Good Time To Buy A Macro Lens

Most of you know I use the Tamron brand macro lenses, and if you view my images I think you will see that these lenses do a great job, and they are reasonably priced.

Why I say it is a good time to buy is that Tamron is offering rebates on all their macro lenses.

I got pricing for these lenses from Gary at Hunt’s Photo, which is New England’s largest photo retailer.  Here are the prices and the rebates per lens.

Tamron 60 macro  $519 before $100 mail in rebate.

Tamron 90 macro  $459 before $50 mail in rebate.

Tamron 180 macro $689 before $50 mail in rebate. 

If you would like to order one of these lenses you can contact Gary Farber of Hunt’s Photo direct at (781) 462-2332 or email him at digitalguygary@wbhunt.com

Mention my name when you contact Gary and you will get free shipping .

So for you new to macro photographers looking to buy your first macro lens, I would suggest the Tamron 90mm macro, and right now you can get that lens for $409 after the rebate is applied and the free shipping. Good Deal!

Bristle Cone Pine Trunk, shot with Tamron 90mm Macro

 

Fall Macro Boot Camp

Fall Macro Boot Camp

 

Presented by Mike Moats, an award-winning, published nature photographer specializing in macro photography.

Sponsored by
Tamron – Lensbaby – Epson - Fuji – Hunt’s Photo – Helicon Focus – PhotoFlex – Outdoor Photo Gear – Outdoor Photographer Magazine

This will be an in-depth unique three days of learning, fun, and entertainment. It is for the beginner to the intermediate photographer wanting to learn more about the macro world in nature.

Where; ConCorde Inn, Rochester Hills, Michigan (M59 & Crooks)

Special room rates at $59.00

Dates and Times :
September 24th 5:00pm – 8:00pm
September 25th 9:00am – 5:00pm
September 26th 9:00am – 2:00pm

Mike will cover cameras, macro lenses, Lensbabies, the best tripods and heads for macro, special macro accessories, stacking images with Helicon Focus, composing, and learning how to see the artwork in nature. Learn how to control depth of field. See how to build a collapsible enclosed plexiglas wind shield for shooting flowers. Camera positioning for that perfect background. When and how to use reflectors, diffusers, plamps, focusing rails, and more. Mike shows his image processing using Photoshop and Nik Software.  Epson rep from New Dimension will give a presentation on printing.

Bring your camera and lens because Mike will have subjects set up for you to shoot.

Lensbaby will be providing lens for you to try out.

You will have a chance to win door prizes from our sponsors.

Sales on many of the products you see at the workshop will be offered in a Hunt’s Photo flyer.

Limited availability, so don’t wait to register or you may miss out. Spring boot camp sold out 2 month prior to workshop.

If you register and pay before July 1st, you will receive a free PDF of Mike’s e-book, “Running A Successful Nature Photography Business” ($39.00 value).

Cost $149.00

For more information, call Mike at (586)770-3992. 

Register online at www.MikeMoatsBooks.com

Macro Flower Contest Winners

Susan Candelario was the grand prize winner out of 257 photographers and over seven hundred images.  Susan won Tamron’s new fast shooting 60mm macro lens. 

Susan Candelario

 

2nd Place,  Mary Stamper, won a $100 gift from  ”Canvas On Demand”

3rd Place,  William Brozy,  won a $25 gift from  ”Outdoor Photo Gear”

4th Place, Nathan Buck, won a one year subscription from “Outdoor Photographer Magazine”

Honorable Mentions win their choice of one of my e-books
Amy Hopp
Ken Childs
Summer Bundy
Terry Godfroid-Marecki

See other winning images here
http://www.pbase.com/mgm123/flower_contest

 

Macro Flower Contest – Win A Tamron 60mm Macro Lens

MACRO FLOWER CONTEST

I’m looking for the best flower image to win a new, Tamron 60mm Macro Lens.

See info on the Tamron lens here Tamron 60mm Macro Lens

FREE TO ENTER

Contest running now thru April 13th, winner announced on April 15th, 2010

Submit three of your best macro flower shots for a chance to win.

The best image from each photographer’s submission will be posted along with their name and tech info on my website during the contest. Images will be posted at (www.tinylandscapes.com)

I will be judging for, composition, focus, depth of field, exposure.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Only for Canon – Nikon – Sony Camera users. (this lens does not fit other brands)

Submit only three images.

Winning images from my past contest may not be entered

Open to amateurs or those with some photo income / excluded full time pro photographers

Contestant represents and warrants that he or she is the sole and exclusive owner of each image entered.

The Mike Moats Flower Contest, or Tamron will not claim any rights or use of any image without the permission of the contestant.

Images using standard Photoshop processing only accepted. No special effect filters.

Please include, name, camera make, lens, camera techs.

Send images to Mike Moats at, mgmoats@yahoo.com

View submitted images at, www.Tinylandscapes.com

GOOD LUCK!

Fun With Feathers

My cure for the photographer’s cabin fever is finding interesting subjects to shoot indoors.  It’s not that I’m a wimp and don’t want to brave the cold, its just that what sells the best for me is images with color, and winter takes its toll on any color in nature here in the north. 

I can better spend my time marketing during the winter then out shooting images that won’t sell.  As much as I like winter, most people that view my images at the art shows tell me they don’t care for winter and they don’t want to look at it all year hanging on their walls.  I’m always looking for something interesting to shoot indoors.  Probably the most used indoor subject is flowers, and I do my share of flower shots, but I’m always in search of something new to shoot. 

I’ve always liked the look of bird feathers, the lines, texture and patterns have always interested me.  I have some turkey and sea gull feathers I’ve picked up locally from the parks I shoot in, but I wanted some feathers with a little more design and color.  I went online a couple weeks ago and did a search on feathers.  I found sites that were sellling a vareity of feathers mainly used by decorators for home decor arrangments. 

Here’s are some of the feathers I recieved yesterday, and had some fun setting them up and shooting.

I arranged these three feathers at slightly different angles as to not have them looking to composed. Shot at my favorite f/stop, f/32 with the Tamron 60mm macro lens. 

With this group I used two colorful feathers to flank the center feather which is more earthtone.  The contrast allowed the center feather stand out.  Shot with the Tamron 60mm macro at f/32.

These are tiny little feathers that I arranged in this group. I added a 25mm extension tube that would allow me to focus in closer on this small grouping.  I wanted a different and more abstract look, so shot this one at f/2.8.  The Tamron 60mm set at f/2.8 blurred the edges really well and I placed the point of focus on the center feather.

Interview In Tamron’s Enewsletter

My interview for  Tamron’s View Finder Enewsletter,http://www.tamron.com/enews/archives/dec09_moats.asp

Nature’s Best – Windland Smith Rice International Competition.

I had an image that won “Highly Honored” in the 2009 Nature’s Best Magazines  Windland Smith Rice International competition.  The mag should be out soon, they just posted press releases and the winners on their blog.   They pick from over twenty thousand images from all over the world.  You can see the winners from the different catagories at www.naturesbestblog.com  Here’s mine that won “Highly Honored”

Macro Boot Camp

 
Presented by Mike Moats, an award-winning, published nature photographer specializing in macro photography. www.tinylandscapes.com

 

    Sponsored by

Tamron –  Lensbaby – Photoflex – Hunt’s Photo – Helicon Focus - Nik Software – Outdoor Photo Gear

  

This will be an in depth unique three days of learning, fun, and entertainment.  It is for the beginner to the advanced photographer wanting to learn more about the macro world in nature.

Where;  The Embassy Suites Hotel,  Livonia,  Michigan (just outside Detroit)

Dates and Times :
March 26th  5:00pm – 8:00pm
March 27th  9:00am – 5:00pm
March 28th  9:00am – 2:00pm

Mike will cover macro lenses, Lensbabies, the best tripods and heads for macro, special macro accessories, stacking images with Helicon Focus, reversing lenses. Composing, and learning how to see the artwork in nature.  Learn how to control depth of field. See how to build a collapsible enclosed plexiglas wind shield for shooting flowers.  Camera positioning for that perfect background. When and how to use reflectors, diffusers, plamps, focusing rails, and more.  Mike shows his image processing using Photoshop and Nik Software.

Bring your camera because Tamron and Lensbaby will be providing lens for you to try out. Mike will have subjects set up for you to shoot.

You will have a chance to win door prizes from our sponsors.

Sales on many of the products you see at the workshop will be offered in a Hunt’s Photo flyer.

Each participant is encouraged to bring five prints of their best macro shots to share

The Embassy Hotel will offer special room rates for this event.

Lunch on Saturday and Sunday included in the price of workshop.

Limited to forty participants,  so don’t wait to register or you may miss out.

If you register and pay before January 1^st, you will receive a free PDF of Mike’s e-book, “Running A Successful Nature Photography Business” ( $39.00 value).

For more information or to register by credit card, call Mike at (586)770-3992 or (586)264-7100
Or register online at www.MikeMoatsBooks.com

 

There’s A New Fast Shooting Lens In Town

If you watch old westerns, the fastest shooter in town was well-respected, and so is the new Tamron 60mm fast shooting macro lens.  This f/2.0 out shoots the other  macro lenses by a full stop.  This really helps with macro as we tend to shoot subjects like small moving critters, flowers blowing in the wind, and if you’re like me, I shoot a lot in wooded areas were it can get pretty dark.  So to help stop a moving subject or speed up my shutter in low light, the Tamron 60mm macro fits the bill. 

The wide f/2.0 aperture of the this lens also helps to blur backgrounds, which is a problem you usually have with the short focal length lenses.  I had no problem producing a nice blured backgrounds or abstracts, and the results rivaled some of my longer focal legth macro lenses.  This lightweight lens is also great if you’re hand holding shots.

Those of you that know my style of shooting know that I like to shoot a lot of subject using full depth of field. I was very happy with the way this lens performed when stop down all the way. Nice sharp images though out.

Here are a few shots from the Tamron 60mm macro lens.

(Mike Moats is sponsored by Tamron)

www.Tamron.com