Looking for more ways to get creative with photography at home? Now would be a great time to get into macro photography and explore the tiny worlds that surround you. You can even craft your own worlds at home if you wish.

To help you kick-start this adventure, we invite you to visit (or revisit) some of our top tips for capturing those teensy subjects in glorious detail!

Starting with the basics

As with any genre, shooting macro has its own set of challenges. This in-depth tutorial will equip you with the know-how for navigating them as a beginner and ensuring that you get tack-sharp photos. These include quick shooting tips like using a tripod, your camera’s live view function and a telephoto zoom in place of a macro lens.

Working with extension tubes and reverse ring adapters

Photo by Julie Powell

Don’t have a dedicated macro lens yet? Don’t let that stop you from trying out macro photography. You can use a telephoto zoom lens like mentioned above if you have one. Or, you can try using extension tubes and reverse ring adapters, which are cheaper options than macro lenses.

To help you decide which ones to use for shooting macro on a budget, check out our guides for the good, the bad and the ugly of extension tubes, and the basics of reverse lens macro photography.

Exploring your backyard with a macro lens

Photo by Bob Coates

Once you have everything you need to begin, you don’t need to go far to get started with shooting. There are plenty of subjects for you to practice with straight from your backyard!

By entering the world of macro, you open your creativity to the different shapes, colors and textures that have been hiding in plain sight. Just take a look at the beautiful examples that will surely get you shooting in no time!

Adding some macro to your Christmas snaps

Photo by Lauri Novak

The fun thing about macro photography is that you’re not limited to capturing flowers and bugs, as the common misconception implies. During the Christmas season, why not experiment with all the holiday bits and baubles you have around the house? You’ll find that they’re perfect for shooting macro!

In this tutorial, we’ve shared some quick tips and suggestions for a macro holiday shoot. Christmas decorations, delectable food and colorful lights — you’ll find that they’re all fair game when it comes to macro photography!

More macro photography resources

In case you haven’t yet, we also invite you to check out Photofocus on Flipboard to view our collection of macro photography resources so far. We update our storyboards regularly with more tips, tutorials, and inspiring photography projects, so make sure to follow as well!