Tag Archives: close-ups

Tips for Photographing Flowers

I photographed this tulip in my yard using a Nikon Z7 and 105mm f/2.8 AFS G VR micro-Nikkor lens.

Spring into flower photography this month!

Spring is here (finally) and flowers are popping up everywhere! This is the perfect time to capture the delicate details and colors of flowers. Whether you shoot wildflowers outdoors, or even just floral arrangements on your kitchen table, here are some ideas to help you get better shots.

Continue reading Tips for Photographing Flowers

Colorado Wildflowers!

Columbine near Kebler Pass, CO
Columbine near Kebler Pass, CO

I’m back from leading a workshop to the Colorado high country, where we took a group of 8 photographers on a wildflower photography safari.

On the trip, we photographed the wonderful wildflowers around Crested Butte, Colorado. This year was particularly spectacular, as we’ve had unusually wet weather in Colorado.

During the workshop, we not only covered macro techniques, but we also examined the role of complimentary colors, backgrounds, and composition. The area around Crested Butte was perfect for all kinds of photography, from close-ups to landscapes. Everyone came away with a tremendous number of awesome photographs!

Thanks for looking!

See all my future photo workshops and tours here.

Columbine, Crested Butte, CO
Columbine, Crested Butte, CO

Lupine, Kebler Pass, CO
Lupine, Kebler Pass, CO

Nikon 1 for Macro Photography

The Nikon 1 system, when coupled with a macro lens, offers excellent opportunities for close-up photography.

One really fun application of the Nikon 1 system is for macro photography. The 2.7x crop CX format sensor offers some significant advantages to the close-up photographer, including:

  • Greater apparent depth of field
  • Longer working distances
  • Extra magnification when using true macro lenses

All of these points are important with close-up photography. Macro photographers can use all the depth of field they can get, and having a longer working distance means you don’t have to shove your lens right up against your subject. I got an email from a colleague the other day asking if I had any recommendations for a Nikon 1 macro kit, so I thought I’d test out the one macro lens I have: the 105mm f/2.8 AFS G VR micro-Nikkor. Continue reading Nikon 1 for Macro Photography