Ring Shots & Macro Filters

Before I got into wedding photography, the "ring shot" was taken after the couple had said their "I dos" and had been pronounced man and wife and the rings were on their hands.  The picture would be taken with their hands together, whether on the bride's bouquet of flowers or just holding their hands out.  Well, as all trends change, so did the "ring shot".  Now-a-days photographers will take the rings and try to find a creative way to display the bands and the engagement ring.  Sometimes I get super creative, sometimes I let the gorgeousness of the rings speak for themselves.

Well, not too long ago, some of us Greenville photographers got together for lunch as we do from time to time and one of the guys mentioned the macro filters he had recently purchased.  We were all in awe.  Mainly because these filters did such an amazing job of letting you get super close to your subject and get a super detailed shot of it... without spending a crazy amount of money on a macro lens.  Maybe one day I will purchase said macro lens, but until then, the $12 macro filters we found on Amazon will do just fine!

I'm not sure if you will really be able to tell in the next two images, but the first one is a cropped image withOUT the filter.

And this second image is me simply being able to get physically closer to my ring with the filter on my 50mm lens.  This image is just so much more sharp and crisp!

So, I was pretty excited to get to use the filters at the weddings I've had this spring.  This shot is from Brent and Abigail's wedding (blog post coming this Friday!) and I just love how her diamond shines!

I've tried getting crisp shots with just my 50mm lens at weddings and after 20 attempts, I walk away with an "ok" shot and beads of sweat rolling down my face as I've tried to hold my breath for the duration while trying to steady my camera to get a clear shot!  But, no more.  Just a few shots in with the macro filter and I walk away singing its praises!  Which also leaves me more time with the bride and groom!

Now, don't get me wrong, I will still be playing with the filters to perfect my ring shots even more, but these filters have GREATLY reduced the time I've spent in trying to get an up close and detailed ring shot.

Happy Monday everyone!