Macro

All posts tagged Macro

Five Steps to Better Macro Shots

Posted by scottbourne on March 27, 2009
Posted in: Tips. Tagged: .

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Copyright 2004 Scott Bourne – All Rights Reserved

If you are interested in creating something “different” or you need a spark in your creativity, consider macro. Here are a few tips to get you started.

a. Fill The Frame – Really

There’s no need for negative space in a traditional macro shot. Fill the frame. Part of the beauty of macro photography is the ability to shoot abstracts and the more of the frame you fill with the image, the more abstract it can become.

b. Use The Longest Macro Lens You Can Afford

If you use a telephoto macro, i.e. 180mm v. something like a 60mm macro, you can get full magnification without having to get uncomfortably close. Insects, animals, etc., may not appreciate you trying to get within one inch of them for a photo. If you have a longer focal length, you can get the same effect from further out.

c. Get Close – Then Get Closer.

No matter how close you are, if you can still focus, get closer still. There are a myriad of stories in there. Get close – look for them. Find the hidden treasure deep into the shot.

e. Get Eye Level

If you’re shooting animals, insects, etc., shoot at their eye level. Working face-to-face gives an intimate perspective that’s nicely amplified in close up work.

f. Consider Flash

Many manufacturers make ring flash adapters or special flash heads for use in macro photography. Using additional light can help you get the depth – of -field you need if you want to get front to back sharpness in a close up picture.

These aren’t the only suggestions for getting good macro shots, but they should get you on your way.

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Turn Blah Into Beautiful

Posted by scottbourne on November 15, 2008
Posted in: Technique & Tutorials. Tagged: . 17 comments

Post by Lisa Bettany

I rented my first macro lens this weekend, the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro. But, I really dropped the ball and ended up swamped with work and not having any time to shoot anything. Plus, I was having some “bad creative days”. I sometimes have days where I have ideas, but I can’t completely visualize the end product, so I somehow talk myself out of even trying to figure it out. This endless circle of doubt just smacks my creativity in the face and wastes so much time, like my entire weekend. So 45 mins before I had to return the lens to Beau Photo, I kicked myself in the rear and out the door with the goal of grabbing at least one decent shot. I poked outside my apartment building for something interesting to shoot and ran into this friendly spider. At first, the shot didn’t look great. The sky was blah grey, there was no light, the spider’s web didn’t have any raindrops, it was all very bland. But, determined as I was, I crouched in a big mud puddle and angled the frame, so the spider was sitting in colourful background, instead of the grey sky. And bam! Something decent. The focus on the spider was a bit soft in the final image, so I sharpened it in Aperture. I also amped the saturation of the yellow. The rest of the colours were just that vibrant. It’s not a shot I would ever dream of taking, but there it is.

The point is, even on your worst photo days, you can catch a great shot. Keep shooting, keep exploring, and stay positive about your photography. Just start shooting anything, inspiration will strike sooner than you think. Macro Tips:

  1. Use Manual focus. Use Auto focus to help grabbing your focus if you are having trouble, then switch over to Manual.
  2. Get low. Often the best angle is the one where you have to kneel in a pile of muddy guck. If you have sore knees, buy one of those gardening foam pads to kneel on.
  3. Explore Depth of Field (DOF). A small DOF (<f/2.8) will emphasize the subject, and make it stand out more from the background. This method called selective focus, is great to use if you your background is really distracting, like the fall leaves in my spider picture above. Conversely, if you want all of your subject in focus you will need a larger DOF f/8 or higher.
  4. Shoot in RAW. Always. You will be able to pull so much more detail put of your image, it will amaze you. You can thank me for your amazement later. :D

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