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Going Macro With A Big Lens

Don’t get me wrong – I love my big lens. My primary lens for bird photography is the Canon 800mm, which serves as a real workhorse. However, there are times while using that lens that I get frustrated. One of the lens’ limiting factors is its minimum focus distance. I can’t bring any subject closer than 16 feet into focus, which means that very small things (for example, hummingbirds) still appear fairly small in frame. What to do about this limitation? Enter the extension tube!

An anna's hummingbird pauses from its rapid flight to warm itself in the sun
An anna’s hummingbird pauses from its rapid flight to warm itself in the sun

Recently I took an out of town colleague to some of my favorite local bird sites. We found an area rife with anna’s hummingbirds, zipping this way and that, and generally causing a ruckus as they battled each other over territory. I took some shots, but couldn’t get close enough to these little creatures to fill the frame. I resolved to come back the following day, this time armed with my full array of extension tubes.

Luckily the hummingbirds were still there, sparring and resting, and this time in beautiful light. I wanted to get as close as possible, so I stacked three tubes together and placed them in between my camera body and lens. This allowed me to get as close as about 10-12 feet away from the birds, finally filling my frame. Creeping closer yet, I wanted to push my extension tubes to their limit, and was able to get the image below.

An anna's hummingbird perches on a small branch and opens its beak
An anna’s hummingbird perches on a small branch and opens its beak

Extension tubes have no optics in them, and can even be in the form of cardboard – no electronics required! My tubes happen to have small contacts that still allow me to use my lens’ autofocus system, albeit much slower than normal.

The principal of an extension tube is to move the rear focusing element of the lens further away from the focal point, which in today’s world means the camera’s digital sensor. The effect is that the lens’ minimum focus distance is reduced, allowing the entire rig to move closer to the subject while keeping it in focus. The downside is that with extension tubes attached, the lens will no longer be able to focus to infinity.

In comparison to most photography gear, extension tubes are relatively cheap. I have a set of Kenko tubes that stack together. If you ever want to dabble in macro photography, I recommend first getting a (cheap) set to tubes before spending bigger bucks on dedicated macro lens. Yes, the macro lens will give you better quality, but a set of extension tubes will allow you to bring your entire collection of lenses into the macro world.

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Sonoma Coast Sunrise

Dawn breaks over the rolling hills of the Sonoma Coast
Dawn breaks over the rolling hills of the Sonoma Coast

A little while ago a friend and I were out near Bodega, shooting sunrise along the Sonoma coast. Because we were getting some morning fog rolling inland, any kind of shoot along the water was a no go, and we headed into the rolling hills just off the ocean. Here we had great views to the south as the sun side-lit the undulating farmland, punctuated by scattered forest.

The early rays of sun peak through a dissipating fog along the Sonoma Coast
The early rays of sun peak through a dissipating fog along the Sonoma Coast

I love opportunities to shoot fog, whether it is filtering through trees, or defining separation between mountains or hills. The added atmosphere can lend a certain drama to the photo.

Once the sun had risen, I chose to shoot directly into it, knowing the fog would help filter the direct light.

The early rays of sun peak through a dissipating fog along the Sonoma Coast
The early rays of sun peak through a dissipating fog along the Sonoma Coast

Here I loved the way the fog helped the trees separate into layers. I worked the composition and exposure, trying to balance the direct sun, low contrast fog, and back-lit grasses so that they could all add elements to the same photo. Once I was satisfied with some of the larger elements of the landscape, I moved into the macro realm to capture detail.

The rising sun backlights the golden grasses of a Sonoma Coast hillside
The rising sun backlights the golden grasses of a Sonoma Coast hillside

The back-lit grass itself captured my attention and demanded further photographic exploration. Moving from a small aperture to a very large one gave me the ability to amplify the fine detail of only the few grasses that remained in focus. The rest of the grass blended into a nice evenly colored backdrop.

Soon the sun had risen higher and the fog began to burn off in the rapidly warming day. I packed up my gear, happy for the fog that forced us up into the hills.

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Recent Publication – Outdoor Photographer Cover

The annual Landscape Special issue of Outdoor Photographer is out, with a featured shot of the Mesquite Dunes of Death Valley by yours truly.
The annual Landscape Special issue of Outdoor Photographer is out, with a featured shot of the Mesquite Dunes of Death Valley by yours truly.

Outdoor Photographer’s annual landscape special has just come out, with a cover shot front and center by yours truly. It was great to see my shot featured on the cover of this premier national photography magazine, on what is traditionally their best selling issue of the year. To have my photo appear along side those from masters such as Frans Lanting and James Kay is an honor.

The Mesquite Dunes stretch across the valley just north of Stovepipe Wells, Death Valley National Park
The Mesquite Dunes stretch across the valley just north of Stovepipe Wells, Death Valley National Park

I took this shot of the Mesquite Dunes just before sunset in the spring of 2012. I was drawn to this composition by the intensity of the sand patterns. Since they were the real story in this shot, I emphasized the foreground to allow the pattern to take up about 5/6 of the frame. However, I wanted to give it some context, so instead of creating a sand wave abstract, I included the horizon line with the dunes and mountains beyond.

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Happy Easter

A western brush rabbit crouches in the long grass, trying to stay hidden
A western brush rabbit crouches in the long grass, trying to stay hidden

May all of you have a wonderful Easter with your loved ones. Thank you for following me on my exploration of some of the wonderful gifts we have in our lives.