DSLR Lens Question?

Question:I have a Cannon Rebel xti (EOS) and I recently purchased a MACRO LENS 60mm 1:2.8
I am a (true) beginner at photography (only taken a 36 hour couse on intro to DSLR at a local college).....any tips for me on how to use this new lens? Suggestions on what to photograph (other than a flower)?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I have a Cannon Rebel xti (EOS) and I recently purchased a MACRO LENS 60mm 1:2.8
I am a (true) beginner at photography (only taken a 36 hour couse on intro to DSLR at a local college).....any tips for me on how to use this new lens? Suggestions on what to photograph (other than a flower)?

Congratulations on your new lens, Laura. :)

If you go to adorama.com and click on AIRC (Adorama Imaging Resource Center) you'll find an interesting article on macro photography.

I have an old book (circa 1983) titled "Adventures In Closeup Photography: Rediscovering Familiar Environments Through Details" by Lief Ericksenn & Els Sincebaugh. You might want to buy a copy since it goes into great detail about the fascinating world of macro photography.

I have several examples of macro photography on flickr under drifter45h.

-- Use a tripod or flash...otherwise you may get blur

-- Use a small aperture (f11 or so) to maintain depth of field

-- Focus is crucial...turn off the autofocus and do it manually or by moving the camera back and forth

-- Shoot bugs! I love bug pix

-- Remember, macro lenses are also great lenses for everyday shooting

Have fun and good luck.
V

A macro lens is great. Mine is comparable to yours, Canon 100 mm f 2.8 Macro (on Canon 5D) The 3rd one is "life size", as in 1:1.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2089/2334...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2261/2333...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2074/2333...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2026/2298...

and perfect for portrait (all except the 2nd one), as it works like a 96 mm lens on your cropped sensor camera.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2116/2342...

Bugs man. Bugs are fascinating things when you get a close look at them. But most people are unaware of this. Take some close up sharp pictures of some bugs, and check em out. Fun

Just go nuts and experiment for a while. Get to know the limitations and the "sweet spot" of the lens.

You have good technical answers above, so I won't add to them. I'm just going to give you a link to 40 or so macro images that might give you some ideas...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstei...