Tips, a la Jon

I've had requests from readers for some instruction and tips. Being a slave to public whim and fancy, I must oblige. (Say that last part in your best robot voice.) Did you know that the word Robot is the only word in the English language with its origins in Slovak? The word "robota" means work in Slovak so a robot is a machine made to do work. You know, the opportunities to share that particular tidbit are surprisingly rare.
Anyhoo, the lines are now open for specific requests as to what you wonder about, photographically. I will do my best to steer you aright.

My first thought is something I see all the time with point and shoot cameras. If you're looking to shoot an extreme closeup of something, you'll get a much better shot if you back up a few feet and zoom than if you just get really close to the subject. This works for a few reasons.
First off, all lenses have a minimum focus distance. It's typically between 12-16 inches. Closer than that, the lens simply cannot focus. That's why so many close up shots are blurry. The "macro" setting does shorten that distance but doesn't change the fact that there is still a minimum.
Secondly, by zooming in you minimize background distractions. The amount of background included in a photo is smaller the more you zoom.
Thirdly, if there's any chance your flash will fire, the closer you are, the harsher the light.
So, back up and zoom. You'll see MUCH better closeups!

I feel SO much better having gotten that off my chest. Feel free to ask anything you feel. (I'm pretty rusty on astrophysics but I'll see what I can do.)

-Jon