Kevin W. Hammond |
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Set up for still life photography
What is a typical lens focal length and subject distance used for still life photography?I've been attempting some still life lately and I keep wanting to use either a macro lens or extension tubes in order to "fill the frame." A small part of me thinks that maybe I should be cropping during post processing more, but doing so means an overall degredation in image resolution. Any advice is welcome!
April 18, 2005
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Michael H. Cothran |
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It is difficult, no impossible, to answer your inquiry without knowing how large your subject matter is. Whatever it takes to fill the frame (and you should fill the frame).
Michael H. Cothran
www.mhcphoto.net
April 18, 2005
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Kevin W. Hammond |
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Here are some recent items that I've been working on: 1) A silver ring (that you'd wear on a finger)
2) A towel (going for texture)
3) A cross-section of an acoustic guitar My sense is that these are generally small items and therefore warrant macro photography, rather than something like a vase of flowers that is going to be proportionally larger.
April 18, 2005
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Michael H. Cothran |
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Your assessment is correct. These items, including the vase of flowers, would best be photographed with a true macro lens - especially the ring. The ring, being the smallest, would require the most close-up power. Most modern macros have 1:1 capability, and older macros that only went to 1:2 usually came with a dedicated extender to reach 1:1. And most major brand cameras offer macros in normal (50-60mm), and 2X (90-105mm) versions. Nikon also offers a superb 200mm macro, and Canon has a 180mm.
Again, ALWAYS fill the frame as much as possible, and use as much of the image as possible. Do not crop in post-editing (or at least keep it to a minimum), as you will be greatly reducing your image quality in doing so.
Short of this, I'm not quite sure yet what you are asking, but if I haven't answered your actual inquiry yet, let me know.
Michael H. Cothran
www.mhcphoto.net
April 18, 2005
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