Macro photography has always intrigued me. Whenever I put a macro lens on my camera, I become a snap happy kid with a camera running around taking close up photos of anything interesting I can find. Being able to take something small, remove it from its surroundings that gives the perspective of its size and focusing in on those tiny details that we often can’t see isn’t just cool to look at, but rewarding to make spectacular and unique images.
I wanted to share a few tips I have picked up along the way for taking macro photos that will hopefully help you with your own photo taking:
1. Use a tripod.
This will save you a sore back, time, and space on the memory card from blurry photos. When taking close up photos or super macro photos, even the minutest movement of your hand is going to change what is in focus. Put your camera on a tripod, frame your photo and then focus and adjust the angle and position of the camera as needed.
2. Composition. Don’t let the whole “getting super close” to a usually tiny object let you forget to mind your composition. While framing your photograph, remember to look for those basic design elements in your photos (i.e., leading lines, the rule of thirds, or other visual pleasing design elements).
3. Weather. Try to avoid going out to take macro photos during a windy day, or in the afternoon on a bright sunny day. Since the depth of field is extremely small when using a macro lens, the slightest movement from the wind can knock it out of focus leaving you with a blurry photo. Also on a bright sunny day, the sun can cast harsh shadows on your subjects; however, the light in the morning and evening is much softer and will produce more pleasing photographs. If you must go out and shoot on a sunny afternoon, bring something translucent you can put between your subject and the sun (i.e., a piece of paper, the center disc of a 5-in-1 reflector) or anything that will either diffuse or block the sunlight hitting the main subject in your photo (this can be improvised out of virtually anything!).
4. Manual Focus. Turn your camera’s autofocus off; where your camera decides to focus may not be where you want the focus to be in your photo. Take the time to manual focus (this is where the tripod comes in handy) and make sure the focus is where you want to save yourself from having to go back and photograph the subject again.
5. Get picky. When choosing something like a flower to photograph, look for the one that is the closest to perfect in the bunch. You are focusing in on the small details and any imperfections of the flower or object will be easier to spot and may take away from the overall outcome of your photo.
Most of all Get Creative! Don’t be afraid to bend the “rules” or try something a little different. Experiment with lighting and perspective of the photo or maybe try some creative retouching at the end of the day. It’s those photos we least except to turn out when we are just fooling around with settings and angles that surprise us with an amazing end result.
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Photos by Corey Bradder (photo 1), Rob Sturgess (photo 2, 3, 4)