Earlier today I was chasing the cat back inside when I noticed pretty little purple flowers in the grass. I thought about grabbing my 50mm lens and close up filters to take some shots of them, but I was lazy and decided not to.
I knew that decision would come back to bite me in the butt.
A short while later, I read that Faith’s Simplicity Photo Challenge this week is Macros and I changed my mind! I don’t think I’ve ever participated in Faith’s photo challenge before and the fact that I was already thinking of a macro shot sealed the deal.
While it’s absolutely no substitute for a macro lens, I got these close up filters on Amazon.com for about $12! It comes with a nice little wallet to hold the four magnification filters which can be stacked on top of one another. I’ve heard a lot of professionals say ugly things about close up filters, but it’s given me hours of enjoyment and produced some really interesting results. I’d buy another set in a heartbeat!
I’d really love to have a macro lens, but until I have a couple hundred dollars in disposable income I can throw at my camera (i.e. likely not any time soon) these filters are an awesomely cheap substitute.
Here’s the best photo I was able to get. The wind was blowing and even with using a higher aperture value (the below shot is f/7.1) the depth of field is crazy insane when using the close up filters. Each little flower is smaller than the size of a pencil eraser. Certainly not the sharpest macro on the planet, but again, for $12, I am not complaining!
To see how tiny these flowers actually are, you can check out a picture of me holding them. Teeny tiny!
Twitter: @AshleyRSisk
Ya know – I have a macro lens and I think that shot turned out awesome. In fact, I’m off to look at these filters. Might be a nice thing to throw in the old camera bag.
Twitter: @PhotoLynda
Thanks Ashley. Best $12 I ever spent on my photography, I’ll tell you that!
Twitter: @speedymom
I love those filters. After you shared about them last year I put them on my wish list and bought them a few months ago. They are so fun!
That is a great shot!
Twitter: @PhotoLynda
Thanks Kristal! I really wasn’t expect to love them as much as I do since they were so cheap, but they’re a lot of fun!
I just bought those filters. I’ve only used them a couple of times and so far I think they work great. I have a macro lens but I thought these would be great to keep with me when I’m out in case I find something that begs a close up. Your macro is wonderful. It’s so sharp and the light is pretty. Great job!
Twitter: @PhotoLynda
Thanks Deb!
Twitter: @naptimemomtog
Wow! Awesome photo. I will have to look into those!
Twitter: @PhotoLynda
Thanks Sarah! They’re pretty cool! Almost too cheap NOT to get!
Twitter: @kg_photography
Lynda! This is gorgeous!!! Fantastic job! I have a couple of macro lenses, but I’m tempted to check out those filters you mentioned.
I bought two eons ago when a camera store was going out of business, but they bite. *smile*
Twitter: @PhotoLynda
Thank you Kimberly!
I remember you mentioning that about the close-up filters before. I could rattle off some complaints about these, but the benefits outweigh the cons.
A COUPLE OF MACRO LENSES!?! I’m so jealous.
Twitter: @LindsayDianne
I love the simplicity of this shot.
Twitter: @PhotoLynda
Thanks Lindsay!