Taking Macro Photo's of flowers

How to take good quality macro photo's
i will mainly be talking about flowers but this method applies to most macro image taking

Step 1 Equipment needed

you will need the following
a camera (duh)
a tripod (quite helpful)
steady hands (very important)
ability to put the images onto your computer for the world to see through flickr (optional)

Comments

[rrrmanion]

- only digital zoom Fuzzes" ( blurs) your image - flash can be useful, as it removes shadows , but make sure you use fill flash.

[noodleguy]

 Here's my Macro shots using a Nikon Coolpix L19. The shot was done outside and the flash is switched off.

[joey2542667]

I have that exact same camera so here are some I took.

[firemanfu]

i actually upgraded to a DSLR about a year ago, but your shots look beautiful.

[joey2542667]

thanks!

[Mr. Rig It]

I can't vote for you in the flower contest because this instructable is entered in the Photojojo contest which is currently being judged. Uh oh.. I found a bug.

[deth2all]

ya, ima win the photojojo contest........... is that a dandelion btw?

[firemanfu]

in the gimp step it is in the others i have no idea what that flower is but i'll ask my mom

[firemanfu]

just make sure to vote for it when the judging for photojojo is over

[Mr. Rig It]

Your camear takes nice pictures. I really like them, good job!

[firemanfu]

thanks, my camera is a 2007 panasonic DMC-TZ3 i was trying to convince my dad to get a dslr but he wouldn't

[cry_wolf]

Here are some i have taken :D

[firemanfu]

they look good

[cry_wolf]

Thanks :D

[=SMART=]

Damn you! i was going to make this, but you beat me to it, lol congratulations though, and nice instructable :D

[firemanfu]

thanks

[theRIAA]

"make sure that flash is turned on or set on automatic if there is not enough light on already." NO! nononononono, flash ruins ALL pictures, and flashed flower picture would be un-usable and unless you're a professional, a tripod is more constricting than necessary. are you shooting flowers indoors?! go outside during a sunny day "trying not to use the zoom function as this fuzzes your image." you might have to take a couple steps back, but I prefer a little zoom, because it will blur the background more. (with the same F) if you have to shoot in low light, use a tripod, if you don't have a big enough tripod, use no flash, high iso, 2 second timer, and when the camera is about to shoot, very slowly sweep the camera in one direction to avoid hand gidders. you shouldn't have to up the contrast so much, even if you don't have manual controls, you should be able to up the exposure a little, and put it in "vivid" mode or something. then go back, in gimp, and sharpen it a little, and use some curves and levels equivalent. and I don't like that tripod from DX, it always falls over

[LinuxH4x0r]

I HATE FLASH! Other than that, good job!

[firemanfu]

for the flash comment i am usually shooting outside so it is off but inside i use slow syncro for partial illumination i disagree with the zoom comment as i prefer just the flower in the image i don't like the tripod either and i will add you as a collaborator since you seem to know your fair share of information.

[theRIAA]

wait... do you have image stabilization? why are you using flash!

[firemanfu]

yes i do have image stabilization and as i said i only use flash when i'm on slow synchro inside when i'm outside it never gets used

[theRIAA]

and slow sync might work if you use it right, but you have to go back and hue the blue out only, and i don't think you can hue a soft area of color range in gimp :/

[theRIAA]

like so:

flower 4x 2.8F
flower 1x 2.8F
leaf 4x 2.8F
leaf 1x 2.8F

no SLR, just a canon A620 with CHDK firmware to maintain F stop at tele.

[firemanfu]

http://elizzle47.deviantart.com/

[theRIAA]

sometimes you can have only the flower framed, with some zoom. I like close up shots too. thanks for that, but I don't know what i'll change /:

[firemanfu]

i like most images real close up and find that zoom screws with them in a way i dislike