Macro and More Workshop

Jack Graham and myself will be presenting our “Macro and More” workshop again this year, held in Oregon’s Columbia River Gorge and the Oregon Coast.  To see more details Click Here

Time To Scout

Winter in the north for macro photographers can be a bit challenging.  Basically every thing  is colorless which doesn’t sell very well for me.  Once every thing gets covered in snow it really limits what you can shoot.   This is the time of year when I do my scouting for the spring.  I get out and hike areas I haven’t been to before and make notes based on the terrain and any possible hot spots for the spring.  It’s good to be out and connected to the outdoors, keeps you in shape hiking for a couple hours a few days a week, and you may find a great new location.  I don’t carry my camera as I want to travel light during these scouting trips.   If I would happen upon something that would be worth shooting I can always come back with the camera.

THINK SPRING!

The Artist Statement

If you have displayed your photography at galleries or art shows you may have been asked to give an artist statement.  A written statement by an artist expressing their personal art philosophy.  If you’ve read some of the artist statements out there, they are usually written with some deep thought process that goes into creating their art, and I sometimes feel like the artists are trying to out do each other coming up with the most profound thought-provoking statements.  I will admit that I’ve tried to write mine in this form as I think people want to perceive the artist in this way.  I believe most of this is a lot of fluff and one of these days I going to write one that reads the way I really feel when I create my art.

Hi I’m Mike Moats, and I just like to take pretty pictures.

The End. 🙂

Ckeck out the Pro Advice link in the top right of this blog.

Only a few spots left for the Macro Boot Camp in March.

New Life for Your Old Light Table

Dig out and dust off your old light table and put it to use as backlighting for macro subjects.  When I started in photography in 2001 I bought a few nature magazines and noticed all the pros were using Velvia slide film,  so I used slide film which required me to buy a light table to view the slides. 

 I only shot film for three years and then made the change to digital.  The light tables has been dark until I found a use for it.  It works great for backlighting which creates a special look to your images.  You need subjects that are somewhat transparent for the best results.

Here is a group of Beech leaves I arranged on the light table and below is a Turkey feather I found in my local park. I added a drop of water to the feather to add a little interest.

See my new Pro Advice link in the top right side of the this blog.

Benefits Of Macro Photography In Nature

If you’re a nature photographer whose passion is in only shooting landscape or wildlife,  you maybe overlooking the many benefits that macro in nature has to offer.  You can start by using just one macro lens and have all kinds of fun, or if you become obsessed like me, then you can expand with more lenses.

Shooting close to home
There is an endless abundance of interesting subjects from your backyard to the local park systems.  With just a little fuel for your vehicle, a park pass and a few identification books, you’ll be on your way to finding what I call Tiny Landscapes.

One Lens
Macro doesn’t require that you have a lot of lenses.  I shot for many years with just one lens, and only within the last year did I  broaden my macro lens stable.

Subject matter changes every month
With the four seasons, we have an ever-changing environment month by month and sometimes day by day.  I can revisit the same areas every couple weeks and find  new subjects. It’s a constant cycle  evolving from life to death.

Shoot any time of day
Landscape and wildlife photographers have limited control over lighting and tend to shoot  early morning and late evening which offers the best light.  Because of the small subjects macro photographers work with, we have the ability to control our light by using  diffusers and reflectors, so we can shoot any time of the day.

Your own personal art
Every image that you view on my website is an original.  They are subjects that were  present for a brief moment in time, until the environment erased them forever, making them my own unique personal artwork.

Ten Favorites From 2009

I was looking over my images from 2009 and decide to pick my ten favorite images.

They are in no order as far as which ones I like best.

#1)  I’ve seen this type of shoot done before and went out one dewy morning with this image in mind.  I was lucky to find an interesting combination of grass and dew.  Placed the oxeyed dasiy in the background.

#2) We didn’t have a lot of frosty mornings this year, but I did catch one morning of frost and got this nice comp.

#3) I found this stump that had this interesting pattern and a hole that I liked, but I thought it needed a little color so I added these tiny flowers which I believe are called Morning Stars. They are only about three quarters of an inch and the area you see is maybe five by seven inches.

#4) This flower is from a May Apple plant.  The top is like a big leafy umbrella and a single flower grows under the umbrella.  I like the way this looks with a soft focus.

#5) Shot this bee on golden rod with the new Tamron 60mm macro lens, very nice fast shooting wide aperture lens.

#6) Shot this while co-teaching a workshop with Jack Graham in the Eastern Sierras.  It’s a trunk of a Briste Cone Pine tree.

#7) This shot was inspired by my photographer friend Jack Graham.  I had seen this comp done by Jack and liked it enough to shot my own.

#8) This was from a dewy morning when the fall color was pretty much gone, so I brought these flowers out with me with this comp in mind.  I like the contrast of the color against the muted leaves.  The dew adds a nice touch on the leaves.

#9) The color and condition of the Sumac bushes this year was awesome.  I’ve shots these many time with a lot of focus, but this year I decided I wanted a more soft abstract feel. The early morning sun was the bright backlighting.

#10) Here’s a cute beetle in some grass.

I was pretty happy with many of images I shot last year so had a tough time picking ten, Hope you liked them.

Winter Ice Abstracts

When December rolls in the cold weather here in the north I start getting excited to shoot abstracts in ice. The first ice is when these abstracts form. I find small streams in the woods where I live and follow the edges in search of this interesting artwork. It happens in the first ice formations at the edges of the streams. As the ice starts to thicken you lose the patterns. I shoot these using a longer focal length macro lens like the Tamron 180mm. You will be shooting from the bank and need the extra reach of the longer focal length. I shoot these in the highest f/stops to bring in all the details. Very cool stuff.

Once the stream ice thickens and I lose the cool patterns, I move to the lakes. Search out the edges of frozen lakes where fall leaves have blown into the lake and froze. On a warm sunny days you will get melted patterns in the ice above the leaves. You can shoot these with any macro lens  as you will be nice and close and you’ll be shooting a flat subject so just position your tripod directly over top of the leaf and shoot in the F/8 range.

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

 

Monthly Newsletter

Starting in the month of October I will be publishing a short monthly newsletter.  The newsletter will help you improve your macro work with  a monthy macro tip, photography equipment news, and and my updates for workshops, art shows and new products.

Click below and add your name to the email list.Click Here

Scary Day In The Swamp

I was out in the swamps this morning shooting the floating leaves. This was shot after my camera unhitch itself from the head and took a swan drive into the swamp water. My hand shot into the water like out of a canon, so the camera wasn’t submerged more than a fraction of a second. Had no towel to clean it so had to use my t-shirt. It seems to be working fine as this image was shot after the dunking. You can bet I was cranking on the knob that tightens the camera on the head after that.

Lensbaby’s New Fisheye Lens

Lensbaby introduced its new fisheye attachment today.  I had a chance to play with this lens last month and found it very interesting and a creative tool.  I only wish I had more time to spend with it but hopefully this month things slow a little so I’ll paly some more. Check it out at www.lensbaby.com

This top image made it on the lensbaby website (fisheye images) to promote the new lens.

 

Fun On The Rocks

Over Labor Day weekend I was in Harrisville, Michigan exhibiting at an art show.  I arrived Friday morning to set up, and I had the afternoon off to go out and do some shooting.  I was staying at a friends home during the show and we planed to head to an old light house on Lake Huron, where I wanted to shoot some of the colorful rocks off the point of the lighthouse.  We waded out into about a foot of the cold clear water and began shooting abstracts of the rocks.  The wave action that was hightlighted by the sunlight create interesting patterns as it distorted the colorful rocks.  I was shooting some macro images earlier with my Tamron 90mm macro and decide to use it when I ventured out for these images.  My settings for the three images were, f/8. shutter 1/2000, and ISO 1600.   The high shutter speed stop the movement of the waves and captured some interesting lines in the rocks.  In the last image I caught a wave that was just entering the frame.

 

 

Can’t Figure It Out

Won’t be long and I’ll be shooting some of these Milkweed seeds popping from their pods.  Fall is right around the corner as I felt it in the cool air this morning while out shooting.  Fall is my favorite time to shoot. 

If you’re wondering what it is I can’t figure out as the title says, it’s the mystery behind the business cards I give out at my art shows every weekend. At the beginning of each art show season I order thousand of business cards to give out at the shows. 

At the pace I’m going it looks like I’ll give away about five thousand cards by the end of the season in October.  It’s amazing how many people want a card to take home, what’s more  amazing is  out of all those cards taken I get no calls to place  print orders.  I’ve had only one sale so far this year from all those cards, and I don’t think anyone called and order anything last season. 

How can that many people take cards and yet have so little success in sales.  It puzzles me on why someone would take the time to come up to me and ask for a card and then throw it away when they get home.  I’m not the only one that this happens to, I have mentioned this to many other artist only to hear they have the same response to all the cards they hand out.   So it’s not just me. 

My sales this year are the best in four years since I started doing the shows.  It seems sales are based on impulse and if they don’t buy it at the show you’ve lost them once they leave, even if they have picked up a card at the show. 

You probably wonder why I bother to give out cards at the shows if the success rate of sales is so poor.  It’s because it’s more of a hassle to explain to the customer why I don’t carry cards then is  just to hand them one and have them on their way.  Once I forgot to bring cards to a show and people were actually upset because I didn’t have cards, taking the attitude you must not be much of a business man if you don’t have a business cards. If they only knew what a waste of money and time those business cards are. 

My wife is quilty of this, when she goes to an art show she picks up cards and never orders from those artist and when I ask her why she bothers to pick up a card, she has know idea. 

I know someone will read this and have a story about how a simple business card made them a big sale, but in my business they are pretty much useless.

Spring 2009 Macro and More Workshop

Take a moment and check out the images from our participants in the Oregon Macro and More Workshop in June 2009.

www.macroandmore.com

Macro Memorial Day Challenge

Here in southeast Michigan we had some great weather over the Memorial weekend so I decide to head out and shoot some images for the second annual Macro Memorial Day Challenge.  I am one of two moderators of the macro/flora gallery at www.Birdphotographer.net  (it’s isn’t just for birds) and my moderator partner Julie Kenward  issued the challenge.  You were supposed to shoot images at an aperture that you don’t normally shoot at.  I’m a stopped down f/32 freak and if you visit my website, www.tinylandscapes  you’ll see the majority of my images are full depth of field everything in focus.  So my challenge was to search out subjects and shoot wide open  with my Tamron 90mm macro lens. Shooting with this aperture setting will produce the nice soft blurred background with very limited depth of field on the main subject, sometimes creating a nice abstract look.  Here are some images from my Memorial Day shoot.

Found this little critter and set my focus on him and the shallow depth of field soften the grass and BG.

I set my focus on the very edge of the Mayapple flowers petal and let the rest soften with the wide open aperture.

Found this little dew drop poking sideways through the vertical grass. Place the focus point on the dew drop.

I thought this newly emerging Milkweed plant had a nice flow in the leaves. I focused on the flat leaf facing my camera. 

I liked how the light played thoughout these leaves.  I focused on the ant on the top leaf and the rest soften with the wide open aperture.  It’s hard to see the little ant on this small image size.

Nature Photographer Of The Week

Last week on the Essential Photo Gear blog I was honored to be featured as the Nature Photographer Of The Week.   Travis Peltz of Essential Photo Gear did the interview and did a nice job putting it all together, Thanks Travis!  Here is the link to the blog, http://essentialphotogear.com/blog/ Just scroll down to the post.

Presentation At Grosse Pointe Camera Club

Tomorrow night April 28th I will be speaking at the Grosse Pointe Camera Club in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.  My presentation with be The Four Seasons Of Macro.  the club meets between 7:00pm till 9:00pm.  The locations is at Brownell elementary school at 260 Chalfonte, Grosse Pointe, Michigan. Come and say hi.

Still Waiting On Spring

I got out to shoot last Thursday and did find a few late blooming bloodroot, but haven’t processed them yet.  Still lacking on new growth as the only thing showing was some coiled up Skunk Cabbage and a few emerging Mayapples.  I did get a little creative with an interesting formation on a stump I found last fall.  At the time I found it I shot it with some small white flowers I found in a field but wasn’t happy with the lack of color.  My wife had bought some flowers from the store call Sun Stars,  I carried them with me to use with this stump idea.  Shot both images with my Fuji S5 and a Tamron 90mm macro lens, f/stop at f/32 .

After I finished shooting this one I was heading back to the trail I came in on and found a large Turkey feather.  I always keep interesting finds as it could come in handy combining it with another subject.  I went to visit another downed tree trunk that also had some interesting patterns in the wood.  I combined the Turkey feather with this stump.  You sometimes have to use your imagination when waiting for spring to showed up.

In a few days I’ll post one of the Bloodroot flowers I shot on this day.

Macro Workshop, E-book

MACRO WORKSHOP / E-BOOK

 

My how-to Macro Workshop is now an e-book.  I’ve had hundreds attend my workshops here in Michigan and do have some come from out of state, but most can’t afford to travel across country to take a one day workshop, so now you can have the workshop e-book come to you.  

Course Covers

Equipment
Cameras
Lenses
Tripod And Head
Accessories 
Plamps
Diffusers
Reflectors
Camera Functions
White Balance
ISO
Shutter Release
Lighting
Composition
Rule of Thirds
Lines
Contrast
Textures
Light
Two Subject Comps
Color
Using All The Rules
Depth Of Field
Shallow Depth Of Field
Full Depth Of Field
Some Where In Between
Crowding The Main Subject
Viewing From All Angles
My Photoshop Tools

_________________________________________________________

E-book will be sent to you as a PDF for downloading once you order.

Cost $29.00

Order at www.MikeMoatsBooks.com

E-Book will be available by April 20th