lamp with white reflector and a flexible neck so that it can be adjusted in any position. The Lowel Ego has two special daylight bulbs in it and the unit itself has a diffuser over the lights. The Photek Photo lamp does not have a diffuser, but when using the light tent that problem is resolved. Sometimes I used both light sources, other times only one. Also for a couple of shots I added extra diffusion by removing the plastic top of my old lightbox and sticking that in front of the Photek Photo lamp. That old lightbox has come in sooo handy -- it's been years since I've used it for its intended purpose (reviewing slides and negatives)! I occasionally involve it in a setup (the images I shared a few weeks back, for instance) or, as I mentioned, snatch the top off to use as a diffuser.
I like using this sort of setup as opposed to my SB 800's because this way I can shape the light and see how it's going to appear before I even press the shutter release. With studio lighting, of course, you can have modeling lights, but I'm not about to invest in Alien Bees or other studio lighting as I am not planning to do portraits or set up a formal studio.
The lens is Nikon's Nikkor prime 105mm Micro, and it is one of my favorite and most-used lenses. Nikon has just come out with a new VR version of it and I'm tempted, but that will be a while off, as I have a couple of other lenses higher on my priority list at the moment. Because I very much love to do macro work, this 105mm lens was one of my earliest purchases once I got back into SLR and bought my first DSLR (D70) last year. As someone else mentioned in this thread, it's not an inexpensive lens, but I purchased it knowing that it would be getting a lot of use, and indeed it has and will continue to do so. This is a good example of what we talk about a lot on here: knowing what you like to shoot and tend to shoot most often being a way of dictating what particular lenses will be good purchases, good investments, and definitely well-used. For instance, I don't do a lot of wide-angle shooting, so while I have one fairly wide-angle zoom lens, I haven't delved into purchasing a lot of prime wide-angles and I've passed up the delightful but definitely somewhat specialized 10.5mm fisheye. Going in the opposite direction, while I like trying to capture birds and other wildlife, I am not dedicated to that to the point of spending fairly hefty amounts of money on the large primes (300mm, 400mm, 500mm) in the way that many dedicated bird/wildlife photographers do.
Getting back to the questions asked.... In this instance, I had 100 as the ISO and also longer exposure times when using f/40 -- tripod and remote shutter release make that possible -- but to answer the question about noise, I am amazed at how well the D200 does in that regard. I can kick my ISO up to 800, 1200, and even 1600 in some cases and usually it is not noticeable. Now, that's most generally not in scenes where there will be a lot of dark detail. Next time I have things set up for a tabletop session I'll run a few images at various ISOs just to see how much of a noise factor there may be.... To date I have been VERY happy with the D200 in this regard.
Devilot wrote:
" ...wished that the hues were a bit brighter in the one of the pepper and stem sideways (second to last photo)."
All of these are ROOTC -- right out of the camera -- with the only adjustment being resizing, as obviously I wouldn't post any images at their full resolution since the D200 is a 10 MP camera! File sizes for this baby are HUGE. I probably should tinker a little with "curves" on that one shot, as I agree with you, it could use a little more tinkering. I was trying to shoot for the highlights and as a result, yes, got the rest of the image a little darker than it really should be....
ChrisA: yes, you are so right that it's amazing what one can do with "closeup filters" of various diopters. I've got the Canon 500 D, which I bought last year to stick on my 70-200mm, and it does add another whole new aspect to using that lens.
Bottom line here is that a lot of times you don't need to have expensive lenses or equipment to produce a certain image -- creativity goes a long way! Lighting is critical to photography, but it can be manipulated, too -- someone could set up something taking advantage of the natural sunlight pouring into the scene, could stick a 5 or 6 diopter closeup lens on one's camera and get something pretty neat. Take a look at the everyday things around you, think about what could happen if you got as close as you could....
Glad you all have enjoyed my peppers!
law guy said:That first pepper shot in the second set is almost indecent
Yeah, I took a leaf out of Edward Weston's book -- he is well known for his peppers, which are in black-and-white and which definitely show how, when shot at certain angles, the curves can be quite alluring, sensuous and sensual.
The ISO was 100, the f/stop around 40, camera on tripod. This was set up on the dining table. I used a small Photek light tent and for some shots there were two lights and in others, just one light, but the light tent itself also contributes to overall, soft, diffused reflective light. One light source is the Lowel Ego Light and the other light source is Photek's Photo Lamp, which is an all-white lamp with white reflector and a flexible neck so that it can be adjusted in any position. The Lowel Ego has two special daylight bulbs in it and the unit itself has a diffuser over the lights. The Photek Photo lamp does not have a diffuser, but when using the light tent that problem is resolved. Sometimes I used both light sources, other times only one. Also for a couple of shots I added extra diffusion by removing the plastic top of my old lightbox and sticking that in front of the Photek Photo lamp. That old lightbox has come in sooo handy -- it's been years since I've used it for its intended purpose (reviewing slides and negatives)! I occasionally involve it in a setup (the images I shared a few weeks back, for instance) or, as I mentioned, snatch the top off to use as a diffuser.
I like using this sort of setup as opposed to my SB 800's because this way I can shape the light and see how it's going to appear before I even press the shutter release. With studio lighting, of course, you can have modeling lights, but I'm not about to invest in Alien Bees or other studio lighting as I am not planning to do portraits or set up a formal studio.
The lens is Nikon's Nikkor prime 105mm Micro, and it is one of my favorite and most-used lenses. Nikon has just come out with a new VR version of it and I'm tempted, but that will be a while off, as I have a couple of other lenses higher on my priority list at the moment. Because I very much love to do macro work, this 105mm lens was one of my earliest purchases once I got back into SLR and bought my first DSLR (D70) last year. As someone else mentioned in this thread, it's not an inexpensive lens, but I purchased it knowing that it would be getting a lot of use, and indeed it has and will continue to do so. This is a good example of what we talk about a lot on here: knowing what you like to shoot and tend to shoot most often being a way of dictating what particular lenses will be good purchases, good investments, and definitely well-used. For instance, I don't do a lot of wide-angle shooting, so while I have one fairly wide-angle zoom lens, I haven't delved into purchasing a lot of prime wide-angles and I've passed up the delightful but definitely somewhat specialized 10.5mm fisheye. Going in the opposite direction, while I like trying to capture birds and other wildlife, I am not dedicated to that to the point of spending fairly hefty amounts of money on the large primes (300mm, 400mm, 500mm) in the way that many dedicated bird/wildlife photographers do.
Getting back to the questions asked.... In this instance, I had 100 as the ISO and also longer exposure times when using f/40 -- tripod and remote shutter release make that possible -- but to answer the question about noise, I am amazed at how well the D200 does in that regard. I can kick my ISO up to 800, 1200, and even 1600 in some cases and usually it is not noticeable. Now, that's most generally not in scenes where there will be a lot of dark detail. Next time I have things set up for a tabletop session I'll run a few images at various ISOs just to see how much of a noise factor there may be.... To date I have been VERY happy with the D200 in this regard.
Devilot wrote:
" ...wished that the hues were a bit brighter in the one of the pepper and stem sideways (second to last photo)."
All of these are ROOTC -- right out of the camera -- with the only adjustment being resizing, as obviously I wouldn't post any images at their full resolution since the D200 is a 10 MP camera! File sizes for this baby are HUGE. I probably should tinker a little with "curves" on that one shot, as I agree with you, it could use a little more tinkering. I was trying to shoot for the highlights and as a result, yes, got the rest of the image a little darker than it really should be....
ChrisA: yes, you are so right that it's amazing what one can do with "closeup filters" of various diopters. I've got the Canon 500 D, which I bought last year to stick on my 70-200mm, and it does add another whole new aspect to using that lens.
Bottom line here is that a lot of times you don't need to have expensive lenses or equipment to produce a certain image -- creativity goes a long way! Lighting is critical to photography, but it can be manipulated, too -- someone could set up something taking advantage of the natural sunlight pouring into the scene, could stick a 5 or 6 diopter closeup lens on one's camera and get something pretty neat. Take a look at the everyday things around you, think about what could happen if you got as close as you could....
Glad you all have enjoyed my peppers!
Clix Pix nice set of photos. I am in need of a macro lens and considering the 105mm VR that Nikon just released but I would like to see more photos from it before I take the plunge.
If you have more great macro shots please share, I would like to see more.
If you have more great macro shots please share, I would like to see more.
Nope I'm not at all confused.devilot said:I think you all are confusing sexual for sensual. I definitely feel like her pictures are sensual but not necessarily sexual. I love them.
I love the stem alone (second photo) and wished that the hues were a bit brighter in the one of the pepper and stem sideways (second to last photo).
Okay I need to stop lying to myself, I like the one where they're "kissing," too.
I said sexual and I meant it.
homerjward said:
Not a stupid question at all... I have the Photek Light Tent, which comes with a black "sweep" background and a white "sweep" background which are pieces of fabric with velcro attached so that they can easily be connected to the interior of the light tent.
When not using the light tent, for a black (or white) background I have used fabric (available at fabric stores) or papers such as Savage produces, or even just basic art paper (white). Velvet or velveteen works well for a black backdrop, but you do have to be careful about the sheen of the fabric, which can cause reflections.
Kirbdog: I, too, am interested in seeing more results from the new Nikon 105VR.... Check out http://www.nikoncafe.com and you should see some comments there. Also http://www.nikonians.com should have some comments, too.
jessica. said:Nope I'm not at all confused.
Ah...what can I say? Glad you enjoyed my sexy peppers! LOL!
Kirbdog said:
Check out http://www.nikoncafe.com for comments about the new 105mm VR, as several members there have received theirs and have been sharing their first shots. Mine is the "old" version, and I'll be hanging on to it for a while as I have other lenses that I need/want to get before investing in that one.
From what I understand, the 60mm macro is one of Nikon's sharpest, but they're saying that this new 105VR is equally as good. With the longer length you get a little more space between you and the subject, which is good when shooting bugs or other tiny skittish creatures.
More macro shots? Sure!
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