Feel free to ask questions or comment on any photo, photography, equipment and techniques. If commenting on a specific photo, please put either the photo file name, title or link (so I know which one you are talking about).
Comments & Questions
19 Responses to “Comments & Questions”
Care to Comment?
what sort of attachments would you recommend to use to support the flash units – it would have to move with the lens when it extends while focussing
greg,
For what type of photography?
I tried the Grip-It flash bracket for macro photography,
but I wasn’t happy with it. It had trouble holding the
weight of the flash. So I now hand hold, tripod mount
or if 1:1 or less hot shoe mount.
Hey John,
The bird here is a female Black-throated Blue Warbler:
http://johnbdigital.com/wildlife/bird_in_tree.htm
Bob,
I had a feeling it was a Warbler,
Thank you.
but the field guide I have (an old beginner’s guide) only
had Yellow Warblers. Time to upgrade
Searching for a way to take multiple exposure in one frame, I found your site – what a visual treat! Thanks for the detailed explination of your photo “Hot Apple”; Looking forward to trying it with my Canon XSi.
Jo Ann,
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it
Double exposures take time and effort but can give unique results
Excellent photos, I would like to know what lighting setup is used in your extreme macro photos. ie do you use a ring flash 14ex or a 24 twin flash or just the 580ex, Im tossing up whether to buy a dedicated flash setup or use my 580ex
thanks from greg
Greg,
Thanks and I am glad you enjoyed my photos
As to your question I mostly use my 580ex, when I am doing magnification of higher then 1:1 then an off shoe cable for the flash is needed. I personally haven’t found a need for a 14 ring or 24 twin especially when you figure the flash can cost more then the macro lens
Your site is such a great help to me. Thanks
I would like to ask about IR photography. I am new to it, and am so impressed by the images it captures. I want to make sure I will do the correct things at the start.
I have a Canon 5D Mark II, and a couple of lenses.
Is it correct that
1. …all I need is an IR filter for the lens?
2. …the length of time for the image capture is extended to the number of stops the filter poses on the lens? (This of course will require a tripod mount for the photograph).
3. Is there a preferred IR filter to use? I believe you use a R72 IR filter
I hope you do not mind all these, and I may have more. Your site is really great for me. Thanks for setting it up and making it available
.
Doug
Doug,
Glad you enjoyed it
As to your IR questions:
1… Yes you can get by with just an IR filter
2… IR photos with an IR filter on an unmodified camera can be exposures of a couple to 60+ seconds, so a tripod is required. This is partially because the CMOS sensors have a built in filter to try to not let IR light affect exposures and metering. As for metering the exposure, I found I can’t rely on the meter as guessing works better.
3… I recommend the R72 as I have gotten great results with it. The R72 blocks visible light from entering the sensor except from 720nm (the beginning of IR light) and higher. There are other brands of filters that block the light at different levels for different prices, but I have stuck the R72 as it works good enough for me
Keep in mind because of the long exposure many lenses do not work well for IR photos. Ex. a Canon 100mm f/2.8 or Canon 50mm f/1.4 lenses when used for IR photos on an unconverted sensor will give a purplish circle blowout in the center of the IR photo. However a Canon 28-105 f/3.5-4.5, 17-40 f/4L and 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L work great for IR photos.
John
Thanks again.
I will look into getting the R72 filter. I would use it with the Canon 28-105 f/3.5-4.5, so I should have luck.
So if I have it right, guessing an exposure time of >60 sec should be good (+ tripod).
Thanks for all the help and the pictures on your site are really nice.
Doug
John
I have been looking at filters. I saw the Hoya and B+W. THe B+W is a lower price than the Hoya, and both are above $150. Do you have an opinion on which of these would be best for the Canon 5D mark II with the Canon 28-105 f/3.5-4.5 lens? I generally have only used B+W filters, but the Hoya has my attention since it seems that the street price is even higher than the B+W.
Any help would be seriously appreciated.
Thanks
Doug
John
Here are 2 links re: the IR filters.
Thanks
Doug
B+W: http://www.schneideroptics.com/ecommerce/CatalogItemDetail.aspx?CID=677&IID=3280
Hoya: http://www.hoyafilter.com/products/hoya/oef-15.html
Doug,
Well just like photography with the light we can see, there is no correct answer for all IR photos…. Many things affect exposure time ex. aperture, ISO etc…..
Here are some examples:
IR Rose & Weeds a 0.8 sec exposure
IR Tree & Sky a 1 sec exposure
IR Rose a 4 sec exposure
Pixley Falls in IR a 25 sec exposure
I use B+W filters for my lenses, however I have always used the Hoya R72 for IR photography and have been happy enough to not upgrade. So my suggestion can only go with what I have been happy with, the Hoya R72 IR filter
I suggest you shop around, if you intend on using in the future with a lens with 77mm filter size then get a 77mm IR filter with a 58mm to 77mm adapter ring. This way you can use a 77mm IR filter on any lens 58mm or 77mm
John
Thanks. Very sound advice, and I am happy to take it.
Cheers
Doug
Thanks for the reply!, anyway, im trying to shoot a photo in a daytime but the shot was overexposed
Danilo,
Still need more info, or a link to the photo with the Exif data (camera settings).
Otherwise I just have to guess….
what is the best combination of shutter speed & aperture during daytime & night time?
Danilo,
There are many things to affect the exposure, ex. amount of light, type of subject, is subject in motion, direction of motion, how much you want in focus (depth of field), focal length of lens, ISO of sensor and is flash used. So there really isn’t a best combination.
Give more info on the situation and it may be a little easier
to give a more helpful answer.