Up Close and Personal

Yesterday, I went to a macro photography workshop at the Calumet store in West Hollywood.

At another workshop that I went to called Getting to Know Your Nikon DSLR the instructor was saying how macro photography is very similar to food photography. Unfortunately, the Calumet here in the OC didn't offer a macro class so I signed up for one that was being held in LA.

They had fake flowers set up with backgrounds for us to shoot. After an hour or so of lecture we got free reign with the flowers. The lens I have wasn't a macro lens so they let me use one. I had no idea there were separate macro lenses. I thought, a lens is a lens... right? Nope.

For those of you that don't know what macro is referring to it's the function on the camera that allows you to take photos that are taken really, REALLY close to the subject. It's the flower picture on your cameras on the dial with the P, Av, S, Auto, etc. I used this exclusively when I started out taking photos with my point and shoot Canon Powershot. It took some beautiful photos!

Of the little experience I have with photography there are 2 things I've learned:

1) It really doesn't matter what kind of camera you have, it's the one holding the camera that will determine a great shot. Use what you have and learn as much as you can before upgrading to fancy shmancy equipment.

2) Do as much as you can taking the shot and less in post production. Photoshopping is wonderful and I can't live without it when it comes to editing my photos but when I take a gorgeous shot and it takes me less than a minute to adjust minor things.. the better.

What did I ultimately walk away with after this workshop?

With a desperate need for a macro lens.

Oh Calumet.. you and your not-so-subtle ways of getting us to purchase your products. You suck.