*Macro-Beginners-Club
Showcasing Macro Photographers Shoutboard
Competition closed
~~~~~
There will only be two first places and two runners up,
plus an overall winner
The prizes from me will be ;
1st places- 3 month subs and a feature in my Journal for a week and of course features in the MBC journal.
A print of the submitted winning entry.
Runners up- 1 months sub and a feature in my journal plus a feature in the MBC journal.
Winners will also be featured at
Overall winner will receive a book by Ross Hoddinott (hopefully signed).
Great News Mr Ross Hoddinott has kindly said that he will judge the final images.
Ross is a renowned wildlife photographer and extremely knowledgeable in macro. I am extremely honoured that he has agreed to Judge this competition.
You can view his website here [link]
Any one wishing to donate prizes please note me.
When submitting an entry title it with "Competition Entry".
You may enter two submissions only.
Shoutbox
-
*CozyComfyCouch
- Happy Birthday!
Mon May 5, 2008, 1:44 PM -
~daleala
- MOO!!!!!!!!! Sat Apr 19, 2008, 5:30 AM
-
*wasp2
- mooo Sun Apr 13, 2008, 2:22 AM
-
*Macro-Beginners-Club
- fabulous
Thu Apr 10, 2008, 3:57 PM -
~ericviolin
- hi! i'm new here....and I'm already lovin' it! Tue Apr 8, 2008, 12:55 AM
-
~Wandasy
- hello
Sat Apr 5, 2008, 5:07 AM -
*mstargazer
- winner winner chicken dinner, can't wait for the contest Fri Apr 4, 2008, 7:26 PM
-
*seamanarts
- get clicking people great prizes to be had Fri Apr 4, 2008, 11:51 AM
-
~Mauricioluis
- hii!!!!!! Fri Mar 28, 2008, 12:58 PM
-
~FloreOrLeipi
- .. Thu Mar 27, 2008, 5:56 PM
-
~MuffYz
- Thu Mar 27, 2008, 12:17 PM
-
=Wulfi
Tue Mar 18, 2008, 1:38 PM-
=jetsetaphrodite
- come check out my macros...[link]
Sat Feb 16, 2008, 9:45 PM -
*SangheiliSniper
- Hmmmmmmmm......I'm going to join this club >3 Thu Feb 7, 2008, 12:11 PM
-
*Macro-Beginners-Club
Mon Feb 4, 2008, 12:51 PM-
*wasp2
Mon Feb 4, 2008, 9:02 AM-
~FloreOrLeipi
P helloooooo Mon Jan 28, 2008, 9:28 PM-
*Vapour-Trail
- Just sent a note to join! Sat Jan 26, 2008, 2:25 AM
-
~PandaBearEyes
- quiet shout box
Wed Jan 23, 2008, 6:11 PM -
~PandaBearEyes
- hey everyone!! check out some of my macro work!!! Mon Jan 14, 2008, 8:16 AM
Recent Journal Entries
should MBC change how we submit your photos
73%
43 deviants said No, I like the way things are
20%
12 deviants said yes (make your suggestion heard)
7%
4 deviants said Other (please state)
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An Interview with dalantech-UPDATED
Journal Entry: Fri May 16, 2008, 7:08 AM
I came across another indepth interview by 
(mbc member) also known as 
You can read the interview here [link]
Also whilst perusing Anna's gallery I found some wonderful photography work, look out for a future feature on this wonderful lady
An Interview with dalantech
Often, I peruse the DA galleries looking for something that makes me go 'WOW that's just fab'. Secretly Im jealous of course
and hope that one day, maybe, I could be that good .
So cheekily as I often am, I asked *dalantech to share with the MBC members on how he gets such fantastic photo's.
Before I go on I would like to thank *dalantech for letting me have this opportunity to ask some questions on his fabulous photography work and for sharing them here for the MBC members.
When did you first become interested in photography?
I first became interested in photography in the summer of 1989 while in Singapore (I was in the US Navy at the time). I took a lot of terrible photos, but fortunately one of my friends, Eddy Lohram, was an experience photographer who shot with a medium format Hasselblad camera and he taught me basic composition and how the quality of the light affects the color and contrast in a scene.
Are you self taught or did you go to classes?
Self taught for the most part, unfortunately. I’d love to take some classes on photography but have never had the time or opportunity.
What equipment did you start off with and what equipment do you use now?
I started off shooting with a Minolta SLR (initially print film but Eddy got me to use color positive slides –I still love the look of Fujichrome Velvia!) and today I use a Canon 40D DSLR. For the past 18 months I’ve taken all of my macro images (1x and higher magnification) with a Canon MPE-65mm macro lens.
Your photography and macro skills are perfect by far, are you one of the lucky ones who gets a good shot first time or do you spend a long time setting up for a good shot and are they a planned shoot?
If my images were perfect I’d be able to quit my day job
John you are too modest
I take 99.9% of my photos out in the field, and in a lot of cases in weather that most people wouldn’t shoot in, so it’s just not possible to nail every image. Because of the subjects I photograph I can’t use a tripod; they slow me down too much and, if properly used, it will only freeze my motion. But a tripod can’t stop the motion in the scene ( the critter might move and the wind is a constant problem) so for my style of photography I just get the flash, an MT-24EX, as close to the subject as I can and I rely on an insanely short flash duration to freeze the motion for me. In fact there is a lot of similarity between stop motion photography and my macro work. Bracing the camera, or an elbow on a knee, also helps and the “kneepod” is easier to setup and take down
Have you any hints or tips for a beginner starting out in macro photography that may help them when they are out in the field so to speak.
Absolutely! I like teaching almost as much as I like photography and I’ve posted several tutorials in my gallery as Deviations. I have them listed in the shoutboard on my journal: [link]
For anyone who is interested in the differences between the two Canon macro flashes I have a article on the MR-14EX verses the MT-24EX as well:
Have you a favorite photographer who inspires you to take photos of certain subjects.
My mentor and inspiration in macro has been Professor Mark Plonsky: [link] When I was just starting out Mark would push me to take my photography to new limits and I have him to thank for a lot of the images in my gallery!
What is your favorite macro shot that you have taken?
I went out looking for solitary bees in the early spring because I know that the rapidly changing weather, and temperatures, can slow them down. I found some Miner Bees, and although I shot them up to five times life size this twice life size image is my favorite
I was shooting right after a rain storm had come through the town where I live and the bee’s wet hair made for some very unique images.
What are your goals in the photography world and what inspires you to take good macro photos?
My goal is simple: To be better today than I was the day before. I’m constantly pushing myself just to see what I can do.
My inspiration is the sense of wonder I get when I see something through a macro lens that I just can’t see with the naked eye –and it’s only topped by being able to share it with other people
Have you ever had a photo published if not would you like to have your work displayed or published and if so where?
None of my work has ever been published in a magazine –although National Geographic did call me once last year. I had submitted a shot of a solitary bee to their monthly Your Best Shot contest and they were looking for an image of a honey bee to use for a one page piece on Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). At the time I had very few honey bee images and what I had just wasn’t National Geographic quality –so I lost out. I made a point of hooking up with a bee keeper a few months later to correct the deficiency in my honey bee photos
I did have two images published on the NASA Earth Observatory web site in this article, oddly enough, on CCD: [link]
Thanks so much for that interesting interview, I am sure I speak for every one when I say that a lot can be learnt here, I know I shall be looking at your tutorials for future references.
More interviews will be lined up shortly, look out YOU may just be next
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(mbc member) also known as You can read the interview here [link]
Also whilst perusing Anna's gallery I found some wonderful photography work, look out for a future feature on this wonderful lady
An Interview with dalantech
Often, I peruse the DA galleries looking for something that makes me go 'WOW that's just fab'. Secretly Im jealous of course
and hope that one day, maybe, I could be that good .So cheekily as I often am, I asked *dalantech to share with the MBC members on how he gets such fantastic photo's.
Before I go on I would like to thank *dalantech for letting me have this opportunity to ask some questions on his fabulous photography work and for sharing them here for the MBC members.
When did you first become interested in photography?
I first became interested in photography in the summer of 1989 while in Singapore (I was in the US Navy at the time). I took a lot of terrible photos, but fortunately one of my friends, Eddy Lohram, was an experience photographer who shot with a medium format Hasselblad camera and he taught me basic composition and how the quality of the light affects the color and contrast in a scene.
Are you self taught or did you go to classes?
Self taught for the most part, unfortunately. I’d love to take some classes on photography but have never had the time or opportunity.
What equipment did you start off with and what equipment do you use now?
I started off shooting with a Minolta SLR (initially print film but Eddy got me to use color positive slides –I still love the look of Fujichrome Velvia!) and today I use a Canon 40D DSLR. For the past 18 months I’ve taken all of my macro images (1x and higher magnification) with a Canon MPE-65mm macro lens.
Your photography and macro skills are perfect by far, are you one of the lucky ones who gets a good shot first time or do you spend a long time setting up for a good shot and are they a planned shoot?
If my images were perfect I’d be able to quit my day job
John you are too modest
I take 99.9% of my photos out in the field, and in a lot of cases in weather that most people wouldn’t shoot in, so it’s just not possible to nail every image. Because of the subjects I photograph I can’t use a tripod; they slow me down too much and, if properly used, it will only freeze my motion. But a tripod can’t stop the motion in the scene ( the critter might move and the wind is a constant problem) so for my style of photography I just get the flash, an MT-24EX, as close to the subject as I can and I rely on an insanely short flash duration to freeze the motion for me. In fact there is a lot of similarity between stop motion photography and my macro work. Bracing the camera, or an elbow on a knee, also helps and the “kneepod” is easier to setup and take down
Have you any hints or tips for a beginner starting out in macro photography that may help them when they are out in the field so to speak.
Absolutely! I like teaching almost as much as I like photography and I’ve posted several tutorials in my gallery as Deviations. I have them listed in the shoutboard on my journal: [link]
For anyone who is interested in the differences between the two Canon macro flashes I have a article on the MR-14EX verses the MT-24EX as well:
Have you a favorite photographer who inspires you to take photos of certain subjects.
My mentor and inspiration in macro has been Professor Mark Plonsky: [link] When I was just starting out Mark would push me to take my photography to new limits and I have him to thank for a lot of the images in my gallery!
What is your favorite macro shot that you have taken?
I went out looking for solitary bees in the early spring because I know that the rapidly changing weather, and temperatures, can slow them down. I found some Miner Bees, and although I shot them up to five times life size this twice life size image is my favorite
I was shooting right after a rain storm had come through the town where I live and the bee’s wet hair made for some very unique images.
What are your goals in the photography world and what inspires you to take good macro photos?
My goal is simple: To be better today than I was the day before. I’m constantly pushing myself just to see what I can do.
My inspiration is the sense of wonder I get when I see something through a macro lens that I just can’t see with the naked eye –and it’s only topped by being able to share it with other people
Have you ever had a photo published if not would you like to have your work displayed or published and if so where?
None of my work has ever been published in a magazine –although National Geographic did call me once last year. I had submitted a shot of a solitary bee to their monthly Your Best Shot contest and they were looking for an image of a honey bee to use for a one page piece on Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). At the time I had very few honey bee images and what I had just wasn’t National Geographic quality –so I lost out. I made a point of hooking up with a bee keeper a few months later to correct the deficiency in my honey bee photos
I did have two images published on the NASA Earth Observatory web site in this article, oddly enough, on CCD: [link]
Thanks so much for that interesting interview, I am sure I speak for every one when I say that a lot can be learnt here, I know I shall be looking at your tutorials for future references.
More interviews will be lined up shortly, look out YOU may just be next
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Winners of the Spring competition
Advanced
Winner:
Not letting you go
by =passionheart
Runner-up:
King Wasp
by *craftworker
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beginners:
Winner:
Real
by =xNighty
Runner-up:
Dogwood blossom
by =jetsetaphrodite
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Overall Winner:
flower3
by ~chriskaula
This is what Ross said;
'I felt the overall standard of both categories was very good, but, after much deliberation, I opted for this image as it is a well executed shot, nicely composed and very artistic. Well done to everyone'.
Winner:
Not letting you go
by =passionheartRunner-up:
King Wasp
by *craftworker~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beginners:
Winner:
Real
by =xNightyRunner-up:
Dogwood blossom
by =jetsetaphrodite~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Overall Winner:
flower3
by ~chriskaulaThis is what Ross said;
'I felt the overall standard of both categories was very good, but, after much deliberation, I opted for this image as it is a well executed shot, nicely composed and very artistic. Well done to everyone'.
Our support stamp 
MBC Admin*seamanarts
Submissions Admin*dielaughing007 & :*Dirzha
Membership Admin=Danelaw
Features *geroliva
Co-Founders~Mr-Gizmo =DigitalDreamers
PLEASE DO NOT FAV/COLLECT ON THE CLUB SUBMISSIONS Current Subscription donated by *seamanarts
- Mood:
Love
This Weeks Features
Journal Entry: Mon May 12, 2008, 12:37 AM
This weeks Features. 
~~~~~
Winners of the Spring competition
Advanced
Winner:
Not letting you go
by =passionheart
Runner-up:
King Wasp
by *craftworker
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beginners:
Winner:
Real
by =xNighty
Runner-up:
Dogwood blossom
by =jetsetaphrodite
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Overall Winner:
flower3
by ~chriskaula
This is what Ross said;
'I felt the overall standard of both categories was very good, but, after much deliberation, I opted for this image as it is a well executed shot, nicely composed and very artistic. Well done to everyone'.
Winner:
Not letting you go
by =passionheartRunner-up:
King Wasp
by *craftworker~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beginners:
Winner:
Real
by =xNightyRunner-up:
Dogwood blossom
by =jetsetaphrodite~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Overall Winner:
flower3
by ~chriskaulaThis is what Ross said;
'I felt the overall standard of both categories was very good, but, after much deliberation, I opted for this image as it is a well executed shot, nicely composed and very artistic. Well done to everyone'.
Our support stamp MBC Admin*seamanarts
Submissions Admin*dielaughing007 & :*Dirzha
Membership Admin=Danelaw
Features ~geroliva
Co-Founders~Mr-Gizmo =DigitalDreamers
PLEASE DO NOT FAV/COLLECT ON THE CLUB SUBMISSIONS Current Subscription donated by *seamanarts
- Mood: Love
New Admin
Journal Entry: Sun May 11, 2008, 12:50 AM
Please join me in welcoming the new admin to MBC,
These are;
who will be helping with submissionsand
who will be helping out with weekly features.The club is getting bigger and busier by the day and Its great
Winners of the Spring competition
Advanced
Winner:
Not letting you go
by =passionheart
Runner-up:
King Wasp
by *craftworker
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beginners:
Winner:
Real
by =xNighty
Runner-up:
Dogwood blossom
by =jetsetaphrodite
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Overall Winner:
flower3
by ~chriskaula
This is what Ross said;
'I felt the overall standard of both categories was very good, but, after much deliberation, I opted for this image as it is a well executed shot, nicely composed and very artistic. Well done to everyone'.
Winner:
Not letting you go
by =passionheartRunner-up:
King Wasp
by *craftworker~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beginners:
Winner:
Real
by =xNightyRunner-up:
Dogwood blossom
by =jetsetaphrodite~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Overall Winner:
flower3
by ~chriskaulaThis is what Ross said;
'I felt the overall standard of both categories was very good, but, after much deliberation, I opted for this image as it is a well executed shot, nicely composed and very artistic. Well done to everyone'.
Our support stamp MBC Admin*seamanarts
Submissions Admin*dielaughing007 & :*Dirzha
Membership Admin=Danelaw
Features ~geroliva
Co-Founders~Mr-Gizmo =DigitalDreamers
PLEASE DO NOT FAV/COLLECT ON THE CLUB SUBMISSIONS Current Subscription donated by *seamanarts
- Mood: Love
The Results are in
Journal Entry: Sat May 10, 2008, 4:57 AM
Well done all, the results are in.
Can all the winners send me an email with their address and a large res picture of their winning photo so I can get them printed and sent to you
Send all emails to this email address wendy@seamanarts.co.uk and not in a note in here
title the email 'Winning photo'
Your subs will be done over the next few hours, at the latest will be done tomorrow. and features will be done over the next week.
Again well done all its been a great competition with some fabulous photos, look forward to the next one in July.
Advanced
Winner:
Not letting you go
by =passionheart
Runner-up:
King Wasp
by *craftworker
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beginners:
Winner:
Real
by =xNighty
Runner-up:
Dogwood blossom
by =jetsetaphrodite
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Overall Winner:
flower3
by ~chriskaula
This is what Ross said;
'I felt the overall standard of both categories was very good, but, after much deliberation, I opted for this image as it is a well executed shot, nicely composed and very artistic. Well done to everyone'.
Winner:
Not letting you go
by =passionheartRunner-up:
King Wasp
by *craftworker~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beginners:
Winner:
Real
by =xNightyRunner-up:
Dogwood blossom
by =jetsetaphrodite~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Overall Winner:
flower3
by ~chriskaulaThis is what Ross said;
'I felt the overall standard of both categories was very good, but, after much deliberation, I opted for this image as it is a well executed shot, nicely composed and very artistic. Well done to everyone'.
Our support stamp MBC Admin*seamanarts
Submissions Admin*dielaughing007
Membership Admin=Danelaw
Co-Founders~Mr-Gizmo =DigitalDreamers
PLEASE DO NOT FAV/COLLECT ON THE CLUB SUBMISSIONS Current Subscription donated by *seamanarts
- Mood: Love
Looking for another gallery Admin
Journal Entry: Thu May 8, 2008, 10:15 PM
Unfortunately ~Mauricioluis has had to leave us due to school work, so the postition of Gallery Admin is now open. send us a note if you wish to fill this position.
Thanks
wendy *seamanarts Admin to MBC
Our support stamp MBC Admin*seamanarts
Submissions Admin*dielaughing007
Membership Admin=Danelaw
Co-Founders~Mr-Gizmo =DigitalDreamers
PLEASE DO NOT FAV/COLLECT ON THE CLUB SUBMISSIONS ~~~~~~******~~~~~~
Current Subscription donated by *seamanarts
- Mood: Love