Close Up

[aries67]

My friend Ivy'sgrandkid invited me over to join conceptart so here I am!

Hi Ivy'sgrandkid - hope you find me!

Photography is a spiritual thing for me in a way. Ever since I can remember, even if I'm having a really bad day, I could always find something beautiful in the world (even if it was just the blue of the sky), something to remind me that there is an upside to life. Photography became an extension of that.

When I photograph I tend to look for the essence of a subject which means I always fill the frame and you might not get to see the whole picture! But it amazes me what you "see" when you get up close, stuff that you never would have known if you didn't have a closer look!

I also find photographing incredibly calming, almost like yoga!

So here it all is - up close and personal.

http://i11.tinypic.com/6c4591x.jpg

http://i18.tinypic.com/5ze2bdz.jpg

http://i17.tinypic.com/4uveul1.jpg

Like Ivy'sgrandkid I adore bw photos and play with mono, duo and tritone imaging. I'm not as clever as he is - I take mine all in colour first and then convert in CS2.

Mono:

http://i16.tinypic.com/6bj176c.jpg

Duo:

http://i13.tinypic.com/68m1gm9.jpg

Not sure I like this one but it's tritone:

http://i15.tinypic.com/4p1sy0y.jpg

[purplerose]

Welcome to CA! :)

Ivy has some great photos and so do you! I love, love all of these. The first image and the Duo tone image have a soothing, sadness feeling to them. My only crit is that the tritone one could benefit from a bit more contrast.

More please! :)

P.S. Don't forget to number and/or title your images. It helps people leave feedback better.

[aries67]

Thanks for the welcome Jerrica! :)
Yeah that tritone image was my second attempt and I don't think the subject matter was the best for it. I tinkered with the contrast heaps but I kept losing detail in the dark tree trunks. Couldn't find a happy medium!
Thanks for the tip about numbering or titling the images - will remember for next time!
Cheers
Gabby

[Leukeh]

That rose is absolutely fantastic... I have a nasty habit of enhancing the colours of my photos and never trying to desaturate them at all... but now I think I should. I love it!

And your bee is amazing too, I have a few of them myself...
Here's my favourite one: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/58302400/

[aries67]

Thnx Leukeh! I only came across the nice antique results of desaturating when I was processing to bw. Sometimes I just get to a point where I think "oh I like that!" :) and don't bother going all the way to bw!

[aries67]

These guys (er... girls actually, sterile female worker ants!) are called bull ants and their sting can cause anaphalactic shock in allergic people! Good thing I didn't upset anybody!

Bull Ant:

http://i11.tinypic.com/67myyh2.jpg

[aries67]

Stamen
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s263/aries67/macro-stamen.jpg

[Leukeh]

I love that stigma shot... I just read your sig - we have the same camera! What lens do you use to take these?

[aries67]

I use a Canon 60mm macro for a lot of my stuff now. I tend to go from one extreme to the other - macro to ultra wide angle!

[Leukeh]

Mmm... jealous. I don't have a macro lens >< I make do with extension tubes... but they have such a small depth of field and no auto-focus so it can be frustrating =P Macro lens will be my next purchase in terms of photography though... only problem is money! =\

[aries67]

I was using a Hoya close up set for a long time until I got the macro - just couldn't get close enough! And I use the 60mm for lots of stuff not just macro work but portraits and even landscapes. Just in the last couple of days I've been thinking of using the close up set on the 60mm - wonder what that will do!?

[aries67]

This one was done with my Konica Minolta Z10 3.2mp on macro setting:

Pencils:
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s263/aries67/qotd-pencils.jpg

[aries67]

Bobtail skull:
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s263/aries67/bobtail-skull.jpg

[purplerose]

Pretty nice textures in that one, shame for the grass and twigs though.

[ivy'sgrandkid]

oo I didn't see that you had two threads I didn't see that stigma one on vox love it!!!

[aries67]

Thnx purplerose - I thought about "gardening" but decided against it coz I wanted it to have that dead-for-long-time-grown-over look! ;P

Yeah Ivy'sgrandkid - I had another blog whose servers died for too long which is when I switched to vox. I did a lot of macro shots with the new lens which would've been on my old blog. I promise I'll some more from there!