(Sony E6000 - 50mm macro lens, f5.6)
I am a senior citizen. There are some advantages of being a senior. I get a discount at many places to eat and other businesses. People excuse me when I talk to myself. They forgive me when I lose my way. I try to take
advantage of as many senior benefits as I can. For instance, a nearby senior Citizen center offered a free macro class to anyone that was interested.
(Sony E6000 - 50mm macro lens, f3/2)
You probably already know that I love macro photography. I
love the details and shapes that are revealed through close-up photography. Even thought I already take macro pictures, there
were several reasons I was interested in the class: (1) it was free, (2) it was
a chance to spend a beautiful day in a beautiful botanical garden, (3) I would
be with a group of like-minded seniors, (4) I would be spending time with my
sister and sister-in-law doing what we enjoy, and (5) there is always something that I can learn.
(Sony E6000 - 50mm macro lens, f2.8)
The bad things about the class were (1) the wind was blowing,
(2) the flowers were covered in pollen that makes one sneeze, (3) my tripod
would not hold my camera steady (I have since solved that problem), and (4) my
eyesight is not very good anymore (that comes with age, too.) For the life of
me I can’t figure out how to manually focus when my eyesight is not good! Yes, I know about the diopter on the camera,
but when your eyesight is bad and you have blurry spots, that doesn’t seem to work. I fought with it all day. Any ideas on this problem, please pass them to me. I need help!
(Sony E6000 - 50mm macro lens, f208)
This was my first “in person” class. All the other
photography classes I’ve taken have been online. When we arrived at the garden we divided into
three groups lead by professional photographers. The leader of my group asked what we’d like to accomplish. I
mentioned that I wanted to work on creating a creamy, soft background. As we
walked through the gardens he found different situations that would create that
effect, pointed them out to me, and helped me get the picture.
(Sony E6000 - 50mm macro lens, f2.8)
I have a confession to make. Probably 95% of the macro pictures I post are
taken with a Fuji point and shoot camera, not my big camera. It’s just easier for me. My hand trembles slightly when I hold a big camera (more effects of age) and
I can’t stand a tripod. We did take our tripods on this photo shoot and I did
use it, but I still don’t like it. I’m just too spontaneous! I don’t want to take the time to set everything
up. Maybe it’s not spontaneity, maybe it’s impatience!
(Sony E6000 - 50mm macro lens, f2.8)
Back to my point and shoot camera. It has a quick shutter
speed, a great macro focus, and it fits in my pocket. The drawbacks are that the
lowest aperture is three so you can't get those dreamy backgrounds and you can’t get extremely close. I sometimes
have crop to get what I want. That’s fine if I’m just using the image on the
computer, but not so fine if I want to print it. I used to be embarrassed that
I used a point and shoot for macro photos, but not anymore. I finally realized
it’s not about the equipment or even my head knowledge. It’s about capturing
what I see and what makes me happy.
I do want to learn to use my big camera and
my macro lens with better results. Since I took the class I’ve taken macro pictures everyday with my big camera. They're still as sharp as I want them. I'm still working on that. The only way I’ll ever improve is to do it over
and over.
(Sony E6000 - 50mm macro lens, f2.8) (Fuji FinePix f31 - point and shoot, f5.6)
The macro class was a new and fun experience. I enjoyed observing what
others were taking pictures of, but what impressed me most was watching our leader as he walked through the gardens,
not stopping to take a picture of every flower, but looking for something that
would make a great macro image. I need to follow his example; to take my
time, find my subject, to observe the light, and then take the picture.
Just so you know, until I master the big camera, my point and shoot will be in my pocket and used as a backup! I do want the picture no matter which camera I use!
Just so you know, until I master the big camera, my point and shoot will be in my pocket and used as a backup! I do want the picture no matter which camera I use!
