When I got my first digital DSLR in 2004, it was a Fuji S2.  That camera had only 6 megapixels.  When framing my subjects, I did the same as I would have framing in the film days, trying to get the framing done without any post processing cropping.  With a 6 meg file, you couldn't do much cropping and retain all the quality of the image. 

I used that camera for a few years and with the next generation of digital cameras, I had now 12 megapixels, but still continued to frame my subjects to prevent any post processed cropping.

As the camera's megapixels continued to move to larger numbers, I would hear photographers say they are now just shooting larger areas, and cropping what they want, and not losing any image quality with the larger megapixels in the camera.

Next camera was up to 16 megapixels but even though other photographers were telling me they were shooting larger areas of the subjects, and cropping out what they wanted, I still continued to frame so I needed to crop less.

Next was my Nikon D7500 which was 20.9 megapixels, so I test shot subjects framing larger areas, and did some tight crops, and found that the image quality was pretty good.

My latest camera, a mirrorless Fuji X-T30 MKll has 26 megapixels, and my post processing crops are getting even smaller.

So now, my new philosophy is to frame a larger area, and crop in post. 

It does make it easier and saves me time on framing, as I don't have to be so precise in the field.   

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For most of my years shooting macro and close-up photography I have mainly used a Sigma 180mm and Tamron 90mm lens. 

A few years ago, I started using the new zoom lenses from Tamron, the 18-270, 16-300, 18-400, and the 18-300 on my mirrorless camera. 

The other change in the last couple years are the larger megapixels on my latest cameras.  At 26 megapixels I can do some small crops and still get a good quality image. 

My new way of shooting is I don't have to worry about perfectly framing my subject and then just crop out the subject in post processing.

As you can see in this image, I just framed a large area with my zoom lens and crop in post.

When I get home, I download the image and just crop out what I want. Add an artistic filter for the background in Smart Photo Editor and done.

January 2nd, sign up for my new online Flower Photography Club. For more info about this new club, click the link below.

FLOWER PHOTO CLUB - Mike Moats - Award Winning Macro Photographer

When I was in the art show biz for seven years, I sold thousands of my images. I averaged 25 shows a year, and the smallest attended show would draw 25,000 and the largest crowds were at the Ann Arbor Art Fair that drew 500,000 attendees.

In the first year I hung some framed images of my soft-focus flower images alongside of the everything in focus images. 

On a few occasions I overheard different customers talking about the out of focus images and didn't understand them and thought I must not know what I'm doing because these few images were not sharp throughout.

After that first year all the soft-focus images were removed from the booth and replaced with everything in focus images.

No one was buying the soft-focus images, only the everything in focus images.  This is partly why you see my style of shooting tend to be all in focus shot at f/32. 

My thought is that most people photograph subjects with their phone's camera, or point and shoot cameras, and what those cameras do best is get everything in focus.

So, they figure when they make photos, they are all in focus, so how come this photographer in an art show can't get his images all in focus with better equipment.

It's like you're shooting at f/32 with those systems.

I photographed my tripod set-up shooting flowers on the side of my house, and instead of using one of my cameras to take the picture, I just used my cell phone. 

Just like shooting my cameras at f/32 the cell phone captured everything in focus from front all the way to the arborvitaes which were about 30 yards in the background.

So, my cell phone camera is like shooting my cameras at f/32. 

Here is the flower I was shooting.

Booking camera club zoom meetings, need a speaker, let me know, macrogeekmike@yahoo.com

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MACRO PHOTO CLUB - Mike Moats - Award Winning Macro Photographer

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WORKSHOPS - Mike Moats - Award Winning Macro Photographer

In about mid-September I start to find the first signs of fall and falling leaves in Southeast Michigan. 

The Cottonwood and Large Tooth Aspens are what I look for. 

At Stony Creek Metro Park in Shelby Twp, there are two places I find the Large Tooth Aspens, one trail in the nature center and one trail in the mountain biking/hiking trails.  They are easy to find as they lay right on the trails.

Here are a few shots of the large Tooth Aspens.  I typically take the leaves and make different arrangements with them.

Around the same time in mid-September, I head to a pond at Holland Ponds in Shelby Twp, MI where the edge of the pond has large Cottonwood trees that start to drop their leaves on the pond.

A canal in the Nature Center at Lake St Clair Metro Park in Harrison Twp has large Cottonwood trees lining the edge. Lots of good opportunities there as well.

I use my Tamron 18-400 to reach out and capture these subjects as they are usually a distance away from the edge of the water. Shooting at high stops in the f/22 to f/32 to get everything in focus.

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MACRO PHOTO CLUB - Mike Moats - Award Winning Macro Photographer

September is when the Milkweed seedpods start to pop here in Southeast Michigan.  So many opportunities for great images.  There are many fields full of these seedpods. 

Here are some images from previous years and hope this year will produce some more amazing subjects to shoot.

Post processing done in Smart Photo Editor.

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MACRO PHOTO CLUB - Mike Moats - Award Winning Macro Photographer