Urban Macro Project - shoot small in big environments!

[MrSquished]

Started doing an urban macro project for fun - to go neighborhood by neighborhood of Manhattan and shoot the city from a macro perspective because we've seen it from pretty much every other angle I suppose.

It is also kind of a study on shapes, patterns, lights and colors - painting with a camera and bokeh - as without an interesting subject like a flower or bug a macro shot needs to be a bit like a drawing or a painting I feel. Four areas have been done so far - Times Square, Bryant Park, Grand Central all with the 40D and 100mm f2.8 macro before I obtained the 60mm macro for the Oly.

The High Line is the latest with the OM-D & 60mm Macro. I can say the OM-D kit produce much cleaner images than the 40D combo and also focused better, but the High Line was probably my least favorite of canvasses. I liked the Grand Central and Times Square shoots as the coolest thing to shoot were lights. Chinatown and SoHo are next!

The entire gallery is here (with links to individual sections also): http://www.pixelsquish.com/portfolio/urban-macro-project/

Some shots:

Times Square - advertising billboard lights - 40D

Grand Central - item for sale - 40D

Times Square - item for sale - 40D

Grand Central - taillight of a train - 40D

the High Line - dead leaf in a water-filled pot - OM-D

the High Line - Brush - OM-D

Times Square - items for sale - 40D

 

[fralexandr]

cool pictures!

i don't know if people generally associate location with macro photos, because normally the pictures have a "could be taken anywhere" feel due to the focus on subject, and low depth of field.

 

[MrSquished]

cool pictures!

i don't know if people generally associate location with macro photos, because normally the pictures have a "could be taken anywhere" feel due to the focus on subject, and low depth of field.

thanks! can't wait for chinatown with the textures and lights that will be there.

i agree, with the razor thin DOF of macro shot at macro or near macro range most photos will have that 1 focal point feel to them unless the subject is shot straight on - and these are all handheld. with the oly i am comfortable shooting up to 3200 ISO as they come out pretty clean when exposed properly, but DOF at 1:1 is so thin. some of them on the site are not quite 1:1 macro but most, not all, are in the range of macro and quite close to 1:1. all the shots above are pretty much 1:1 - i'd get as close to the subject as the macro focus length would let me as often as possible before pressing the trigger. the two biggest cheaters in the gallery were the standard incadescent light bulbs, and the fluorescent lights on the train platform was far from macro, i just liked those photos.

those statue of liberties above were the smallest of their kind at the store, and they were quite little. those light dots were also quite small, that leaf was 1:1, i was as close to the cymbals as i could focus, the makeup brushes and caps were quite close if not at 1:1, the little green fuzzies were part of a slipper at 1:1, etc...

indeed, the photos could be taken anywhere - anywhere there is a train (which is all over the world really) you can shoot the taillights. anywhere there are billboards made up of small lights you can shoot those, any gift shop that sells small little chachkes which is at any tourist site in the world, you can shoot them in macro.

 

[xSauronx]

indeed, the photos could be taken anywhere - anywhere there is a train (which is all over the world really) you can shoot the taillights. anywhere there are billboards made up of small lights you can shoot those, any gift shop that sells small little chachkes which is at any tourist site in the world, you can shoot them in macro.

i got a lumix lx7 before christmas and have been enjoying it. its got a 24 - 90mm equiv leica lens

ive been taking walks with the gf and letting my little girl (11 yrs) shoot pictures with the camera after i set it up. i set it to macro AF the other day and told her to get right on top of things to get a bunch of macro shots. kinda neat way to play with the camera, way less work for me