Blue Flax or Alsi Flower in Morning Light

Blue flax flowers or alsi flowers are always a treat to watch. Alsi or blue flax is a medicinal plant found naturally and grown as cultivated crop in most parts of the world. It is used as medicine to lower the blood pressure and to reduce the thickness of blood. Blue flowers of this plant are small in size but amazingly beautiful.

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WHAT IS DEPTH -OF -FIELD? 

                   “Depth Of Field  is the zone of sharpness in your image”. This is the simplest definition of DOF.  

HOW TO GET DESIRED DOF?           

 There are different situation in photography when you need different DOF. Some time you need pin sharp images from top to bottom and at others you want to single out the main subject from the background. All that can be achieved by just one adjustment on your DSL. As a rule i.e by changing aperture size,  DOF changes.

 As a rule when you tighten the aperture depth of field would increase and as you open it DOF will decrease. Another point is when you increase the f value for your lens it tightens the aperture and when you decrease the f value then aperture opens up. So at f32, aperture is in its tightest condition with maximum DOF and at f2 at most open with minimum DOF.    

DEPTH OF FIELD IN LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY

Landscapes photography needs full depth of field especially in the sweeping landscapes which are having interesting elements both in top and bottom. For example you a landscape with flowers or stones in the foreground and a peak at distant needs a pin sharp image throughout. The technique to achieve that is to tighten the aperture up to f/16 or even f22. Use of tripod is must because a tight aperture will reduce the shutter speed and there is a chance of camera shake. Wide angle lenses have more depth of field than the tele- zooms, so use a wide angle lens for landscape photography like that.  

DEPTH OF FIELD IN PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY  

Those portraits are considered excellent in which your subject is standout from the background. To throw the subject out of focus you need to do is a reverse than landscape. Open up the aperture to its maximum. Cheaper lenses have maximum aperture of f/ 2.8. Sometime f/4 also works nicely.  Costly lenses have wider aperture and give more shallow depth of field so more dramatic portraits. One thing must keep in mind that always try to focus eyes of the subject while shooting portraits.

DEPTH OF FIELD IN MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY

Macro lenses by default have shallow depth of field as they can focus at very minute distances. In maximum situations you need a clean and less messy background to show your subject in full details. Some time you want show only the mouth parts of an insect. In these conditions use a wider aperture. In case you need to show the bristles on the body of an insect and you want whole butterfly should be sharp then use a tight aperture and try to keep the subject away from messy background. 

HOW TO KNOW THE DEPTH OF FIELD AT EACH APERTURE.

 Almost every DSLR have a” depth- of- field -preview “button. There are some charts and tables showing depth of field  DOF at each step for different focal length lenses with each aperture reading for different focal length lenses.  You can consult these charts or can use DOF button to get required area sharp.

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First question is  “What is Macro Photography ” ?

It is close up photography done with special types of lenses known as macro lenses which can focus the subjects at very minute distance and magnify it many folds. Those digital photographers who are involved in food photography and flower photography are very much familiar with the technique. But macro photography is more popular among the nature photographers who are fond of capturing insects in action and dance of shimmering dew drops in morning light. Now the question is “how to take macro photographs” ?.

When we see a macro picture of an insect or a dew drop and say wow!, there must be something special in the composition which make us so excited about that. To get an idea of what creative compositions in macro photography are and how these can be achieved ,one has to study lot of images carefully and analyzing these for interesting elements. Here I am giving some general macro photography tips for creating dynamic and creative shots in this field.

How To Position The subject:-

A Rule Of Third

If your  subject is an insect like a dragon fly or some grasshopper etc then try to divide your frame into nine squares by drawing two imaginary vertical and two horizontal lines. Place the subject in the intersection of these lines and most of the time in the intersection point of lower left corner. That is the use of rule of third in macro photography. However if you are shooting a flower of a head on shot of a bug then this rule can be breached and you can place a subject in the center.

Sometime it is very personal decision on-location while shooting that how to place a subject and how to balance it with other elements in the picture. This very important moment decides how your picture will look in the final outcome. Some time a subject of the tip of a flower or a leave gives very pleasing composition. But one thing must keep in mind that always give a breathing space to the subject either you place it on the lower end or upper end. Never go very tight until and unless you are shooting portraits of insects or flowers. Some time you must have seen some photographs with tight composition having bulging eyes and antennas of insects. In this case no breathing space is needed.

Breathing space in the upper right corner

Using curves of the leaves to get creative composition

Use The Curves and Oblique Lines :-

Using the curves of the leaves and branches in macro photography can be a good source for creating dynamic macro pictures. In many cases you noticed spiders cling to the web made by folding a grass leave and making a very nice natural arch or a beetle moving on the natural curve of a leave. These arches and curves of leave are very important in making strong composition in macro photography. In some cases I use setting sun in the background that produce stunning results.

Beauty of Nature

Using Oblique lines

Using oblique lines while composing a shot is so important that most of the time it becomes the major difference between a good picture and a bad picture. If a subject is sitting on a straight leave or branch then tilt the camera with 45 degree and the things will be alright. For this purpose you need a good tripod with ball and socket head. Some time I personally deviate from the rule and get some fresh composition by using straight lines as a strong point.

 Clutter Free Background:-

Not only in macro photography but in its all forms background is very important. A clutter free image in closeup photography is more professional and creative than a picture with messy surrounding. Keep in mind that your main subject must stand out while composing a shot. Some time it is not possible as your subject is much near to the background. In this case use wide aperture and sacrifice some

extra details. I personally keep a scissor in my macro kit to cut extra grass leaves.

But one must be very careful as macro subjects are very scarey and agile and

may jump out of the seen or fly away while you are cutting twigs.

Straight lines may also create strong composition

clear Background

A n out of focus and blur background makes the picture esthetically more acceptable and create ease for the eyes. Another way of creating interesting background is to use a water spray gun for the back lit subjects. That will produce light circles in the background which mostly give the pictures more illusive effect.

    Moving Compositions:-

While imagine to  place a subject in frame, one thing must be kept in mind – there must be a sense of movement in the picture. If you shoot a flying dragonfly or a moving beetle or caterpillar on a curved leave, there must be good space in front of the subject to create space for the movement of the subject which viewer can feel.

Try Some New angles In Macro Photography :-

Head on shots of subjects like flowers produce flat and placid pictures which are unattractive and have no innovation. Try some lower angle to create some new compositions which must look better and attractive to the viewers.For this beetle shot I deliberately use  a lower angle  to make the picture more attractive and dynamic. A straight head on shot would be boring and non acceptable for the viewers.  Same is the rule for the butterflies and flowers. In macro photography now many tips and tricks are used to enhance the composition and overall effect of the final outcome. Some photographers use stuffed and freeze subjects and some even use plastic butterflies to gave the subject position of their own choice. But all that is not the alternate of pure natural shots which are taken on location.  Macro photography is a big fun and more challenging than any other form of photography. That is why young photographers are becoming more and more attractive towards macro photography.

For Further Reading :-

Macro Photography

Top 12 macro photography tips 

How to Take Macro Pictures

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Natural Beauty Of Mushrooms

Mushrooms are generally considered as a good source of food but these amazing wonder of nature is equally popular among nature photographers. Macro photography of wild species of fungi is a perfect delight for a naturalist.

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Wonders Of Nature

Spider webs are really a wonder of nature as these are the most delicate structure in nature yet so strong that can hold weight many time more than its own. In the morning of winters when dew is still on the web silk, these structures look more like strings of pearls. Spider webs are surely the marvels of Great Creator. That is why spider webs are most popular subject among macro photographers and nature lovers.

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Pictures Of The Nature

Lady bird Beetle have many colors and patterns. It is really a wonder of nature. Album of nature pictures remain in complete without the images of ladybird beetle. Macro photography lovers and photographers of nature love to shoot this amazing creature with vibrant colors and magnificent patterns.

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 Fish Eyes And The Art Of Macro Photography

Every human being is a nature lover up to some extent and love to see the wonders of nature. But some phenomenons are short livings and only an expert can be able to show that to the world. Patterns and shapes formed by the morning dew in the winter mornings are among such phenomenons. Only macro photographer is be able show that great art of nature. Nature pictures and specially stunning pictures are liked by every one even who have no interest in photography. Composition is the key element in living and dynamic close up pictures. Here I try to use the lower leave as a balancing point which looks holding the drops and drops themselves reflecting the whole world.

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SIGNATURE SPIDER OF GENUS Argiope

Nature Photography And Beauty of Spiders

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Signature spiders are comparatively large in size and have special features in its web. It makes a visible cross in the center of the spider web known as  stabilimentum which not only conceals it from the predators but also a marker for its identity. These are different species of the Genus Argiope  of the class Arachnida (including all the spiders). It has a spectacular beauty of form. These spiders are well decorated from both dorsal and ventral side. These spiders are more common in Asia and abundant in the countries like India and Pakistan. Theses spiders are popular subject in nature photography and macro photography lovers always remain in search of such a fascinating creatures.

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Spider In The Morning

Amazing Macro Photography

Structure and design of the spider web is so delicate that it is quite tough  to shoot macro pictures of this wonder of nature. Spiders are agile, scary and sensitive to human presence and leave the web as they feel danger. So shooting a spider web is a great challenge. It is a test of your skill and patience as a photographer. To get best pictures of spiders and spider webs you must have to shoot in a still day with no wind around. Make sure for a clutter free and a bit dark background in your photographs which is the basic rule of macro photography.

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Grasshoppers

Nature Photography

Grasshoppers are favorite subject in nature photography and  macro photographers love to shoot them. These creatures are  voracious feeder and mostly feed on green leaves leaving beautiful designs behind . These two small grasshoppers were busy in eating on a Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum) plant in my backyard when I located them. I use a black cardboard for background as the nearby plants were cluttering the scene.

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