Due to Coronavirus
The Tin Hat Centre will be closed to the public from
Monday 23rd March until further notice.

Staff will be working remotley during normal working hours and are exploring ways to safely serve the community during this difficult time.
We can be contacted on staff@tinhat.org.uk
We will do our best to help.

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The Tin Hat Centre

5 days ago

The Big Lunch ...

1 week ago

3 weeks ago

Great to hear that the skills acquired from the Faff Free Cookery For Men thanks to National Lottery Community Fund are being put too good use during lockdown! ...

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The Tin Hat Centre

4 weeks ago

On Friday 8th May we will be celebrating VE Day alongside the nation, and we’re inviting the residents of Ashfield to join us!

Marking 75 years since Victory in Europe Day, the virtual celebrations will see a number of activities taking place virtually in the run up and on the day itself.

We’ve got plenty to keep you busy with making your own bunting, colouring pictures and making model spitfires. 1940s inspired hair and makeup tutorials will ensure you’re looking your best for ‘Tea at 3’, a virtual afternoon tea party you and your household can enjoy in your home or garden.

On VE Day itself, events will be held virtually on Ashfield District Council’s Facebook page including the Last Post and the Nation’s Toast.

We'll be sharing the full programme of events over the next couple of days on our social media. ...

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The Tin Hat Centre

1 month ago

I would like to thank Robert Thompson for suggesting that we cover Macro Photography. If you have a photography topics you want to have discussed let me know.

What is Macro photography?

It is taking pictures of small things so that they fill your sensor size.

Terms to Think About, which are:
Working Distance and Magnification. Working Distance is the distance between the front of the lens and the subject. Magnification, this means how big the subject is on your camera sensor. For example 1 to 1 magnificaiton means its equal to size in real life. Not all Macro lenses give you 1 to 1 magnification, its preferable that you have 1 to 1.

Challenges:
Challenge 1. Depth of Field (DOF), high magnification decreases the DOF even if you use F16, you will only have a relatively shallow DOF. (See video below for details). A tip - don't use settings such as F22 as it could make your picture soft focus (This is called lens diffraction).

Challenge 2. If you are able, to get your camera's working distance, so that you are very close to the subject, there is a possibility that this will block the light. This is a particular problem when using extension tubes. More about extension tubes below.

Focusing:
Because of the shallow depth of field, I personally use manual focus, so that I can control as much as possible where I am focusing in the scene. If you are planning to take things that are moving auto focusing maybe appropriate. A tip-you could use focus stacking to increase DOF.

Gear:
Magnification can be achieved by having a dedicated Macro lens, I use a Sigma 105mm 2.8 DG Macro HSM, however you can use the following instead of a lens:

Extension Tubes - these are placed between your lens and your camera, therefore they magnify your view. The advantage of using these are: cheaper than a lens, and they can do the job. The disadvantage is your camera needs to be closer to the subject, which restricts your space to work in. For example if you are taking insects you might disturb and miss
your shot. Extension Tubes are just a tube no optics.

Macro Filter - goes on the front of your lens, its normally a thick piece of glass, some opinions are that this filter can eventually damage your lens, I'm not sure about this.

Tripod - this is an essential piece of equipment for taking macro pictures particular if your subject isn't moving.

Macro Lens - there are many macro lenses on the market, I suggest if you go to buy one make sure it does the following: 1 to 1 magnification, has lens stabilisation and consider about your F stops. The pictures of flowers on my previous post were taken on F4.

Useful Resources:
YouTube called Complete Macro Photography Tutorials for Beginners
by Photography Life

Internet search for digitalphotmentor.com/how-to-use-macro-extention-tubes ...

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