macro photography literature?

[DaveW]

I have John Shaw's book and some of Heather Angel's too, plus a few by other authors, but of course they are natural history rather than the dedicated macro books originally requested.

Probably natural history is the way most of us get into macro anyway, so if the true macro books are a bit daunting it's best to start with the natural history close-up photography books and and work your way in.

With macro photography getting used to working with very limited depth of field, plus the diffraction effects in stopping down that are largely unknown to general photographers is part of the learning process.

Not many of us ever go as far as the ultra photo stacking examples of Charles Krebs, though we would like to be able to do so. As some of the recent posts on cameras show you seldom need all the elaborate "bells and whistles" provided on modern cameras, and there is a growing population of general photographers out there who cannot work a camera that does not have auto everything on it, or needs to be used in manual mode in certain situations.

Obviously I am not married since I have around 40 photography books therefore your wife would have thrown me out years ago, but more likely because as photography is not my main hobby I have around 1600 cactus books and journals that would have taken up her wardrobe space for clothes and shoes! Just tell her "I will throw one book out for each pair of shoes you throw out!"

I struggle often to understand many of Rik's posts since my maths are not very good having left school at 15 and worked 52 years as a joiner or carpenter, so you are not on your own Jim. As with photography itself, it is just a case of practice until things click and then you suddenly understand what the book is getting at.

DaveW

[Harold Gough]

Books are a major issue in this household too and I am married, so far.

My photographic interests extend well beyond macro and the books cater for that. I also store hundreds of photography magazines.

Getting back to books, I have dozens on cultivated and wild plants, mushrooms, insects and other arthropods, fish and marine life birds and mammals. Again, my interests don't stop at 1:1. It is more a matter of some species of interest happening to be very small. (See Dave's point about approaching macro gradually).

Where macro is unique, in photography, is when it shows detail not visible to the naked eye. Often is does this with live creatures where examination of preserved ones might otherwise be necessary.

Harold