I need an objective eye -please.

I'm not overly happy with my recent photos - they look to me as if I've taken them through a plate glass window. I have a problem with judging my own photos because I'm never happy with them anyway. So ......

I'd be very grateful if someone could pass an objective eye over them for me and see if they agree.

I'm not overly bothered about the comp or anything - I know they're probably off and the lighting isn't brilliant. I don't want to go to the effort of sorting out the lighting if the image quality isn't worth it.




















Sorry to be a pest (again),
Thanks,
Charlotte

They look fine to me, sharpness is there ... you just need to get the lighting sorted out.

Edit: even a bit more processing would help, the ant is great but a bit more lightning in the shadows really brings him out.

Same here, I'd be happy with them.

Just trying to see what you mean by looking like they're taken through a plate glass window... Not sure i see it, but maybe they're fractionally over-sharpened, or to coarsely sharpened? Maybe that would give you a plate glass window look? Anyway i don't see much wrong with them, other than framing.

Out of interest it would be nice to see a full size unedited pic.

Thanks everyone.

I'm using a 2 x macro teleconverter and ext. tubes and I think I've convinced myself I can 'see' the extra glass.

Mike, here are a couple of unedited ones - I've had to resize to post here but all I've done is save for web to convert them to jpeg.







They're pretty dire at the moment as I have to play about to get the lighting sorted out.

Thanks again everyone,
Charlotte

The first ones look a little too agressively sharpened to me, I prefer the more natural look of the unedited ones.
I think with different lighting they would be fine, just tone down the sharpening a tad.
Well, that's my two penny's worth

Having said that...they're still better than I have done

Interesting that Mike thinks some of them could do with more processing. I think some are overdone.

The first spider shot looks well overdone in PP Charlotte.

I think maybe you need to look at your conversion process.

Here's one I prepared earlier:-

Going by the originals I think with better lighting you will get much sharper pictures and once you have those you won't need to sharpen anywhere near as much in processing.

That should give you a much more natural look (which I presume is what you are looking for? )




Taken with the same 2x macro converter

I think the originals tell the whole story Charlotte - you just need to sort the lighting out so that you do not need to do too much adjustment in processing - I think this is what your are sensing in your work - slightly too much processing. That said - you do have a habit of setting the bar rather high and there is not a shot there that I would not be pleased with

Carl

Thank you all for taking the time to look at these for me. 'tis muchly appreciated.

My pp has I think always been a source of amusement or horror - can't do it to save my life. I wish I could get someone else to do it for me.

So if that is all the problem is and no one else can see the glass I'll sort out the lighting and can then hopefully go back to not pping my shots.

I really want this to work as I'm desperately trying to find a reason not to change to a different make of camera at the moment.

Carl, I think if most people had practised as much as I have they'd be a lot better than I am by now.

Thanks again everyone,
Charlotte


Mike, is your 2 x macro converter the manual one or the one with contacts?

What do you think you will get from another make of camera that Pentax won't give you Charlotte? I know you are heavily into macro so the only real way to get closer without all the tubes, converters and bellows is a Canon and the MP-E65mm (which is useless without the macro twinflash) and that combo costs a small fortune (and is a nightmare to master ... although when you do, WOW ).

I had the 2x converter with the A contacts but in a moment of madness I tried to take the glass out and turn it into a variable macro tube. Unfortunately it all went horribly wrong and the whole lot ended up in the bin

MP-E65mm is what my lba is lusting after at the moment.

As Mike points out, the required kit doesn't start and finish with one lens Charlotte.

It's possible that some of the image degradation that you are perceiving is due to the converter you are using. I'm not sure why you think you need it.

If it's high magnification you are after, a reversed decent 28mm lens might give you what you are seeking.

Some of your shots above are heading towards microphotography, perhaps choose larger subjects to work with whilst you perfect all of the other influences that make a good image, lighting being the main one of course.

There's a little bit of blur in a couple of these Charlotte, but I tend to agree with the others that the lighting is probably the single biggest thing that is holding these back. That is, apart from your own self-criticism and self-confidence! You really are hard on yourself, needlessly so IMHO.

Your macros are great, if they were lit a little more strongly lit this would mean less processing would be required, especially in the sharpening department.

I don't think lenses are your problem, apart from the fact that maybe you should choose one that suits you and stick with it. I have noticed that you've changed a few times, but you seem always to rate your Vivitar 55mmm so why not just stick with that and get the best from it? I bought a Sigma 105mm DG EX macro a year or so back and find it really suits me down to the ground, so I've taken the decision to not buy any other macro lens and to learn this one intimately to try and extract the most I can from it. I doubt I'll find a sharper / better one.

I wish I could give you something to lift your self-confidence in a photography sense, but I fear that only you can do this. All I can say is that you are head and shoulders above most and you should not beat yourself up if some of your images are not blindingly brilliant.

Best wishes
David

PS: My own personal opinion (for what it's worth) is that some of your finest work was with the Sigma 50mm F2.8 macro - maybe you should buy another one of these?