\nI switched off auto focus, as the camera was wearing itself out trying to pick a point to focus on.\u00a0 I also had a vase of flowers by the patio doors at roughly midday on a gloomy afternoon, with an ISO setting of 200.\u00a0 I was in Aperature Priority.
\nNext step was to view the images blown up large on the computer and then delete the blurred and boring ones!\u00a0 That first delete got rid of 11 images.\u00a0 Then I repeated the process with a more critical eye.\u00a0 That left me with 19 images.\u00a0 Now I’m not saying those 19 were perfect in any way, far from it!\u00a0 However, I liked them enough to save them.\u00a0 That’s where I left it, to ensure the next time I looked at the photos, I had a fresh eye.
\nTools used:\u00a0Macro tube 31mm & a 50mm standard lens.
\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.smudgeonthelens.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/IMG_2913-300x200.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.smudgeonthelens.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/IMG_2914-300x200.jpg\")
\nOh, and a camera, of course!
\nThis image bugs me.\u00a0 It was almost good, if I’d got the focus point in the right spot!\u00a0 It has a really shallow depth of field.\u00a0 \u00a0Just a fraction of the pollen is in focus, but not quite the right fraction.\u00a0 But I love the leading line from the Lily stamen and I like the backdrop colours, almost like a watercolour.
\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.smudgeonthelens.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/IMG_2903-1024x683.jpg\")
\nAnd so that leaves the final few images.\u00a0 Some of them you can’t really tell what I’ve taken.\u00a0 However, I’ve included them in this album because I like the colour and movement in the photos.\u00a0 They aren’t necessarily the greatest macro shots ever, but they’re ones I like.\u00a0 Ultimately, that’s the important bit, I think.
\n
\n…Although, having said that, I hope you like them too!
\nUPDATE
\nI tried again with these shots, before the flowers officially past their best.\u00a0 This time I used a tripod.
\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.smudgeonthelens.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/2018-11-10-12.39.59-577x1024.jpg\")
\nI must admit, with the tripod, I struggled to achieve the same angles as the previous hand-held shots.\u00a0 I tried putting the vase on something taller, but I couldn’t quite hit the mark.\u00a0 I know there are whizzy tripods out there that can pretty much get to ground level, but this is what I have to work with.\u00a0 Top tip – make sure the camera is properly fastened to the tripod base, or it will fall off (like mine did – thankfully caught the camera millimetres from the ground!).
\nHere are the results after using a tripod:
\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"