THE ART OF. PHOTOGRAPHY Bruce D. Taubert and Amy Brooks Horn

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1 THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY Bruce D. Taubert and Amy Brooks Horn i

2 ii The Art of Macro Photography Copyright Bruce D. Taubert, Amy Brooks Horn Text and Photography: Bruce D. Taubert and Amy Brooks Horn Editors: Karen Renner Layout and design: Rod Horn and Amy Brooks Horn/Horndesigns Photography Proofreaders: Megan Galope, Greg McKelvey, Vicki Uthe ISBN Number (pdf), (pback) All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. While reasonable care has been exercised in the preparation of this book, the authors assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting for the use of the information contained herein. Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and the authors were aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters or in all capitals. They are used in editorial fashion only and for the benefit of such companies, they are not intended to convey endorsement or other affiliation with this book. For best viewing of the ebook, use two page display in your PDF reading software. Cover Photos M, Nikon D600, 100mm f/2.8 macro, ISO 200, 1//60 sec. Amy A, pg 176, Canon 5DSR, MP-E 5X, ISO 200, 1/250 sec., two off-camera diffused flashes at 1/16 power. Bruce C, pg 128, Nikon D600, 105mm f/2.8 macro, ISO 100, sec., two off-camera flashes at 1/16 power. Amy R, pg 84, Canon 1D Mark IV, 100mm f/2.8 macro, ISO 200, sec., on-camera twin macro flash. Bruce O, pg 113, Canon 5D Mark II, 100mm f/2.8 macro, ISO 200, 1/800 sec. Bruce Opposite Page Photo Lichen at Cape Perpetua, Oregon. Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II, 60mm f/2.8 macro, ISO 400, 1/200 sec. Amy Back Cover Photo Small barnacles at Hospital Reef, La Jolla, CA. Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II, 60mm f/2.8 macro, ISO 200, 1/320 sec., in-camera focus stack of eight images. Amy

3 iii The Art of MACRO Photography Bruce D. Taubert Amy Brooks Horn

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5 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1 - Introduction... 2 Chapter 2 - What Is Macro Photography?... 6 Chapter 3 - Cameras & Lenses Chapter 4 - Depth of Field and Focusing Chapter 5 - Light Chapter 6 - Focus Stacking Chapter 7 - The Joy of Photographing Butterflies Chapter 8 - Breeding Amphibians Chapter 9 - A Tale Of Two Geckos Chapter 10 - Spider And The Wasp Chapter 11 - Flowers Purely For Fun Chapter 12 - Flowers - The Easy & The Hard Chapter 13 - Frozen Chapter 14 - Oil & Water Chapter 15 - Abstract Milk Chapter 16 - Single Water Drops Chapter 17 - Liquid Drop Collisions Chapter 18 - Waves & Splashes Chapter 19 - Water Droplets Chapter 20 - Extreme Edge Chapter 21 - Moth Wings Close Up Chapter 22 - Patterns Chapter 23 - Old Paint Chapter 24 - Everyday Objects SEA urchin shell. Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II, 30mm f/3.5 macro, ISO 200, sec., off-camera diffused flash. Amy v

6 About the Gear Wide-Angle Macro Lenses Tripods Camera Shutter Remotes Flashes Focusing Rails Close-Up Lenses Backgrounds Focus Bracketing Mode Tethering Drip Kits Helping Hands High Res Mode Post Script & Resources QUEEN Anne s Lace at the East Fork of the Little Colorado River in Greer, AZ. Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II, 60mm f/2.8 macro, ISO 400, 1/100 sec., in-camera focus stack of eight images. Amy vi

7 1 The Art of MACRO Photography Bruce D. Taubert Amy Brooks Horn

8 2 MOTHS have thousands of small scales that make up the surface of their wings. The patterns remind me of scales on a fish s body but are much more beautiful. Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II, Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5X f/2.8 macro, ISO 200, 1/125, two off-camera flashes at 1/16 power. Focus stacked. Bruce

9 1 INTRODUCTION Photographers take pictures of small things because they are beautiful and because they can only really appreciate how wonderful and unique they are by looking at an image of them. 3

10 4 IT is almost impossible to see the scales that make up a butterfly s wings, the pollen on a bee s legs, or the moment two water drops collide without viewing a photograph. The intricacy of a dragonfly s eyes or the crystallization of ice cannot be fully appreciated without looking at a photograph of them. There is an incredible wow factor when one looks at images that show small pieces of the natural world. When we become engaged in macro photography, a whole new world of photographic subjects opens up to us. The landscape photographer takes a majestic image of the Grand Canyon, while the macro photographer engrosses themselves in the patterns and textures of flowers, dragonflies, frost, and the like. To create wonderful landscape photographs or unique wildlife images, the photographer needs to travel all over the world, while the macro photographer can make art from what they find in the field next to their house or backyard. And, in our opinion, photographs of small things are just as artistic and interesting as those of larger subjects. Both of us are drawn to teaching and writing about macro photography by a desire to share our work with other photographers, in the hope that they can learn from our experiences and share their expanded knowledge with all of us. A photographer cannot realize his/her goals without the assistance and mentorship of the entire photographic community. When we teach, we learn, and when we practice, we progress. By taking photographs of the world around us, we make images broadly available to the public. We also transfer our love of our environment to others and motivate them to protect and nurture the world s incredibly beautiful but shrinking natural resources. We know this philosophy works for places like the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone National Park, the Rocky Mountains, and other mega landscapes, but can we do the same for those small pieces that make up the whole? Can we transfer our love of spiders, water, flowers, and the innumerable small parts of our world to the public and decision makers? The answer is a resounding YES, but we can only do so by learning the techniques and skills necessary to record the beauty we see as visual images for all to enjoy, learn from, and ponder. So, if you enjoy viewing a bug s eyes, flower pistils and stamens, lacy details of frost, or any of the millions of small landscapes that surround us, then macro photography is for you!

11 INTRODUCTION BACK of a Beyer s Scarab from the Chiricahua Mountains. The image is composed of 28 stacked photographs. Canon 5DSR, 65mm macro 1-5X f/2.8, ISO 200, 1/20 sec., one off-camera diffused flash. Bruce 5