Hello there fellow photographers!
I’m Scott, the man behind Maxyphoto, and I’ve got a story to share with you all that’s all about combining bracketing and macro photography. This week’s photo challenge was all about putting these two techniques to the test, and I was struggling for inspiration until a little visitor made his way into my garden.
While I usually don’t get too excited about caterpillars, especially since they love munching on my precious tomatoes, this little guy was about to become the star of my bracketing and macro photography shoot. I mean, who wouldn’t want to capture the intricate details and textures of a caterpillar, right?
So, I scooped him up and brought him into the studio.
And let me tell you, that caterpillar put on a show. I tried out different bracketing techniques and captured some good macro shots of him. The bracketing process involved taking multiple shots of the same scene with different exposure values, which are achieved by adjusting your camera’s settings like shutter speed, aperture and ISO.
The idea behind bracketing is to capture different light levels in each shot and end up with a final image with a wider dynamic range. This is especially handy for capturing the highlights and shadows in the same image, avoiding overexposure or underexposure, and ensuring your shots are properly exposed.
So, after all the hard work, I treated the little guy to a well-deserved meal. I fed him to the fishes and frogs in the pond. Sorry little guy, but you were just too good to be true!
But before you get too excited about finding your own little caterpillar, there are some things you need to keep in mind.
Ideally, for those great macro shots, I’d have had a dedicated macro lens for this challenge, as this would have helped me get closer to the subject and capture all the details. Some popular options for my older Canon 5D camera include the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro ($1,600 Camera House) or the Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2:1 Ultra Macro APO. ($782 Camera Warehouse) It’s on my future wish list.
You can still join in on the fun for iPhone and Android photographers with a few of the best HDR camera apps available. Here’s a link with a summary of the pros and cons of the 6 Best HDR Camera Apps of 2023
So, that’s my story, and I hope it inspires you all to get creative with this week’s photography challenge. Who knows, you might even find your next macro subject in your own garden. So, grab your cameras and let’s get snapping!
Cheers,
Scott at Maxyphoto
Next week’s challenge is architecture and bulb mode, so get ready to capture some amazing shots of the world around us.
