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Alpine Adventures in Macro
Long-Nong Huang uses the Tamron 90mm F2.8 lens to capture up-close beauty in the forests (and studios) of Germany.
Author: Jenn Gidman
Images: Long-Nong Huang
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Long-Nong Huang uses the Tamron 90mm F2.8 lens to capture up-close beauty in the forests (and studios) of Germany.
When Long-Nong Huang was a business student attending college, he’d often decompress by driving from Germany to Switzerland to relax in nature, taking long hikes through the Swiss countryside. “I started to post photos on Instagram and began working on videos as well,” he says. “I finally decided to quit my job as an events manager and dive into photography full time, which led to my work as an outdoor and travel photographer.”
When he’s not on his outdoor adventures, working on projects for tourism boards and agencies and serving as an instructor for Tamron Germany, Long enjoys the challenge of experimenting with different photographic genres outside of his wheelhouse—including taking close-up, macro-style photos with the Tamron 90mm F/2.8 DI III VXD M1:1 macro lens for his Sony mirrorless camera system. “Nailing the focus for these kind of shots is one of the most challenging aspects of this type of photography,” he says. “And lighting is also huge—harsh light can ruin a macro photo. When I shoot macro in the studio, we have softboxes and video lights, and when I shoot outdoors, if the lighting isn’t optimal, I’ll use a small LED light and some aluminum foil to enhance available light for the best images.”
With its maximum F2.8 aperture for those less-than-ideal lighting conditions, a short focusing distance of 9.1”, and a 1:1 maximum magnification ratio, the Tamron 90mm F2.8 prime mid-telephoto lens helps Long beautifully bring his macro work to life. “Normally, I’d shy away from using autofocus with a macro lens like this for a shot, say, with a moving insect, because it would just be too slow,” he says. “But this newest version of the Tamron 90mm macro lens works so well with my Sony camera. The autofocus is fast and right on point, allowing me to capture every fleeting moment.”
Read on to see how Long approached each of the intriguing natural subjects shown here.
We were wandering around the forest on a stormy day, searching for mushrooms, when I stumbled upon an unplanned subject—a partially broken dandelion. I used my pocket light to illuminate it and shot it from the top down so that the grassy background went pure black, mimicking the effect of a studio setup. I was able to transform an outdoor shot into an image that looked like it was taken in a more controlled environment.
I took this photo of a cactus I purchased at a local plant store in the studio. I spent several hours at the store looking through the plants—the workers must’ve thought I was some obsessed plant nerd. I finally decided on about a dozen plants, but this cactus was my favorite to photograph, thanks to its intriguing repeating patterns and those bursts of faint red on the tiny stems. Some might write off a subject like this because it’s “messy,” but I enjoy taking photos of plants like this.
This photo of a houseleek captures the fascinating interplay between order and chaos that’s inherent in nature. Upon first glance, the plant looks somewhat symmetrical, but a closer examination shows that its setup is actually kind of random. That’s an interesting visual that I wanted to focus on. I sprinkled some glycerin drops on the plant for additional texture to enhance the plant’s natural beauty.
The goal for this image was to create abstract shapes and patterns, which I achieved using colored acrylic ink drops in water. You never know what to expect when experimenting with a photo like this. The ink sinks into the water, creating unpredictable color clouds. The only thing you can do to somewhat control the artistry that emerges is to pick complementary colors to bounce off of each other. For a shot like this, take as many pictures as possible, because you may not know until later, during the editing process, which ones stand out the most.
I wanted to create another more dynamic, abstract photo like the ink in the water, so I filled a 10-inch dish with milk colored with acrylics, then added in vegetable oil and dishwashing soap, all of which formed mesmerizing swirls and bubbles. Using an aperture of F6.3, I was able to maintain sharpness across the varying depths of the scene, including in the 3D-like bubbles. You can witness the exceptional sharpness of the lens here in all those tiny specks of color.
Mushrooms can be challenging to photograph, as they often lack an aesthetic focal point that stands out like a flower does. I also often stumble upon porcini mushrooms, which, while ideal for cooking, are a little big to capture effectively with a macro lens. In cases like that, I’ll often use focus stacking, which allows me to capture a variety of focused versions of the photos. That, in turn, enables me to choose the best version afterward.
These are the smallest mushrooms I was able to capture—about an inch or an inch and a half tall. By shooting at eye level, I was able to compose a shot that makes them look much more imposing than they really are. With the Tamron 90mm F2.8 lens, I was also able to get in quite close to the other tiny fungi seen here, called goat’s beard, which grows all over the forests of Germany and is known for its resemblance to sea coral.
To see more of Long-Nong Huang’s work, check out his website and Instagram.
Bio: Long-Nong Huang is a German photographer and videographer based in Freiburg, Germany. With a deep interest in travel and nature, he began his photography journey in the Black Forest and the Alpine regions of Switzerland and Austria. His passion for vast, Nordic landscapes grew as he explored destinations like Iceland and Norway. During this time, he studied marketing and worked as an event manager for four years. Gradually, he transitioned to a full-time career in photography and videography. His work primarily focuses on travel and outdoor projects for tourism boards and travel agencies, while also including creative endeavors such as producing scenic short films and teaching photography for Tamron Germany.
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