Hi everyone,
today I am just giving some people who are all over this macro gallery a reminder and I would hope it will get read for once. I know there is little to none interest in journals that do not give you a free feature or a sub , but I write it anyway with the hopes that someone for proofs me wrong ( wishful thinking )

What is Macro Photography ?

The definition of macro is capturing an image of a subject the same size or larger than life size on the recording media, whether that be film or digital sensor size. For example if you photograph an insect that is 2 cm (3/4 inch) long, it's image will be 2 cm (3/4 inch) long on the film or digital sensor. The smaller the recording media the smaller the subject must be (and yes your sensor on your point and shoot camera is very very small ). Cropping an image does not make a close-up image a macro image. The subject should not be larger than 2 cm ( 3/4 inch) and it has to be captured life size or larger on the recording media ( on film or on the digital sensor) . Anything with a magnification ratio of 1:1 (life size) and above ( 1:1 , 5:1, ... 10:1 ) is by definition considered Macro Photography.

Why was my image moved from the Macro Gallery ?

Because it was clearly no macro picture or in the rarest case I have cracked the whip a bit too hard and whipped a couple innocent ones, but that happens so rarely. Before you complain you better make sure I was wrong . And if you complain and I am still not taking the whip down but send you here : [link] to do some reading, don't come back to me after 10 minutes and tell me that you have read everything and still want to argue.

I took my macro picture with the macro setting on my point and shoot camera so it is a macro, but it still got moved ?

Well I do not want to be rude and don't take it as offense , but most point and shoot cameras are not capable of taking true macro pictures, they might get a good 1:2 magnification in rare cases but the majority just can't . So yes there are macro pictures taken with point and shoot cameras in my holy macro gallery . So how do I decide which one stays and which one goes ? Quality stays and that means the photo is close to true macro and shows some serious detail.
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I hope nobody took offense here that I had to bring this up again , but I am getting tired if people I have referred back so many times to previous journals where things were explained over and over again, come back with the same mistakes, I move there images and boom I get yelled at .
One more thing on Macro lenses : A true macro lens is capable of reproducing a 1:1 magnification ratio ( some can even bring it up to 5:1) at the closest focus. Moving the lens further away from the subject will decrease the magnification ratio and as a matter of fact such macro lenses make some awesome portrait lenses and by all means, a portrait is just a portrait even when you took it with a macro lens . I have taken bird photos with my macro lens for example, but only because I used a macro lens does not give me the right to say the result is macro.

I had started a short venture into explaining extension tubes , I will stop right there (at least for now ) since the majority of mistakes that are made and misunderstood have usually very little to do with such equipment . I think that basics I have preached up and down the ladder are enough for a beginner so lets take it from here . I am always willing to help , but you need to be honest with yourself if you do not understand the basics in photography , then you really need to go and do some reading . To take macro pictures you will need the basics in photography or you are going nowhere fast. I help where I can but I cannot be a teacher to everyone , see I only have so many hours a day and I hope you can understand this.

Thank you the Mistress has spoken

and if you feel like looking at some macro that is macro , I invite you in a very selfish way to look here : [link]

Now all you macro fanatics ( even with a point and shoot camera ) go practice and remember to have some patience and fun , if the perfect shot doesn't happen at once try again. The best practice is using a subject that doesn't move, so insects are probably not a good idea to start with . Use a flower petal or something of similar size and hold your camera still to get the best focus.

Have Fun

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