Macro photography, or 'micro photography' as it is starting to be known as in recent times, is all about getting intimate with your subject. If you want to capture a close-up of a leaf for instance, it will be necessary to have to get very close. For this you will ideally be using a macro lens.
If you're lucky, you'll already have a zoom lens which has macro functionality. You may find a section on the lens which is coloured orange with an 'M'. Now it is best to remember that this isn't a dedicated macro lens, it just means that it can focus very close.
If you want to properly get into macro photography, you will need something a bit more suited to the job than this. A macro lens will focus down to an incredibly small distance between the end of the lens and the subject you're shooting. It is often possible to get as close as 10 or 12 cm to your subject. This is something you couldn't easily do with a regular lens.
When you get in close to a subject, your depth of field starts to get smaller and appears shallower. This is a universal feature of all lenses. As humans we tend to move around a lot even if we try to stay still. Our small movements back and forth will cause the point of focus to move backwards and forwards so it can be very challenging to focus on something when doing macro photography. One way to overcome this problem is to use your elbows as a little tripod to try and keep the camera steady. You'll still find that as you get closer and closer to the subject, it becomes more and more challenging for you to remain still because you are breathing and moving without intending to do so. Every time you adjust the focus and then move, your shot becomes blurred.
This is where tripods become extremely useful. The tripod is a fantastically simple invention because it enables you to get shots that you normally wouldn't be able to take by eliminating your own human movements.
Another noteworthy foe of the macro photographer is wind. Small winds can come by just when you least expect them to and typically at the worst possible times for you to get that perfect shot. We have to pick the perfect conditions whenever we have the opportunity. If you want to do some nature photography on a windy day you probably won't get the best conditions to get the best possible pictures. But there is a way to deal with it which we will come to very shortly.
Another factor to consider with macro photography is lighting. If you are outdoors with an overcast sky and you want to photograph something delicate like a flower, a slightly overcast sky will often be the best light for this type of photography. The light is still directional although it is very soft and subtle.
Another great device when it comes to macro is the reflector. The great thing about using reflectors for macro is that the reflectors themselves don't have to be huge. One example of a reflector that you most likely already have is a notepad with white paper inside. Just open it up and move it alongside the object you're about to capture. You will notice that the light on the subject subtly changes when you use the notepad.
Now I wrote earlier that I would be giving you a useful tip on how to defy breezes when doing macro and that tip is simply to move indoors. If you are taking shots of a flower, you can bring that flower indoors (as long as it's not someone else's flower!). Indoors is a wonderful place for doing macro work and one of the biggest reasons is that there are far fewer disturbances such as breezes and other things. Don't get me wrong - outdoors is excellent for macro in many ways but if it is pouring with rain outside then practicing macro indoors can provide perfect conditions.
It is also very important that you spend time to choose the right flower. As you move in close any tiny blemishes will become obvious, such as pollen stains on the petals.
So far there's been a lot of talk of flowers in this post but there are many other objects including objects usually found in the home which make excellent photos for macro. Just look around your house. Objects made of glass such as jam jars, vases, bottles and so on can work very well because of the interesting ways they reflect light. The background isn't as important with macro, because when you have that short depth of field, particularly with a wide aperture, it doesn't really matter what's in the background because it will be blurred into a mix of tones. All you have to consider is what those tones are.
You will typically use single point auto focus. What this means is you will be telling the camera which dots in the viewfinder to use to focus. Depending on the make and model of your equipment, how to use the single point auto focus feature will vary, so it is recommended to read your camera's manual to find out. You will be able to decide which part of the view finder you're focusing on. If you're in auto mode the camera might not know where to focus and it might decide on the wrong part of the picture, which will make you feel incredibly frustrated because you won't be able to get the image you want.
When working indoors, you will usually be working with a slower shutter speed (say 1/8th of a second). That is because there isn't much light indoors normally, but what light there is, is often very good, desirable light.
Another thing to think about is the aperture. Imagine you're taking a macro picture of two different subjects with one in the foreground of the picture and the other towards the background. Suppose you want to make the object in the background look more blurred, while the object in the foreground is sharply defined and in focus. You would be typically using an F8 which is a middle of the road type of aperture, but by utilizing a wider aperture you will be able to put the emphasis much more strongly onto the subject in the foreground and make the background subject become much more blurred. One example of an aperture you could use is around F3.3, which will make the shutter speed faster and decrease your depth of field.
Abstracts also make for wonderful images. Consider objects made of metal in your home such as your toaster, tool box, and other things. They tend to have lots of reflective surfaces with unique shapes and contours. Use a shallow depth of field, so that it will give you a place to look within the frame, instead of just viewing the entire picture as a whole. Shiny objects made of stainless steel for example may confuse your auto focus, in which case you may need to switch to manual.
You can get great results by taking photos of objects near a window that doesn't have any direct sunlight coming in through it. The side of the object closest to the window will be brighter than the other darker side. You can play around with a reflector to get some different effects lighting up this darker side to wrap it around the object. This works well with fruit that has a shiny surface, like apples, lemons, oranges and so on.
So what is macro photography?
Macro photography is concerned with zooming in on things and it opens up a whole new dimension of photography using the plainest of subject matter and showing it in a totally new and different way. You just have to look around your home and try to find things that could work well. If you are doing macro outdoors, you will have to learn to deal with sudden breezes, which could cause a large number of blurry photos. So start experimenting and enjoy it! Remember, you don't necessarily need to have the dedicated macro lens.
If you're lucky, you'll already have a zoom lens which has macro functionality. You may find a section on the lens which is coloured orange with an 'M'. Now it is best to remember that this isn't a dedicated macro lens, it just means that it can focus very close.
If you want to properly get into macro photography, you will need something a bit more suited to the job than this. A macro lens will focus down to an incredibly small distance between the end of the lens and the subject you're shooting. It is often possible to get as close as 10 or 12 cm to your subject. This is something you couldn't easily do with a regular lens.
When you get in close to a subject, your depth of field starts to get smaller and appears shallower. This is a universal feature of all lenses. As humans we tend to move around a lot even if we try to stay still. Our small movements back and forth will cause the point of focus to move backwards and forwards so it can be very challenging to focus on something when doing macro photography. One way to overcome this problem is to use your elbows as a little tripod to try and keep the camera steady. You'll still find that as you get closer and closer to the subject, it becomes more and more challenging for you to remain still because you are breathing and moving without intending to do so. Every time you adjust the focus and then move, your shot becomes blurred.
This is where tripods become extremely useful. The tripod is a fantastically simple invention because it enables you to get shots that you normally wouldn't be able to take by eliminating your own human movements.
Another noteworthy foe of the macro photographer is wind. Small winds can come by just when you least expect them to and typically at the worst possible times for you to get that perfect shot. We have to pick the perfect conditions whenever we have the opportunity. If you want to do some nature photography on a windy day you probably won't get the best conditions to get the best possible pictures. But there is a way to deal with it which we will come to very shortly.
Another factor to consider with macro photography is lighting. If you are outdoors with an overcast sky and you want to photograph something delicate like a flower, a slightly overcast sky will often be the best light for this type of photography. The light is still directional although it is very soft and subtle.
Another great device when it comes to macro is the reflector. The great thing about using reflectors for macro is that the reflectors themselves don't have to be huge. One example of a reflector that you most likely already have is a notepad with white paper inside. Just open it up and move it alongside the object you're about to capture. You will notice that the light on the subject subtly changes when you use the notepad.
Now I wrote earlier that I would be giving you a useful tip on how to defy breezes when doing macro and that tip is simply to move indoors. If you are taking shots of a flower, you can bring that flower indoors (as long as it's not someone else's flower!). Indoors is a wonderful place for doing macro work and one of the biggest reasons is that there are far fewer disturbances such as breezes and other things. Don't get me wrong - outdoors is excellent for macro in many ways but if it is pouring with rain outside then practicing macro indoors can provide perfect conditions.
It is also very important that you spend time to choose the right flower. As you move in close any tiny blemishes will become obvious, such as pollen stains on the petals.
So far there's been a lot of talk of flowers in this post but there are many other objects including objects usually found in the home which make excellent photos for macro. Just look around your house. Objects made of glass such as jam jars, vases, bottles and so on can work very well because of the interesting ways they reflect light. The background isn't as important with macro, because when you have that short depth of field, particularly with a wide aperture, it doesn't really matter what's in the background because it will be blurred into a mix of tones. All you have to consider is what those tones are.
You will typically use single point auto focus. What this means is you will be telling the camera which dots in the viewfinder to use to focus. Depending on the make and model of your equipment, how to use the single point auto focus feature will vary, so it is recommended to read your camera's manual to find out. You will be able to decide which part of the view finder you're focusing on. If you're in auto mode the camera might not know where to focus and it might decide on the wrong part of the picture, which will make you feel incredibly frustrated because you won't be able to get the image you want.
When working indoors, you will usually be working with a slower shutter speed (say 1/8th of a second). That is because there isn't much light indoors normally, but what light there is, is often very good, desirable light.
Another thing to think about is the aperture. Imagine you're taking a macro picture of two different subjects with one in the foreground of the picture and the other towards the background. Suppose you want to make the object in the background look more blurred, while the object in the foreground is sharply defined and in focus. You would be typically using an F8 which is a middle of the road type of aperture, but by utilizing a wider aperture you will be able to put the emphasis much more strongly onto the subject in the foreground and make the background subject become much more blurred. One example of an aperture you could use is around F3.3, which will make the shutter speed faster and decrease your depth of field.
Abstracts also make for wonderful images. Consider objects made of metal in your home such as your toaster, tool box, and other things. They tend to have lots of reflective surfaces with unique shapes and contours. Use a shallow depth of field, so that it will give you a place to look within the frame, instead of just viewing the entire picture as a whole. Shiny objects made of stainless steel for example may confuse your auto focus, in which case you may need to switch to manual.
You can get great results by taking photos of objects near a window that doesn't have any direct sunlight coming in through it. The side of the object closest to the window will be brighter than the other darker side. You can play around with a reflector to get some different effects lighting up this darker side to wrap it around the object. This works well with fruit that has a shiny surface, like apples, lemons, oranges and so on.
So what is macro photography?
Macro photography is concerned with zooming in on things and it opens up a whole new dimension of photography using the plainest of subject matter and showing it in a totally new and different way. You just have to look around your home and try to find things that could work well. If you are doing macro outdoors, you will have to learn to deal with sudden breezes, which could cause a large number of blurry photos. So start experimenting and enjoy it! Remember, you don't necessarily need to have the dedicated macro lens.
About the Author:
If you want to learn many more in-depth photography tips and tricks, beyond answering the question what is macro photography, be sure to check out Luke Walker's main site and blogs here.
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