Toronto Photography Meetup Group

Details:

What: Alan Gardens
When: Saturday. Jan 2nd, 2010
Time: 11AM
Where: Meet At the main dome entrance.
Bring: Tripod, Macro Lens, Camera, etc...

We visit Alan Gardens every year, with the Christmas show display, it should still be nice on January 2nd. We'll meet for 11:00am. Alan Gardens is located right in the middle of an entire city block! Between Carlton and Gerrard. and Jarvis and Sherbourne. There are a number of routes you can take to get there.

This will be our first outing of 2010!

Let me find my macro lens was quite funny for me, but depends if I am working that day

I'll be there unless a hangover will make me hate the harsh January sunlight

is it ok to bring a G9? I don't have a proper macro lens.

It all depends on what YOU want to shoot!

Some of my personal favourites were done WITHOUT a macro lens...unfortunately the low res doesn't do these justice:







Yes, these are purposely blurred by moving the camera while the shutter was open (and NO, I wasn't drunk at the time).

Larger versions (1024x768) can be found at:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/0803/ ... e_Variety/

LOL, I was Google mapping the location and stumbled onto a film shoot...

http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=s ... .5,,0,7.18

No Problem..... don't need a macro lens, long lens or telephoto photography works too.

BTW, for those who have never been to a hothouse before, it's best to have a coat you can toss in your camera bag. Last time I was there (in February) I walked around in short sleeves as several of the areas are quite warm, and while there are some cooler areas it's a lot more comfortable than having to wear your winter coat for hours in that heat.

I don't have a macro lens either, this outing will help me determine how badly I need one.

You don't necessarily need a macro lens for shooting flowers. Telephoto lenses can often serve the purpose for getting up close from a distance, although you do have to mind you minimum focal distance. Adding a diopter to the front of a long lens can also reduce the focal distance and serve as a quasi macro solution. Using extension tubes can also get you closer to your subject! There are a number of articles that can be found online in regards to alternative macro solutions.

If someone wants to mess around with it, I've got the Cokin +3 diopter close up lens (with the rings for 52, 58, and 67mm lenses) which I will bring along. It's a sorta cheap way to get closer with the long lenses.

I've tried it on my macro lens, but it only seems to gain about 1cm

Well, what dioptre filters do is make the camera near sighted...you take the inverse of the dioptre number and that's the maximum distance your camera can focus in metres when set to infinity; the +3 is 1/3 metre, +2 1/2 metre, etc.

To magnify the image you want to put it on a longer telephoto. For instance this one is +7 at 300mm (on an ultrazoom):


Larger version (you can even see Lincoln at the Memorial):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0803/Mikefellh/portfolio/coins.jpg

On the extreme macro side of things:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/34353273@N00/2549497219/" title="DSC07753 (Large) by chris_hotwire, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3056/2549497219_09769dc508.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC07753 (Large)"></a>

If I come, I'd be happy to lend someone my raynox dcr-250, adjustable filter size from 52-67mm.

HOLY CANNOLI! You need a permit to carry that thing in public? lol

Highly unlikely I'd carry that in public. The Tamron lens is high quality plastic, but when you have a metal lens hanging off the end like that... there's a bit of trepidation to be had. Also, the magnification with that experimental setup was beyond 1:1, and the DOF and working distance were atrocious.

Really nice shot!

Will there be a problem with too many tripods in those narrow spaces?

Also watch out for condensation when bringing the camera into high humidity from the cold winter outside. Best to first open your camera bag in the dry cactus section.

ah, we love 'em allan gardenz condensationz!

And you need to figure out how to hack your ring flash onto that.

Thank you. While I had done similar images with lights (rides at the CNE), I got inspired to do it with flowers from "Fine Art Flower Photography" by Tony Sweet which includes creative techniques.




I'll let lxdesign answer that since I don't know what the crowds will be like on Jan 2; I went early March with the Toronto CC and quite a few members brought tripods...and it wasn't a problem then as I remember there's room to walk around.




Good point...also it's best not to make lens changes but if you have to, do it in the dry section.

With regards to the tripod question, some of the aisles are tight, and as photographers we have to be considerate of other's. I don't know what the foot traffic is going to be like, but I would guess Saturday would probably be a bit lighter than crowds on a Sunday. Just my feeling more than factual data.

I was their Yesterday and with a wedding plus baby carriages and wheel chairs it would have been impossible to set up a tripod in all but a limited portion of the building. Hopefully next Saturday will be quieter.

You can get interesting if not the sharpest in the world hand-held macros.

This was taken yesterday with a ancient 135mm wide open at f3.5 Hansa branded Nikon with a vivitar +2 closeup lens.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/metrix_feet/4221514741/" title="Allan Gardens Closeup by Metrix X, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4060/4221514741_8617de14f7.jpg" width="500" height="400" alt="Allan Gardens Closeup"></a>

Ya, I've been there with tripod, and a wedding going on. I just worked around them.

Is there parking space around?

parking surrounds the park - on Gerrard Street to the south, on Carlton, and on Sherbourne. Lots of street parking.

For the Minolta/Sony kids I'll be bringing a few macro dodads along, specifically a reversing mount for a 49mm threaded lens, and extension tubes.
I'll probably spend the time hoarding my Tamron 90 macro and ringlight though.

I thought you couldn't come. See you in the morning.

Hey guys,

thank you to all of you whom came out today! I can't show you any of my results until the film gets developed and scanned, but I had a fun time.


David

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/34353273@N00/4238047069/" title="DSC00020 (Large) by chris_hotwire, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2772/4238047069_99a4d0ee3b.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC00020 (Large)"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/34353273@N00/4238821876/" title="DSC00027 (Large) by chris_hotwire, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2643/4238821876_11cca86d29.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC00027 (Large)"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/34353273@N00/4238047493/" title="DSC00031 (Large) by chris_hotwire, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4004/4238047493_d39690bd61.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="DSC00031 (Large)"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/34353273@N00/4238822934/" title="DSC00046 (Large) by chris_hotwire, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2623/4238822934_23b9030e3b.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC00046 (Large)"></a>

Coooold! But, not inside the greenhouses.
Awful lot of fun. I got a very high percentage of keepers, probably since I brought the monopod.

Such fascinating things grow there:
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ofermod/4238439409/" title="An unnatural plant by ofermod, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4007/4238439409_4aca226f9f.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="An unnatural plant"></a>

My thanks to David for organising.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ofermod/se ... 124817006/