I’ve had the Laowa 25mm 2.5-5 macro lens for a little while and last night was my first effort with it. Maybe a rose wasn’t the best first subject and it was more challenging than I expected to figure out where the better spot was to focus. The working distance from lens to flower is just an inch or less and you have to open all the way up to focus and then stop down as the smaller aperture preview is quite dark. But after several exposures and reviewing in Lightroom, I got the idea and settled on this as my first share.
Not really a unique image but one can’t always be the first with things either. In this case I am about the millionth or so but that’s okay. 🙂
This isn’t why I purchased the lens but it made more sense to try a few things in a controlled environment before heading out into winter with it. More to come.
Stephen Gingold Nature Photography Blog 
Nice … and the colour makes me think of watermelon!
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Watermelon in winter. 🙂
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I was surprised you found a rose petal at this time!
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Really? :-). Maybe Nigel and I need to have a talk about the florist? 🙂
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Yeah, Nigel had guessed florist haha! Lovely colour.
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Happy wife, happy life. Nigel’s a smart man. 🙂
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That’s a worthy (if not original) first shot.
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Thanks, Steve. Have to start somewhere and who doesn’t like being close to a rose.
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Nice Steve! Can not wait to see more of your images with this lens! When you get that close it is a challenge to use outdoors. So it takes practice!
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I know there’s going to be work to get proficient with this, especially outdoors. In the studio is more easily controlled. I have a practice of not cutting flowers for easier photography in the wild so contortionist thou be my name. I am usually fairly slow and deliberate when photographing outdoors so this will take that to a new level, I think. Aside from practice, it will require a new way of seeing to come up with good compositions.
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You don’t have to be first; you just have to be better than most. And I believe you are.
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That’s very kind of you, Michael. I hope to come up with some interesting views with this lens.
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I’ll bet you will.
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I’ll be trying. There’s the basic uses that look similar to what I posted. Going somewhere else will be a challenge. but it’ll be fun to trod that path.
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The lines are there to be colored outside of.
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In most things I am an inside the lines kind of guy but this’ll be an exception.
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It’s kind of fun out here, outside the lines.
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Yes, I am sure it is and looking forward to sharing your company out there. I’m still more of a realist but it will be good to branch out a bit.
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You can play on both sides…
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This is lovely, Steve. Nice light, color, DOF… Looking forward to more!
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Thanks, Lemony. There shall be. One of the benefits of bringing flowers home to your loved one. 🙂
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I’m very curious to see what else you do with this lens. Looks like it should open up another layer of the world to you (and then later to us!).
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I have some things with ice in mind, but that is going to take some ingenuity (I lack very much of that) to figure out how to get so close while on a tripod. I have never mounted a head underneath the legs but will have to try that and, of course, the same will be true when spring flowers return. I’ve seen images with this lens, along with the Canon MP-e 65, of insects faces that excite me. Of course those might creep some viewers out a bit. 🙂 We’ll see.
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Soft and lovely image, Steve, quite nice!
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Thanks, Eliza.
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Nice capture! The crystal-like cell structure of the petal and the delicate deep red edge are lovely.
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Thanks, Ann. I made a lot of compositions but I really like the hood-like appearance of this edge.
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The color is luscious, and I like the way the petal edge separates the pinker hues from the orange. I was curious about the lens, so I read a bit about it. It’s not one that I need — or even want, truthfully — but the thought of insect faces in the future? That’s going to be worth seeing!
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Hopefully I can come through with the promise of insect closeups. I have a feeling most of the ones I’ve seen were of deceased models.The depth of field would appear to be focus stacks and I don’t think many insects would stay still for that long much less with a big object so close. Many photographers will chill insects so they become torpid and will sit still for longer periods but I don’t think I will be doing that.
You may have seen some of Tom Whelan’s closeups with his Canon MP-e 65. That’s a bit out of my affordability but this was a lot less expensive and will probably allow me to do similar things. And for an abstract like this expensive glass isn’t a requirement. Just adding a little more to the possibilities. The 180 will see a lot more work but on a rainy windy blah day being able to grab a bouquet flower and have some fun will be just that.
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It sounds like you’re doing the right thing…test it out indoors where you can run back and forth between the set-up and the computer. I bet you’re going to have fun with this outside, but playing with it inside is a good idea, too. The color on this image is so pretty and warm, and those little highlights, just delectable. 😉
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This isn’t the best time for outdoor closeups excepting snow flakes maybe. So getting familiar with this indoors with a nice ligthbox and some cut flowers is fun and educational. And Mary Beth gets a bunch of flowers. 🙂
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