Tuesday’s Bits and Bobs

This week has been flying, as I try and make the most of the time I have left with the Macro lens, and trying to plan another trip up to the Mallee. I am planning more workshops, and trying to plan some things down here as well. Trying to get a business off the ground is never easy.
Macro Lens and Cokin Z-series Filters
When I was sent the macro lens from Maxwell International Australia I was also sent the Cokin Z-series filter bracket, adaptor and some graduated neutral density filters. I did try them out, but unfortunately the photos I took didn’t work out. Not at all because of the filter system, but more because of something stupid I did. I was trying to stack them with the ND filter I had, and I forgot to close the eye piece on my camera, so too much light got in from the back. I should make myself a little checklist for doing things like this, so I don’t forget little steps like that.
The real thing I wanted to know was whether I would get any vignetting in my images from the bracket, which is what I get with the P-series on my wide angle. I am happy to say the Z-series is bigger and it wasn’t a problem at all. There always seems to be a solution. The other thing they sent me were some graduated neutral density filters. I liked those, as the part with the filter or the colour was big enough that you could choose to use it as a ND filter over the whole lens, or if you just wanted to use it as part of an image, then you could do that as well. It had a lot more options than the ones I have seen for the P-series.
I do have to admit that part of the reason I haven’t used them much is because I am unsure of when and where to use them. I think it is something I should consider getting, and just have it with me at all times, and experimenting a lot more. I think because these didn’t belong to me, I didn’t want to take out the individual pieces I needed and just throw them into my camera bag, and the case they came in was rather large, so it was hard to carry around and then I would forget to take it. I also think I may have got too carried away with the macro.
Speaking of the macro, the Tamron 90mm macro, the images in this post were taken with it. However, for most of the images I also attached an extension tube to the lens as well. I wanted to see if I could get closer, which I could. Hand holding was a lot harder, and I got a lot more out of focus images, but I got enough in focus to make it okay. It was good to try it. The images were taken on another trip the Kinglake National Park. The weather had improved, but it seems much of the fungi that was there previously was gone, which is what we were looking for. We just had to look for other things.
Workshops in the Mallee
I have another trip planned for the Mallee. I am going up in early November and will be doing two workshops, I hope. The first will be in Swan Hill, it will be on Saturday the 8th of November at 1 pm. I am going to run one in Hopetoun on the Sunday, the 9th of November. These workshops are going to be a lot more basic and will be more about getting your camera off auto. I have done similar classes down here and my One on One Photography Lessons are more like that as well. I realised that when I did the workshop up there last time that people don’t seem to know some of the things they need to know about taking photos. It is quite an intensive class, but it does go through a lot of information. Hopefully at the end of it people will have a better understanding of how to use their cameras.
The workshops will go for about 5 to 6 hours and after the intensive part, we head out to take photos, so I am there to help clarify things. Also, if you have any problems, I can help.
Mentoring Businesses
There is a company down here, Digital Enterprise Program, that has been set up by our state and federal government to help small businesses get started. If you go to one of their sessions then you can be eligible for a 4 hour mentoring session. I went to a session, something about your business online, and last Friday I had my first half of the mentoring session. I am undecided about it, I have to say. The girl who was helping me or “mentoring” me seemed distracted, and couldn’t wait for it to be over. While she showed me some things to help with my website, some plugins and getting the best SEO I could for it, she seemed reluctant to help me work out a marketing strategy, which is really why I went there.
The session was meant to be for 2 hours, but I was back in the car after an hour and twenty minutes. She seemed to decide that I was getting enough people to my website, that what I had written was fine, so why aren’t I getting customers or clients. She decided that they should audit my website. I am supposed to have another session soon, but I don’t know, will it be worth it? She is being paid by the state to do this, so why didn’t I get my two hours, that is what she is being paid to do. I could understand it if she was working for a company that was giving up their time to help, but she isn’t. Then she gave me a feedback sheet to fill in in front of her. I didn’t realise until after I had left that I she really didn’t help me work out what I need to do. Except for the SEO stuff, it really was a waste of time.
I have decided to go to the next session, but I will take the feedback form home with me, and I will make sure that I contact the company if I am still unhappy. I know it is for free, but we are paying for it through our taxes, so we are paying for it in other ways.
Parks Victoria
Well I still haven’t heard back from them, I can’t believe they can ignore people like this. I will have to keep trying. Maybe I should just do what I want and then maybe I will get a response.
I have spoken enough, here is a gallery with more images from Kinglake.
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Sounds like you may want to start that Mentoring over with another instructor. Kinda bad of her to rush you out the door!
It was John, at the time I think I was a little stunned. I told her right from the start that I was there to learn about online marketing, and we didn’t cover that at all, she just got stuck into my website. I will make sure that they know how I feel about it. Thanks John.
Great images Leanne. I’m sure you did not want to return the macro lens
That’s for sure Luis, though I should have my own soon, I hope. Thanks
Those blue and yellow flowers are precious! The moss is a pretty green. 🙂
Thank you Jackie, I love the colour of moss, I just kept taking photos of it. 😀
Your photo of the Kinglake tree barks are so mysterious. Would you happen to know what trees they were?
The only one I think I think I know is the one with the red sap, and I think that is blackwood, I think. sorry I’m really terrible when it comes to names of things.
🙂 Heheh. No worries!
I know I’m terrible with the names of things. 😀
😉
😀
I hope you get another and more useful session. Meanwhile, the macro shots are fun.
So do I, it is hard when you realise that you didn’t get what you hoped for out of the session. Thank you, I think I like shooting with the macro.
Sometimes the people who give the help for these courses are not supervised adequately and get away with not doing their work properly. It is disappointing and the best you can do is give an honest feedback.
I agree Colline, it can be really hard, I will make sure I give more accurate feedback next time. Thanks Colline.
Yes, I so want to try a real macro lens too!! Beautiful images Leanne!
Thank you Cybele, hey, shh, don’t tell anyone, but I just found out my grant application has been approved, so looks like I will be getting my own before Christmas, I’m so excited.
congratz!!!!! 🙂
Thanks 🙂
These are all wonderful shots Leanne. I’m glad to hear your grant request was approved. Congratulations!
Thank you Jiimmy, and thanks about the grant, I am so happy about it.
Beautiful macros Leanne! I hope you get your own lens soon. And you really need to give feedback to the organizers of the mentoring program. Not good….hopefully the second half is what you want.
Thank you Tiny, I think I might be getting my own soon, I will make sure I give some feedback for sure. I hope so too Tiny.
Great photos with the macro lens. I used to use a lot of filters with my old SLR. It was a lot of fun and I could always work on the images in the darkroom as well. 😀
Thank you Raewyn, I think we used a lot more filters when we were using film, digital has done away with a lot of them.
stunning photos!!!
Thank you.
Stunning!
Thank you.
Spring has sprung, bees (and mozzies) out in force. Put on the aeroguard!
It certainly has, discovered some sunscreen the other day that has insect repellent in it as well, so am hoping that works well. Thanks.
Lovely photos Leanne. I hope you will get the marketing stuff sorted. These advice places sometimes can be funny because people think its a free session and they get paid anyway. If she worked on a commission or target basis im sure her attitude would be different…
I hope so too Andrea, I hate when you are offered help and it doesn’t happen. I am sure her attitude would change then too. Will have to see what happens in the next one. Thanks Andrea.
What are those exquisite tiny blue flowers?
Oh, I wish I knew Carol, I am hopeless at that sort of thing. Sorry.
Oddly enough I’ve never thought of using an ND filter with my macro. I wonder if I have the right size. I have several ND filters and don’t use them hardly at all. I think one of them is a 4 stop if I”m not mistaken. I’ll have to check it out. And yes! The times I’ve done long exposures I had forgotten to close the eyepiece. I think your camera is easier in that it’s like a door? Mine you have to put a little cap on the viewfinder and I’m always digging for it in my camera bag pouch. I noticed an image of yours was at ISO 5000. The 800 handles high ISO nicely. I’m lucky in that my D7100 also handles high ISO nicely.
I hadn’t thought of doing that either, I suppose it is possible, though not sure why you would. I do like using the filters with other lenses I have. I like using them for landscapes more than anything else. My camera has a little shutter that you can flip closed over the eye piece, I still forget to use it though, haha. The D800 does handle it well, you still get noise, but nothing like what I used to get with my D300s. Thanks Laura.
I wish I had a little door on my camera for the eyepiece but I guess it doesn’t seem to matter hahahaa
I think it is really not that important, unless you are using something like a ND Filter that is 9 stops or more. It is the only time I use it.
Yes, that one time I took a lighthouse, I had a 9 stop and i realized (fortunately) that I needed my viewfinder cap. Thanks Leanne.
Incredible macro work, Leanne!
Thank you LB, I can’t wait to get my own.
Gorgeous.
Thank you Brenda.
Love the intense colours you’ve captured with the macro, Leanne. That cornflower blue is really special.
Thank you Richard, colours like that are harder to photograph that you think they will be, but got it in the end.
Gorgeous! Marketing is a major puzzle to me, too. That’s my husband’s forte. Sometimes I think it’s a lot lucky breaks added to hard work! You definitely do the hard work, now what you need are the lucky breaks, and it sounds like they are starting to come your way.
I don’t get the marketing stuff, it is something I am learning though. I agree, I think luck has a lot to do with it as well. Yes, the breaks, looking for that everywhere. Thank you so much Marsha.
I think they are coming your way! I think we can promote u in HI, and u can probably do the same in NY. Not to mention the fab pics!
I hope so, that would be good. Thanks Marsha.
Nice shot of the sap Leanne. I don’t think I’ve ever thought of photographing sap but it really is quite interesting when seen close up.
Thanks Suz, it was crazy sap. I think we did it because it looked so weird, like the tree was bleeding. Thanks