macro photography help

[habeeb]

Hi guys, let me explain my situation.

I want to get some close up close up photos of like a couple trichomes. I want the really really close up photos!!

I have a canon 5D and have the macro lens 1-5X. and have a tripod and the light ring for close up photos, and a adjuster ( the screw kind to focus). the lens only goes so far, and gives me nothing what I want in extreme close up! how do you get the pictures like of trichome heads?

basically, what other lens / attachments do I need to buy to get that close up of shooting? also what light do I buy to see what I'm shooting at as I'm having a hard time lighting up what I'm trying to take a photo of. also a link would be good to a great photo place as I have no photo place around me..

also how do people setup there space? I am trying to get the camera pointed straight down tot he ground. how should the camera and the object be placed to take photos of extreme close up?

thanks for any info guys. you can see I'm a noob, but don't have alot of time to practice or read up on camera stuff..

 

[enojadoperro]

I think to get the super close up shots of trichs they use a USB microscope.
Shots like this were done with a microscope,

Shots like this (I'm sure yours are better) is just a point and shoot camera,

This is supposed to be a good site for camera equipment, http://www.adorama.com
They talk about macro shots in the flower pix section, maybe they'll have some more advice, http://www.icmag.com/ic/forumdisplay.php?f=25

 

[DoobieDuck]

Habeeb if you look in this forum you'll find a couple other threads on macro shooting..I commented in this one: http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=142172 good luck..let us know if you need more info..DD

 

[B. Self Reliant]

I know you said that you don't have the time to read and learn about this stuff, and I realize that you have spent a lot on gear, so this might not be what you want to hear:

EXPENSIVE GEAR WILL NOT MAKE YOU A BETTER PHOTOGRAPHER, & IT WILL NOT MAKE GETTING THE SHOTS YOU WANT ANY EASIER. THINK OF THE GEAR AS THE PREREQUISITE TO GREAT SHOTS. IT"S NECESSARY BUT THERE'S MUCH MORE TO IT THAN THAT!

There's a reason that some folks pay anywhere from $5,000 to $25,000 for a wedding photographer. If anyone could read a book and buy $10,000 worth of gear, then turn around and charge $10,000/day for their day rate, why wouldn't everyone do it? I'm not trying to get you down, you just need to understand that what you're trying to do is what some people do for a living, and spend a lifetime working towards perfecting.

That having been said, here's some tips. The angle of the shot will depend on what you want in the background. With the ring flash you talk about, that will provide very even light on the front of your subject, and that's important, but if you want a killer shot, experiment with the background. Place a background flash behind the subject to make it pop out of an otherwise black background, or use something colorful behind your subject. Of course, you'll probably need to light whatever the background will be, because otherwise it'll just go black most of the time. Learn your lighting ratios if the ring flash alone isn't working for you. If you want great prints I recommend Bay Photo in Santa Cruz. Great prices, service and their print quality is second to none. . . literally. If you get a shot you really like, buy a 20"x30" metallic thinwrap from them. They look amazing and they don't need a frame.

Good luck.