Macro Photography

Posted by David Peterson as Tips

 

Macro photography is the art of photographing small objects like flowers and bugs. Here are some tips for fantastic macro photography.

Start to train your eye to see macro opportunities. You’ll be surprised at the objects you’ll want to capture : Stamps, Paper Clips, Coins, Pins etc. Some of the best subjects are provided by Nature – Flowers, Plants, Bugs and Leaves.
Try getting in really close to everyday objects such as the wood grain of a table, the veins of leaves, the texture of gravel or the worn look of a slippery slide.
Use a flash if there isn’t much light – but be careful because at this close range the flash could over expose the subject and image. A ‘Ring Flash’ unit can help. This clips onto the front of the lens and can give a softer effect.
If your camera has trouble focussing at close range, try moving away a little and use the optical zoom to incease your magnification.


Try purchasing a ‘close up lens’ that attaches to the end of your camera’s filter thread. This is a great alternative if your camera doesn’t have an inbuilt macro, but does have a thread to attach filters.
Use a small white card to fill any shadows in the image. Shadows can be a problem if you are shooting in bright sunlight, or using an overhead lamp. Any single light source will cause shadows.


Increase your ISO setting so you can use faster shutter speeds. This will ensure your images will be as sharp and clear as possible. Don’t increase your ISO too far as you’ll get a very ‘noisy’ image.
Use a tripod as much as possible to eliminate camera shake and to be sure your camera’s focus is right.
Don’t use the optical viewfinder. Because of ‘parallax’, the image you see in the optical viewfinder will not be the same as what the camera sees… Particularly for macro shots.