I would try and TRY to get great ring shots and they just would NOT happen.   I have since upgraded to the 100mm macro, 2.8 and I’m in love. I have realized since those beginner days that there were several things that I wasn’t doing right and here they are:

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1.  I wasn’t shooting in a LOT of natural light…umm… what was I thinking?! You definitely need a lot of light OR a great set up with an off-camera flash. Having a good amount of light will help your shots dramatically!

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2. Focus manually! You will have so much more control when you’re in control of your focusing. I have actually been focusing my ring shots in LIVE VIEW since Kurt from Jodi Miller Photography introduced me to the idea a while back. If you have a Mark II, I highly suggest giving it a try! If anything, it’s just a fun new technique to try out!

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3. Don’t worry about getting the WHOLE ring in focus! This was a huge issue for me!! Try focusing on the side of the ring that is closest to you OR the prong of the ring that is closest to you! You’ll realize that some of my shots do not have the whole ring in focus but because the first place that your eye goes is in focus, it gives the illusion that the whole shot is in focus.

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Again… I’m not a pro at ring shots and I’m still learning…. but I have seen my ring shots improve in the last year and I thought I would share a few tips with you! I’m off to get into the Starbucks line and try to WAKE UP… it’s 6:50am in Vegas and we’re running on very little SLEEP! I am GOING TI STAY AWAKE through every presentation… I will, I will, I will!