When I think of macro photography, I think 100mm lenses on upside-down cameras on a splayed-leg tripod. What I don’t think of is a 24mm pancake lens. But when I recently met emerging photographer Emma Wilson, my understanding of what can be achieved in 24mm lens macro photography was turned on its head.

Macro is photography where the subject is smaller in real life than in the resulting image. It’s often highly magnified, capturing the small world in beautiful crisp detail. Lenses uses for macro photography are usually longer focal lengths like 100mm because it allows you to zoom in on those tiny details. A classic macro lens features a tiny minimum focusing distance, too, so that you can put that lens right up in a bug’s face and see the quiver of its mandibles.

24mm lens macro photography
Emma says, “Contrasting colours draw me to this photo. The vegetable grasshopper’s colour is striking next to the pink of the kangaroo paw it’s on.”

Can you do macro photography with a 24mm lens?

Emma Wilson, however, is using a Canon 24mm pancake lens for her macro photography and the results are stunning. This lens is commonly used for travel photography or landscapes because of its tiny size: it’s the smallest, flattest, most-pancakey lens in the Canon range. It’s also very affordable and makes a great addition to your starting kit for your crop sensor camera.

Emma is a photographer from Glasshouse Mountains in Queensland, Australia. I interviewed her to learn more about what drew her to macro with this unusual lens and about her process. Let’s dive in!

How did you get into photography? Emma shares her experience

I started taking photos in the early 2010’s of make-up I was doing at the time. However, I only truly got into photography last year when my husband bought me my Canon EOS 850D DSLR for our first anniversary. I had spent our entire honeymoon taking photos of everything with my phone, so he knew I would love it.

I love the natural beauty around me and being able capture it in an image to share with others has drawn me to photography.

24mm lens macro photography
The mundane helped this image become special. The window flyscreen creating a perfect backdrop and the living room light offering the right amount to light to make this curious dragonfly pop.

I have been majority self-taught. When we bought my camera the camera salesman at JB hi-fi, who is a photographer, gave me a quick run through of the basics to get me started. I have photographer friends I can ask questions of as well. It has been a lot of experimenting.

What gear do you use for your macro photography?

My camera is a Canon EOS 850D DSLR, and my go-to lens is my Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM Lens, which I use for all my macro shooting. I have a Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Lens that came in a kit with my camera body. I use that for all my day to day shooting and if I am taking photos at an event. For landscape shooting I have a Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM Lens.

caterpillar macro photograph
My finger lime tree has become home to the local swallowtail butterfly caterpillars. I interrupted this Orchard Swallowtail caterpillar’s lunch and it show me it’s impressive defence in return.

Currently, my only accessory for shooting is a three-way swivel tripod. I use it all the time for shooting macro. It helps stabilize my camera to minimize motion blur. I don’t yet have an off-camera flash and keep the stutter speed low for the additional light.

What drew you to using a 24mm lens for macro photography?

As I am still finding my feet in the photography world, the price point played a big roll in my choice of the 24mm pancake lens for my macro shooting. The resulting images I get from this lens makes me appreciate the decision I made.

I am open to purchasing a 100mm macro lens in the future, though I believe I will continue using my 24mm lens as well because I love the depth of photo it creates.

bee macro photo
This shot was taken on a paper daisy plant in my back garden. I found the bees harvesting pollen such a wonderful sight. It took some patience and a few photos to get the right ones, bees don’t stay still.

The 24mm pancake lens is a versatile lens for a lot of different subjects, and seeing the macro images you get from it shows even more of its flexibility. What else have you tried shooting with the 24mm pancake lens?

This is going to sound very boring, but I have not used my 24mm for photos besides macro at this stage. I am interested in trying it out for other shooting in the future. I do think the concept of using such a compact lens for so many things is great and if it takes good images for other shooting it would great to take on the fly.

mushroom 24mm macro photography
A lone miniature mushroom in my overly damp garden bed, I find beauty in unlikely places. Getting down to this mushroom’s level was key for this image.

I agree, having such a handy lens in the kit is a massive help when you’re travelling or doing long shoots. What other lenses have you got in your kit and what have you used them for so far?

My other lenses include the kit lens that came with my camera body and a wide-angle lens. I use my kit lens when I am taking photos at events and when out and about. This lens is really good for photographing subjects within 10 meters, however for anything further away it tends to have its limitations.

I have gotten some nice photos of water dragons at the zoo, but it’s hard to get quality shots of the zoo animals themselves.

bearded dragon black and white photo
This baby bearded dragon in my garden didn’t mind too much that I stuck my lens right up in its face. The use to black and white imagery helps the detail of this little dragon stand out beautifully.

My wide-angle lens is a EF-S 10-18mm IS STM lens. I use it mostly for landscape and sunset shooting. I find the picture it captures really great. Living in the Glasshouse Mountains, I love when I get time to take some sunset shots of the mountains and this lens captures them well.

sunset mountain
This is Coonowrin Mountain of the Glasshouse Mountains. I came across the location this image was taken while riding along Sahara Road, Glass House Mountains. The sunset was beautiful the day I took this.

I have done some experimenting with it at a family event and found that it captures a wonderful image of the entire room as well.

Emma’s photographs show the true versatility of the 24mm lens

If you would like to see more of Emma’s photography, check out her Instagram page. And why not take out a different lens from your usual today and try capturing something unusual?

photographer emma wilson
Photo by Ash at Salt’n’Dust Images.

Emma is a budding photographer with a keen interest in macro photography. She loves getting out in her in nature to find all manner of critters to photograph.