
Hi everyone!
Welcome to my first photography challenge! This marks the starting point of my practical journey. For this challenge, I’ve chosen a topic to dive deeper into aperture: Macro Photography with Aperture.

## Goal

A reasonable question: Why this topic? My answer is simple: macro photography has always absorbed and excited me. It invites us to notice the tiny details within the bigger picture. I remember the first time I tried macro photography. I was amazed at how a tiny subject, like a ladybug, could fill the entire frame. However, I quickly realized that achieving the desired depth of field was a delicate balance. This challenge is my journey to master that balance.

**The goal** of this challenge is to learn how to use aperture effectively when working with tiny objects.

## What’s the plan?

Over the next 14 days, I’ll be experimenting with various aperture settings in macro shots, focusing on how it impact depth of field, sharpness, and background blur. To keep things straightforward and manageable, I’ll use Aperture Priority Mode (A/Av) for all shots

**The key point**: I’m not just sharing my successes. Mistakes are part of the process, and I’ll share those too, along with my own review.

## What I’ll Learn (and you can too)

By the end of this challenge, I’ll gain a better understanding of:

1. How aperture settings influence focus and depth of field in macro shots.
2. How to isolate your subject by blurring the background or maximizing sharpness.
3. How mistakes can be stepping stones to improvement.


Aperture in Macro - Depth in the Details


After a short holiday break, I’m back to my macro photography challenge, ready to tackle new obstacles and learn from them. Today’s challenge? Getting the perfect focus on tiny details. Have you ever tried to take a picture of something so small and detailed that even the tiniest movement throws everything out of focus?

Imagine this—you’re capturing the delicate texture of a flower or the fine design of a ring. The closer you get, the harder it becomes to keep your subject sharp. For me, it felt like solving a puzzle.

To make things more fun (and challenging), I decided to practice on my cat. I tried capturing the soft details of his nose and the depth of his eyes. But, as you might expect, cats have their plans — his curious nose twitched, her eyes blinked, and every movement brought new focus issues.

## What I Learned About Focusing in Macro Photography
1. **Macro Focus is Different**
 The closer you get to your subject, the shallower your depth of field becomes. Even at smaller apertures, only a tiny part of the subject might be in focus.
2. **Manual Focus is Key**
 Autofocus can struggle with tiny objects, especially when they’re moving. Switching to manual focus gave me more control, though it takes practice.
3. **Stability is Crucial**
 A tripod is essential for minimizing camera shake and maintaining focus on small details.

### My thoughts: how to focus
While today’s photos didn’t turn out exactly as I hoped, they taught me an important lesson: focusing is an art. Also, I have an idea of how to focus on the tiny object. Tomorrow I’m going to try different focal points, and maybe merge photos into one, like the HDR approach. 


Day 2: Reflection: Finding focus 


Hey everyone! We don’t know each other yet, but I want to introduce myself and share the incredible path I've chosen. I’m Dmitry, a photography enthusiast. While I know some basics—like how to push the shutter button (I’m joking) — I’m eager to learn more and master the art of photography.

## My History

Have you ever looked at a photo and felt like you were transported to another world? You can picture everything you want from every angle and vision, but, unfortunately, only in 2D format (or maybe not). That's the magic of photography, you don’t have limitations and it's a feeling I've been chasing ever since I stumbled upon my grandfather's dusty camera bag as a kid. But those blurry vacation photos sparked a curiosity that finally turned into a full-fledged passion.

From my trusty early 2000s point-and-shoot camera to my current phone's camera, I documented the world through a lens. I don’t remember my emotions at that moment, but I’m sure it helped me find myself. But the limitations sparked a desire for more control, leading me to my first DSLR, the Canon 500D. Starting in automatic mode, I slowly began to explore the technical aspects of photography.

Currently, I’ve got a basic bundle for photographer learners: Canon RP,
a 35mm prime for those everyday moments begging to be captured (it’s my main lens), a 70-200mm telephoto to pull distant wonders closer, and a wide-angle 17-40mm to truly devour a scene.

## Challenge

I want to challenge myself and set a goal for my current year. I aim to transform from a passionate hobbyist to a skilled photographer who can confidently capture any scene, subject, or emotion. Through this journey, I aim to:

1. Learn the basics of photography
2. Explore different photography genres, from portrait and landscape to street and macro photography.
3. Refine and discover my niche
4. Build a diverse and professional portfolio that showcases my growth and versatility.

In short, I want to explore different genres and discover my niche within the first year. I have set specific milestones for each aspect of this journey.

## Blog Structure

This blog will document my story and progress. Here’s what you can expect:

1. **Regular Updates**: I’ll share posts about my new knowledge, including the techniques I'm learning, the challenges I'm facing, and the photos I'm most proud of.
2. **Reflections**: After each milestone, I’ll reflect on the new techniques and how they contribute to my growth as a photographer.
3. **Photo Challenges**: I’ll set regular photo challenges focusing on specific themes or techniques. I invite you to join these challenges and share your results too.


From Hobbyist to Master: My Year-Long Photography Quest


Have you ever taken a photo, glanced at it on your camera’s LCD screen, and thought: "Wow, this is incredible!". Only to revisit it later on your computer and feel completely disappointed? That’s me, every time. Today’s photo is no exception. Let’s break it down, mistakes and all, and see what lessons we can learn!

## Bad Points (Issues):

1. **Shallow depth of the field**: As you can see, the main issue here is the depth of the field. I use an extremely shallow depth of the field (F 1.8), meaning that only a tiny part of the flower is in sharp focus.

   - **Solution**: Consider using a smaller aperture (higher f-number) to increase the depth of field and ensure that more of the flower is in focus. Experiment with apertures like f/5.6 or f/8 to achieve a balance between background blur and subject sharpness.

2. **Camera shake**: I didn’t use a tripod for this shot, which made it difficult to keep the camera steady. In macro photography, even the slightest movement can lead to blur.

   - **Solutions**: It’s better to use a tripod in all cases for macro photography. The tripod can help stabilize the camera and reduce camera shake.

3. **Lighting**: Additionally, good to experiment with different lighting which helps you to create interesting effects.

## Good Points:

1. **Composition**: Good experiment with composition. The flower is positioned slightly off-center, which addresses us to the rule of thirds.
2. **Bokeh Effect**: Slightly amusing background. The blurred background creates a pleasing bokeh effect, isolating the flower and making it stand out. This is a common technique used in macro photography to emphasize the subject.

### How I’ll Improve Next Time

1. Use an aperture like f/5.6 or f/8 to balance the depth of field and background blur.
2. Set up a tripod for greater stability and sharper focus.
3. Experiment with natural and artificial light to bring out texture and color.


Category: challenge