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Samu, i think we are both saying exactly the same thing - but are just on different sides of the fence.

Maybe its a language like music. Everyone can understand it in whichever way they please.

I totally agree that often times macros elecit that "*awesome pic*" feeling since you get very shallow DOF which is rare for a P&S.

However, at the same time i feel like a lot of macros (even D/SLR macros) are just wowed at for being great technically - in terms of being a symbol of good equipment, focus, timing and patience (flying insect shots for eg.) - but i think the major wow factor comes from the ability for us to see things in a way that we arent used to seeing things. Finer details that are not visible to the naked eye are now visible and are enticing - making the image have that "wow factor" in these cases, not necessarily the composition.

I think this is where we are hearing the music differently.
I took a look at the BUGS section - and although they are all absolutely (technically) great macro shots - in my opinion, most of them are fairly straightforward and conservative in terms of compositions.

This is what i enjoyed torquegurus macros for - they were slightly different from the conventional macros you see around, and to me they told a bit more of a story than "Hi, i am a fly on a flower" or "im a beautiful pink flower and you are looking at me realllllly close, infact parts of me are out of focus".

For me a few things that makes a good image are a combination of: something that i get pleasure from viewing (aesthetically), something that excites my curiosity and makes me wonder, something that makes me see things in a way ive never looked at them before, something that encourages me to dream up my own story for the picture, something i can empathize with, etc etc

For me, these shots scored well on most of the above, hence i made a mention of it. :)

(@deepakvrao - sorry to be discussing your photography without you present :p)

cya
R

@TG- dont stop shooting macros, I'm useless at it, so I'm jealous:D
and technical discussions on composition of macros.... doesnt really matter, because, your macros look very good and thats the important bit.

Qoute from rehaan's post above
For me a few things that makes a good image are a combination of: something that i get pleasure from viewing (aesthetically), something that excites my curiosity and makes me wonder, something that makes me see things in a way ive never looked at them before, something that encourages me to dream up my own story for the picture, something i can empathize with, etc etc

You said what I wanted to say in a much nicer way.
PS- didnt know how to incorporate a quoted post into an edited post of mine.

2 pics from my end .

Rehaan & RJ, I understand what you are saying, I too used to think like that. It is like shooting something vague and then try to give some abstract meaning. But you have to master the reality before venturing into abstract. Since most of us (including me) haven't mastered the reality, our attempts at abstract usually fail.

The above statement may sound very clichéd or strange, but I don't know how to explain it. The closest I can explain might make sense to C++ or OOP programmers. It is the difference between designing an abstract class versus solid classes.

OT: Painters do this all the time....our very own MF Hussain...for example.
:D

We don't know that. For example, I can't make sense of paintings from Picaso, Goya, etc. Personally for me it looks gibberish, but they are not.

since the topic of paintings has come up.
Check out Art Renewal International

It awesome what a humble brush and a pallette of colours can do to a cavas in the hands of a Master.

hi Guyonblack,
That 2nd shot looks straight from some movie scene.. nice shot..Can you tell me the PP technique that you used to get that look ? Kinda like Orton but it's sharp unlike Orton and your treatment looks nice.
Liked the first shot also, it's kind of some monsterous tank looking out for crushing someone and those gloomy clouds adding a lot to it..

@Samurai,
2nd shot is bit cluttered background, and as you've mentioned about Image's image, one thing you can notice about his photos is that the lovely uniform background in his shots, and that just pops up the subject. He is really the master of those macro shots.

@Riju, 1st one nice composition but bit soft. Handheld ?

Regards,
Kaushik
PS : Friends, I hope you don't mind my critiques here, I myself is not a good photographer but trying to improve myself and I've seen that criticism is good for learning.

@SRShrikanth: Thanks will post some shots of the engine bay soon.

@Rehaan: Thanks and yes I used a home made lightbox.

Kaushik both shots were handheld.

I am learning the ropes right now and not an expert, but I agree with Samurai and here are my 2 cents.

In the first picture, bug is slightly out of focus and there is slightly more focus on the leaf. In the second and third photos, backgrounds are distorting the image. But given that you are using a P&S camera I would say these are decent photos.

Generally blurred background is achieved with help of a macro lens using the medium or long end of zoom.

Don't worry...they are.
Last time Mr. Hussain tripped on a can of paint, he sold the "painting" for a million bucks.

:uncontrol

Thanks for liking the images.
This not done on PP, its processed on Photomatix. These kind of images are called as HDR(High Defintion Resolution) image. Picture with same frame but different exposure are merged to create these kind of images so that every detail can be brought out in one Image. There is no still camera that can produce HDR image though there are video cameras that claim to capture HDR (Correct me if I am wrong).

BTW what do you mean by Orton?

@ Samurai
Whether or not my clicks lack in composition, I love shooting macros!!! I am a newbie and I am in the process of learning the art of photography sir...i will sure improve with time. But I love that fact that i have evoked the critic in you! Plus regarding abstraction, I am an artist and i have very strong views about what i perceive. Its just that perceptions change with people, so everyone has their take on it. By the way, none of my pics are abstract. i would be really happy to know which one did you find abstract.
Regards,
TG.

PS: Try taking macros using a p&s camera, of a moving subject....and then you might change your vies as to how easy it is to take those shots:eek:

I didn't, it was Rehaan.

Hmm, it is a known fact that it is easier to shoot macros with P&S. Although dSLR with dedicated macro lens would produce superior result with lot more difficulty. When shooting macros of living objects like bugs and plant, they always move. Since big sensored dSLRs have razor-thin DOF, it gets really frustrating. With small sensored P&S, you have deeper DOF, so enjoy your advantage. Sometimes, I do switch back to my old Sony P&S if I want a quick macro. It is way more painful in dSLR.