melev

Here are a few further attempts to get some crazy close-up macro shots, using the extension tubes. It would be so nice to do this side by side with another person that has used them as well. Processing is a big challenge as well. I'm not going to go overboard doing this all the time, but I want to do so from time to time and hopefully improve this skill set.

Acropora sp.

Birdsnest branches.

Birdsnest ...

Now that I'm nearly completely caught up from all the orders that were placed over the holidays, it's nice to feel a moment of relaxation. I totally expected a serious lull in business from Christmas to New Years, but it was quite the opposite. I went to spend time with family in Arizona, and the entire time I was away orders kept rolling in. I've spent all my time trying to get everything built, packed and shipped and stressed about it the entire time.

The reef is doing very well. ...

Oops, guess this hammer frag got a little too close to the Acanthastrea echinata. All that remains is a stick, the skeletal mass the polyp used to inhabit. The white whispy stuff is what the acan to the right didn't consume.

While the camera was out, I figured I might as well try to get a few fish shots. The 50mm f/1.8 lens is fast, and coupled with a flash I had a feeling I'd get a few nice images for y'all.

...

After publishing my article about the extension tubes, I got some immediate feedback and a few suggestions to apply. Gary Parr of ReefThreads offered to take a look at one of my RAW files, the original photo taken of an acan. I emailed him the 12 meg file so he could see what I was working with, and he replied with excellent pointers for me to try next. He also included a cleaned up version of my picture:

The first thing I noticed was that ...

For a long time now, I've followed discussion of extension tubes for macro photography. And a few years ago, I looked up what they cost and quickly dismissed them. However, in the back of my mind, I kept thinking "what if those are really what I need to get these stellar macro shots?"

Probably a year ago, I considered getting them again. I talked to someone that had them, and to someone else that had used some... one person said I could use the cheap plastic tubes (less than $10) ...