Flower/Garden Photographer anyone?

[dennersten]

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Are there any experienced garden/flower photographer out there who can help me with advise. 

Out of nowhere I suddenly got the job to illustrate a garden/flower book. My experience with shooting macro with the M11 is non existing. 

I shot two close-ups commercially, that was with my 75 Summilux and cropped. 

So what equipment do I need? It's 142 pictures I need to produce. 

I have the 35 APO with the close focus which I actually never tried. 

Do I need the Q3 with the Macro? 90 Macro? Any other lens to consider? 

 

 

[wda]

I am amazed. Have you no previous experience?

Garden photography is not entirely about macro, although it could include some. Have you been given a list of subjects to feature? I could help you if I knew the scope of your intended coverage. Also your deadline. Plants are not available all year round. You will have to schedule your sessions. Or is it all studio work, with supplied subjects? So many questions needing answers before anyone can help you.

[hansvons]

2 hours ago, dennersten said:

My experience with shooting macro with the M11 is non existing. 

This is a great starting point, as the journey will be delightful and full of learning. As you already own one of the best cameras ever made, plus the best 35mm in that mount, I don't see any reason to buy more gear until you feel actual constraints. I certainly would feel well-equipped with your gear and absolutely up to the task. Maybe, at some point, I might want to add a diopter if such things exist for your lens.

I've never done proper garden photography but have dealt with several projects in garden environments. It's all about the greens. The abundance of cool, warm, light and dark greens in thousand shades. And that's a colour science and white/black balance thing because colour separation is the key to these subtle gradations of hues. Plus, you want a garden/prop expert who props up your subjects (arranges things, wets down pathways, adds water drops on flowers, holds your white styro, you name it). If you felt uncomfortable about it, I would get an editor and retouch expert for your photo editing; in the end, that will make the book look much better than the purchase of a Q3 and won't be as expensive.

[dennersten]

48 minutes ago, wda said:

I am amazed. Have you no previous experience?

Garden photography is not entirely about macro, although it could include some. Have you been given a list of subjects to feature? I could help you if I knew the scope of your intended coverage. Also your deadline. Plants are not available all year round. You will have to schedule your sessions. Or is it all studio work, with supplied subjects? So many questions needing answers before anyone can help you.

I am a part time photographer very much connected to the area I live in called Österlen. It's very much like Provence in France. A lot of painters, artist, a lot of small scale agriculture. And 1,5 million tourists during the summer.  I sold  lot of pictures at exhibitions, made several photo books, postcards etc. 

It's actually one of my fans who is a professional gardener who have asked me. He has been to several exhibitions and bought some of my books.  The projects is 12 Months, I have a studio.  And no, not any experience at garden photography. I thought I will work out the details, while I go along.  It's lousy pay before publishing, but a good share of the revenue when it's published. So I guess he needed a friend  

[dennersten]

30 minutes ago, hansvons said:

This is a great starting point, as the journey will be delightful and full of learning. As you already own one of the best cameras ever made, plus the best 35mm in that mount, I don't see any reason to buy more gear until you feel actual constraints. I certainly would feel well-equipped with your gear and absolutely up to the task. Maybe, at some point, I might want to add a diopter if such things exist for your lens.

I've never done proper garden photography but have dealt with several projects in garden environments. It's all about the greens. The abundance of cool, warm, light and dark greens in thousand shades. And that's a colour science and white/black balance thing because colour separation is the key to these subtle gradations of hues. Plus, you want a garden/prop expert who props up your subjects (arranges things, wets down pathways, adds water drops on flowers, holds your white styro, you name it). If you felt uncomfortable about it, I would get an editor and retouch expert for your photo editing; in the end, that will make the book look much better than the purchase of a Q3 and won't be as expensive.

Great insights thank you! And very helpful. I am just leaving for meeting about the book! Thanks 

[wda]

A 90mm macro might be useful, both for close shots and singling out plants growing in a border. Absolutely no need to get a Q3.

[Essummi]

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Or just try an Elmarit-R 60mm with an Adapter.

[dpitt]

4 hours ago, hansvons said:

... I don't see any reason to buy more gear until you feel actual constraints. I certainly would feel well-equipped with your gear and absolutely up to the task. Maybe, at some point, I might want to add a diopter if such things exist for your lens.

+1
Even without Visoflex the M11 can get very far with cropping. You would get by with 1:3 or even 1:4 for flowers and I think that even a 50mm at 0.7m will be close to 1:4.

If you use a Visoflex and have a close focus lens, I think most flowers are covered without cropping.

Cropping with factor 2x will still leave 15MP of outstanding quality and your 1:4 becomes 1:2 and that is plenty for any flower that I know.

If you need additional magnification, the latest macro adapter for the Macro Elmar can be used with any 90mm or 50mm M lens. I have the Macro Elmar 90mm. Of course it is excellent with the adapter, but you will also get very far with any good 50mm and 90mm M lens for these types of magnification.

Edited October 17, 2023 by dpitt

[T25UFO]

With 142 photos you can cover a very wide range of subjects.  I doubt you will need a true macro lens unless you want to take bees collecting the nectar!  The 35mm APO will get you close enough and, as others have said, you really can crop a 60 mpx sensor.  I would also look to isolate detail shooting wide open - the 75mm Noctilux or 90mm Summilux are both perfect for this, but sadly expensive if you don't already own one ☹️

[dennersten]

18 hours ago, wda said:

A 90mm macro might be useful, both for close shots and singling out plants growing in a border. Absolutely no need to get a Q3.

Thanks.Will check the 90 mm. 

[dennersten]

11 hours ago, T25UFO said:

With 142 photos you can cover a very wide range of subjects.  I doubt you will need a true macro lens unless you want to take bees collecting the nectar!  The 35mm APO will get you close enough and, as others have said, you really can crop a 60 mpx sensor.  I would also look to isolate detail shooting wide open - the 75mm Noctilux or 90mm Summilux are both perfect for this, but sadly expensive if you don't already own one ☹️

Thanks and yes it's more of a garden lifestyle book. I have the Summilux 75, which i love.  So I guess I will start up and see if I miss something in my equipment.  

[dennersten]

15 hours ago, dpitt said:

+1
Even without Visoflex the M11 can get very far with cropping. You would get by with 1:3 or even 1:4 for flowers and I think that even a 50mm at 0.7m will be close to 1:4.

If you use a Visoflex and have a close focus lens, I think most flowers are covered without cropping.

Cropping with factor 2x will still leave 15MP of outstanding quality and your 1:4 becomes 1:2 and that is plenty for any flower that I know.

If you need additional magnification, the latest macro adapter for the Macro Elmar can be used with any 90mm or 50mm M lens. I have the Macro Elmar 90mm. Of course it is excellent with the adapter, but you will also get very far with any good 50mm and 90mm M lens for these types of magnification.

OK wow, great information. I didn't know that I could use the macro adapter with a 50 mm also! Thanks will check that. 

[dpitt]

23 minutes ago, dennersten said:

OK wow, great information. I didn't know that I could use the macro adapter with a 50 mm also! Thanks will check that. 

The second (most recent) macro adapter M without goggles is meant to be used with Visoflex. I think it can mount any M lens 50mm and longer. Actually it might mount a 35mm but you wont be able to focus wide angles on the subject because the minimum distance will be 'inside the lens'. It is also adjustable in thickness. The 50mm will probably not work with the maximal distance position, but it will give you a lot of magnification starting at minimal distance.

Actually, if you are prepaired to spend the money, I can recommend the Macro Elmar 90mm. I think it is the best macro lens Leica has to offer (apart from the SL lenses maybe). It also works great at infinity and is almost at its maximum performance wide open. And all that in the smallest and lightest package for a 90mm lens. The cool thing about the latest version combined with the macro adapter is that you can mount it, and when you need to focus at infinity, you turn the macro adapter to its longest position and collapse the 90mm. The adapter is made to exactly be the right size to focus at infinity this way.

Edited October 18, 2023 by dpitt

[dennersten]

4 minutes ago, dpitt said:

The second (most recent) macro adapter M without goggles is meant to be used with Visoflex. I think it can mount any M lens 50mm and longer. Actually it might mount a 35mm but you wont be able to focus wide angles on the subject because the minimum distance will be 'inside the lens'. It is also adjustable in thickness. The 50mm will probably not work with the maximal distance position, but it will give you a lot of magnification starting at minimal distance.

And that should not be any problem as i have the latest Visoflex? 

[dpitt]

Indeed. No issues if you have the visoflex. See my edit above.

 

[dpitt]

Watch this about all kinds of macro lenses. It is long but covers almost anything Leica macro: