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Thanks for the feedback guys - certainly not my best but I have been out of the macro game for a few months and I am testing a new lightling setup.
Robert - the other tip I gave Tony was to get the lighting right. Natural light looks nice but it is hard to get the right conditions and have the shutter at a speed high enough to stop camera shake (and subject movement) while still having a small enough apeture to have most of the subject in focus (especially at 1:1). The solution is a flash - so I sent Tony to get his (I don't think he has posted any of his flashless shots above).
I usually set the camera to M for manual control, then set the shutter to around 1/200sec to allow full illumination with the flash (any quicker and you will require 2nd Curtain flash or strobing) and then depending on the ambient conditions I dial in an apeture (usually between f9 and f20) to provide a reasonable exposure and a workable depth of field. A few test shots will help you set the apeture. If you have a reasonable flash you can also play with the power of the flash to get the exposure right - there is no set rule with these, just need to test with the ambient for correct exposure. It is also a good idea (almost essential) to difuse the flash light. I have been using the basic plastic cover diffuser over my 580EXII, but recently I brought a softbox and last Sunday was my first use of this in any anger. I still have a bit to learn about the settings (balance between apeture and flash power) and that is why my keeper rate was down, but overall I am happy with this setup with the flash giving a very natural unflashed look without too many highlights.
All my shots were with the 100 f2.8 ... absolutely my favourite lens
When is the next gathering?
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