Macro and Close Up Photography-Practice with the Sigma 150mm Macro Lens

I decided to photograph images that would allow me to practice macro techniques and employ some of what I recently learned in the classes I have taken.  I am working on trying to find new and interesting ways to photograph flowers.  Flowers are so interesting with all the shapes and lines that they are made up of but trying to capture that interest can sometimes be a challenge for me.  I will continue to study and practice shooting with a more discerning eye.  Some of the techniques I utilized for this round were "filling the frame" technique, selective focus, the multiple exposure technique, and the compressed background technique.  

The first image is of a daisy.  I wanted to make an image that show the lines shooting out from the yellow center of the flower.  I used the fill the frame technique.  It felt so dramatic to me.  The second image of the daisy was similar but the yellow center wasn't centered.

I made a third image of the daisy.  This time I used the selective focus technique.  The yellow center was the focus with the white petal softly out of focus.  

The image of the rose was made using the multiple exposure setting in my camera.  I selected two exposures to be combined.  The first image was shot at f20 to get the greatest depth of focus.  The second image was made completely out of focus.  Once combined, I was able to get the soft, painterly look.

Finally, the final image wasn't made at my home but was made at the Ruth Bancroft Garden.  I made image with the compressed background technique in mind.  I love how that technique (and a more wide open aperture) can soften and blur an otherwise unattractive background.  

All of the images below were made with the Sigma 150mm macro lens.  It is a new lens for me and so far, I have been impressed with the lens.

Berkeley Botanical Gardens Visit

I have been looking for opportunities to practice my macro photography skills.  I had been buying  flower as subjects, walking around my neighborhood, or shooting anything that would stay still long enough for me to get.  After doing some searching for ideas, botanical gardens kept coming up.  I have no idea why that never occurred to me in the past but it didn't.  My initial thought was to go to the San Francisco Botanical Gardens in Golden Gate Park.  A jaunt for me but was going to go anyway until a friend suggested the Berkeley Botanical Garden.  I didn't even know there was one in Berkeley!  Great for me.  Much closer allowing me to spend more time in the garden than traveling.

I set out with the idea of macro photography practice but once I arrived I realized there was so much more to photograph.  It was like idea overload. I did manage to focus on macro initially by keeping my macro lens on the camera.  One of my first images is below.

I am not sure what type of flower this is (I need to be better about taking notes) but I was please with the image.  As I looked closer at these flowers, I also found this Spotted Cucumber Beetle within one of these flowers.

I tried to keep moving on but found myself in a nicely shaded area with running rivulets.  I love using longer exposures to soften the water so ended up spending about 45 minutes making images of the falling water.

Before I realized it, I had spent 3 1/2 hours at the botanical garden and barely scratched the surface of the available photo opportunities.  This trip also made me realize I need to have a plan when going to a photographing location but I also need to be flexible.

I am now a member of the Berkeley Botanical Garden and will plan on many other visits.