Macro on the RunDave Blinder prospects the Garden State’s natural nooks and crannies with the compact 60mm macro lens. |
By Jennifer Gidman Images by David Blinder |
Whether he’s scouring the sands of the Jersey Shore or patiently waiting for a squirrel to strike the perfect pose at a local preserve, NJ native Dave Blinder has transformed the Garden State landscape into his very own macro utopia. The nature photographer captures everything from wildflowers and wild mammals to dragonflies and butterflies with the help of his Tamron 60mm macro lens. |
“I do try to diversify, since nature falls into many different categories,” he explains. “I’ll use bigger lenses for certain creatures, such as birds or bears; that makes up a good percentage of what I’m shooting. Then I’ll switch over to wide angle to really encompass everything in the scene. A great macro lens like the 60mm, however, helps round out the big picture of everything out there in nature. It shows what’s out there when you get in really close — to show what an insect’s eye looks like, for example.” |
Blinder is able to flesh out photographic gold in his own backyard, local parks, and other nearby Jersey terrain. “I usually head out to some of the national wildlife areas we have here in Jersey, or I go to Sandy Hook, a national beach in Central Jersey,” he says. “There are lots of butterflies flying around there, seashells washing up on shore — it’s a real natural beach, so it’s a perfect place for macro photography.” |
Because Blinder is often out for a full day while capturing the tiniest elements of the scenery, portability is key. “I have more mobility with the 60mm,” he says. “It’s less burdensome to carry around for several hours; plus, because it’s so compact, I can do more handholding. It’s a real walk-around lens that still lets you get wide enough to get the rest of the scenery. Plus it has full-on manual focusing, so if you’re someone who’s into precision and detail, it’s easy to go in and fine-tune it with this lens.” |
The 60mm’s fast 2.0 aperture allows Blinder to achieve his signature look when he’s shooting macro. “I love doing shallow depth-of-field photos,” he says. “A typical person using a point-and-shoot camera can’t get that narrow depth-of-field. If you’re shooting a wildflower, for instance, it softens up the flower as a whole. That 2.0 aperture lets you get more creative with your focusing and those blurred-out backgrounds.” |
Although you’re able to take advantage of all different types of lighting scenarios when shooting macro, Blinder prefers certain conditions depending on what he’s shooting. “If you’re shooting wildflowers, for instance, on a real sunny day, you’re going to get a lot of blown-out highlights and too much contrast for the camera sensor to handle,” he says. “To get that full detail on the flower, then, you’ll want the day to be somewhat overcast with clouds in the sky. On a sunny day, on the other hand, you could do something completely different, such as take advantage of the light to shoot a backlit leaf.” |
The 60mm’s 1:1 magnification is essential for Blinder’s macro work. “I utilize that ratio to the fullest — I don’t really consider anything else macro photography,” he says. “If you’re shooting a little salamander, you’re maybe about 1 or 2 inches away. Telephoto lenses that offer a macro option don’t cut it if you want to crop — you need that 1:1.” |
Blinder, who usually shoots at the minimum focusing distance (“my lens is almost touching what I’m shooting”), will even go beyond that 1:1 ratio. “I’ll put a couple of extension tubes on the 60mm from time to time to get in even closer,” he says. |
“There are these amazing tiny wildflowers out there, little butterflies you can barely see — I love getting in as close as I can!” |
For more of Dave Blinder’s work, go to http://flickr.com/davidraymond |