Leukeh's Macro + Still Life

[Leukeh]

Start off with some still life...

Some photos I really enjoyed taking - Mucking around with food dye and water in wine glasses. Lots of fun. Some of you guys might have seen a couple of these already...

Blue
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/9416/_MG_8162.jpg

Green
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/1397/_MG_8177.jpg

Yellow 1
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/8503/_MG_8197.jpg

Yellow 2
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/8503/_MG_8197.jpg

V for Vendetta...?
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/4756/_MG_8208.jpg
This one was really odd. I took it and posted it on the old Concept Art forums and someone pointed out the Guy Fawkes mask in the right wine glass and the V shape in the middle glass. Weird huh?


I think all of these shots could have been done better if I had the right equipment to do them...

[Leukeh]

These ones were also heaps of fun - some of these photos were done by reflecting sunlight onto the lilies from a CD, which got the rainbow effect. I also mixed a bit of blue food dye with water and put it in a spray bottle and sprayed it on, which also looked pretty cool.

Rainbow Lily 1
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/8848/_MG_7587.jpg

Rainbow Lily 2
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/399/_MG_7686.jpg

Rainbow Lily 3
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/2285/_MG_7594.jpg

Rainbow Lily 4
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/2652/_MG_7704.jpg

Rainbow Lily 5
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/7127/_MG_7654.jpg

Lily 1
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/7278/_MG_7383.jpg

Lily 2
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/8631/_MG_7605.jpg

Lily 3
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/6125/_MG_7444.jpg

Lily 4
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/1125/_MG_7456.jpg

Lily 5
http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/2215/_MG_7394.jpg

[Gentile]

I like Rainbow Lilly 2 a lot.
That's cool how you got the colors :]
I like em a lot.
The macro onse of the water drops are a bit too blurry for me though.

[Leukeh]

Thanks! =)

Yeah, that's the problem with not having a macro lens... I'll probably try the same technique when I get one, but that won't be for a while yet.

[purplerose]

Holy shit. Excuse my language....

I'm gonna have to try that one day. Rainbow Lily 5 and Lily 1-3 are really eyecatching.

[DIGme]

Rainbow Lily 2, Rainbow Lily 3, 4 (may be a little crop), 5....
Lily 1, 2, 3. What colors !!!!
Impossible to choose one of them !!!!

Very well done, very efficace !!!

[ukanfoff]

trippy colors man.

[Leukeh]

Some more pics, lots of flowers. They're easy to make look good =P

#1
http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/5210/_MG_6184.jpg

#2
http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/9689/mg6246bb5.jpg

#3
http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/6055/_MG_6602.jpg
The green in the one is a reflection off the green wrapper the flower was wrapped in! Thought it looked cool...

#4
http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/3066/mg6608fv1.jpg

#5
http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/1240/mg6546ss9.jpg

#6
http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/1334/_MG_6554.jpg

#7
http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/6374/mg6197tr0.jpg

#8
http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/3154/img6001xe7.jpg

#9
http://img136.imageshack.us/img136/8189/_MG_6260.jpg

[Gentile]

1,3,5 and 9 are a little blurry. Like I know what you're trying to focus on, but it's not really being focused on. Make sense?

[Leukeh]

Yeah, 1, 3 and 5 was unintentional. Kind of annoyed because I really liked the composition of them. 9 is supposed to be blurred a little.

[Gentile]

Ya I dig the compositions :]

[Grumbledook]

what set up are you using for these?

ie lens, fstop, flash etc?

[Leukeh]

The extreme close-ups are all done with my EFS 18-55m + extension tubes. Which means manual focus and no aperture control. Flash is just the standard one that's on my 400D - I don't have any lighting equipment yet. The problems with being a student = cheap or no equipment =P

[Nike]

Nice!

You have very creative ideas, I really enjoyed the lily experiments.

Also the reflections in the waterdrops in your last picture dump look great. My favourite is #3 - it's a very nice composition and the colors are so vivid.

In #9, I think it wouldn't hurt if at least a very small part would be sharp - but the composition is very nice, and I ike it a lot, too.

[Leukeh]

Shell
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/5844/img5877rc5.jpg

[BigRedArrow]

The rainbow lilies. omg. i think i'm going to have to do that idea with the cd.

can't wait to see more of your amazing work

[purplerose]

Nice shell. :) Hmm, maybe more space at the top and the right to offset it a bit?

[MLlanes]

#5 and #6 are my favorite. they remind me of a picture i took a while back.

[Valadilene]

Very nice work! I live the lillies, kudos for the creative use of a CD.

one of the positive things about not having the money for the right equipment means you have to be ingenuitive with what you have. buy a spotlight at lowes for 20 bucks, then make a small softbox with those Styrofoam disposable coolers. Use PVC pipe to build a frame and stretch a white bedsheet across it. the closer the have the spotlight to the bedsheet, the less diffusion, and vice versa. You can do alot with a little money. =)

I love the composition of #9, #8 might benefit from a different angle. beautiful work

[Leukeh]

I bought some fantastic little creatures today... they're called "Macleay's Spectres", aka leaf insects... here's what they look like:

http://godofinsects.com/images/specimens/12_2.jpg
http://www.sainverts.com/ETjuvepair3.jpg/ETjuvepair3-full.jpg

I can't wait till I get some time to take my own shots of them... or until I get my macro lens! (Not for ages... tax return is a while away yet!)

How funky do they look though?! Should I put them in pets or macro? >_>

[VenomVindicta]

Put them in both! :D

I bloody LOVE those lillies
Theyre absolutely aamazing, seriously.


I couldn't stop staring at them for ages. xD

Brilliant work (:

[Leukeh]

Got around to getting a few shots... nothing too special, not really going to try until I get a proper macro lens. The super close-ups were a result of flipping my lens around.

Macleay's Spectre #1
http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/9656/img9603bv5.jpg

Macleay's Spectre #2
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/3214/img9604ls5.jpg

Macleay's Spectre #3
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/5884/img9607xx9.jpg

Macleay's Spectre #4
http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/5033/img9613zg1.jpg

[purplerose]

Nice update. #2 is the strongest for me. It has a nice composition.

Clean your lens buddy. ;)

[Leukeh]

Nice update. #2 is the strongest for me. It has a nice composition.

Clean your lens buddy. ;)

Thanks!


Yeah I'm a bit lazy... I've run out of lens-cleaning stuff... must get some more soon...

[Gentile]

What is that thing?

[Nike]

leaf insects, amazing creatures! Very nice shots - I like the last one best. Looking forwards to seeing more!

I hope you'll have a lot of fun with them! just take care that you have them in a terrarium that you can close well when they begin spawing - a friend of mine had hundreds of them crawling around everywhere in her flat because she kept them in an open terrarium (because the old ones would never leave their leaves - the youngsters obviously had different habits :S)

[Leukeh]

Yeah apparently they're just like large ants... and run just as fast! I can't wait till I do =P I won't keep very many though...

What is that thing?

An insect! =) They're also known as a Spiny Stick Insect, if that helps...

[carolupus]

I love the lilies - totally gorgeous, and a really good idea!

[irmo_]

I simply love your rainbow lilies.