During my first semester at Southeast Technical Institute, I was fortunate to take a course in Photography. There was one section of the class, however, that I really struggled with at the time: Macro Photography. I had always been amazed by this type of art; at times, the images created by this technique seemed abstract while at other times appeared surreal.
The main obstacle that I overcame was realizing that I didn’t need to spend a ton of money on equipment to obtain satisfactory results. Instead of a 1:1 macro lens, I purchased a set of extension tubes – a 7mm, 14mm, and 28mm. For these photos, I used a combination of all three. I also used a tripod and remote shutter release to steady the camera which was set on AV mode and the lowest F-stop position, ISO100, and an automatic exposure setting.
All the photos were taken outside and are of flowers which I grew this summer in my garden. Although the outdoor sunlight was ideal for taking macro photos, it also provided some focusing challenges when insects or the breeze would move the floral plant. The above image of the “Lisianthus” reminds me of a Georgia O’Keeffe painting, and I was unexpectedly happy with the results that the extension tubes provided.
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