Ok, enough of that stuff, a few reads for you.

First, with all the crazy weather there have been lots of images of landscapes, but we’ve seen them all before if you think about it – same image, different setting. So how about trying to get a different perspective. Many of you went on the outing with Para CC and took some great macro shots (I saw a few on Flickr and Facebook)? But have you thought about macro landscapes? It’s not as crazy as it sounds. Use water drops and macro lenses to get a new perspective. This article in PetaPixel  shows you some great images.

Now while we are in the macro world, why not get some real detail? Get very close to a leaf (or anything else you like to get close too). This PetaPixel article shows you some spectacular shots, and tells you how it was done.

So you’ve got close – how can you control your Depth Of Field (DOF). That’s an important question, and one many photographers overlook. This article in Photo Argus takes you through the factors that affect your DOF – if you understand that the quality of your images will improve dramatically.

There is another way to increase DOF – particularly in the macro world – stacking. I’ve used this and some of you may have seen my stacked macro images. There are numerous web sites that cover this, but here is a good article in DPreview that takes you through it step by step. One thing the article also illustrates is that you can apply stacking to non-macro subjects! Yes – you can achieve f64 just like Ansel Adams!

So there is a little series of macro ideas for you to try out.

Finally, in my quest for interesting locations and those abandoned places that make for fascinating images, here is another bunch of images to get inspired with in a book by Kieron Connolly. I want his job!