[Photographer Profile] #18 * mikka631

mikka631

I have to start by saying that I am flattered that I have been asked to do this profile and I am so glad that I have more than one fan of my photographic efforts. This is also a lot harder to do than it would seem.
My name is Michael Carroll originally from Dublin but now based in Co Laois and I have been plodding around on this rock for just over 54 years. I currently work in the Telecomm's/IT sector having spent just short of 23 years in the Defence Forces, some of the best years of my life.

I have always had an interest in photography and have had many different cameras (Kodak, Olympus, Canon, Minolta, Yashica) about the place though I drifted in and out of enthusiasm over the years. I have many boxes of prints that I have been meaning to scan but somehow never get around to it, maybe someday soon.

My enthusiasm was reignited and has burned with an increasing passion since the advent of the digital era and I will unashamedly admit that being able to see my results almost instantly coupled with the access to the many online resources has helped me immensely and is probably the main reason that my enthusiasm has grown and lasted.
I use Canon equipment and currently have a 7D & 40D along with a small collection of lenses that all see use on a regular basis. I don't believe in having kit for the sake of it given that it can be hard to justify the expense for what is a hobby in my case.
There is still one film camera in my bag which I don't use anywhere near often enough as I should.

My main interest is in Nature and Wildlife and especially Macro though I will photograph just about anything. I have also tried some landscape photography though I struggle to produce anything near the shots I see on the Random Photo’s forum. I am my own harshest critic and will sometimes go for weeks post processing and then deleting images wondering what the hell I was thinking of when I was putting my eye to the viewfinder.

I am not very good at putting words together so here are some of my personal favourites from the last few years.

Macro. I just love the reaction from people when they see the detail in images of insects or flowers that they wouldn't normally see.






Birds.






Scenic.






Animals.






You can also see some of my work on my web gallery, or my flickr page.

kelly1

Fair play to you Michael. Great work.

secman

Well done Micheal , have often admired your photos , and appreciate when you post the settings too, with me still being on L plates with the camera !

Keep up the great work

Secman

dirtyghettokid

fantastic photos! that owl picture is one of my personal favourites. what lens do you use for your macro work?

PaulieC

I love your macro stuff, it's stunning. How do you get so close though ? I have a 5d and I use a 100mm macro lens from time to time to try to get macros like yours (and end up failing badly), but the min focus distance with that lens, couple with the full frame means that the object is usually too small in the frame to give that much detail.
So, how do you get so close and get so much detail ????

mikka631

dirtyghettokid wrote: »

fantastic photos! that owl picture is one of my personal favourites. what lens do you use for your macro work?

That Owl pic gets great reaction from people glad you like it:). For my macro work I use a Canon 100mm f2.8 USM Macro lens, the older one without IS.

PaulieC wrote: »

I love your macro stuff, it's stunning. How do you get so close though ? I have a 5d and I use a 100mm macro lens from time to time to try to get macros like yours (and end up failing badly), but the min focus distance with that lens, couple with the full frame means that the object is usually too small in the frame to give that much detail.
So, how do you get so close and get so much detail ????

I use a 7D with a 100mm f2.8 Macro lens. I will nearly always set the focus switch to MF and will set the magnification to 1:1 depending on the subject and how close I can get. I use my body as the focusing mechanism moving back and forward until the subject is in focus and using the lens focus ring for fine tuning.
For the shot above of the Carder Bee I got flat on my stomach and inched forward until I was happy that it was in focus. This shot is actually a crop of the original but shows how much detail you can get even when cropped.
For the shot of the Damselfly I used a tripod and Live View on the camera. As it was early morning this particular Damselfly was very obliging and I was able to trim the Bracken it was on to allow me to get my tripod in closer.
You will find that even at 1:1 with very small subjects that they are lost in the frame when you view them on screen but it is possible to crop the image and get good results.
A handy tip for practicing, If you have a shed or garage with a window you will nearly always have a supply of dead insects to use as subjects to help you hone your skills. A lot of live insects are quite sluggish in the early morning making it easier to get closer. The trick is, try and stick to MF and get as close to 1:1 setting on your lens as possible.

/Mick

pullandbang

Look forward to see the owl printed BIG and on display at Peoples Photography

steoc

Nice insight to your work. Great images and i look forward to seeing more

dinneenp

Great macro images. You manage to get them so sharp. Fairly amazed that the bee shot is with just a 100mm lens.

It makes me want to start using mine again.

Pete67

Fantastic work - I'd love to hear about the post processing as well if you don't mind, it's really well done!