Tips for Developing Macro Photography Techniques
There are many ways of approaching macro digital photography. And, if you are new to macro photography, it is quite confusing for those learning how to take great macro shots. Here are some macro photography tips to give you a greater insight into the art of taking close-ups of small things.
Exposure for Macro Photography
When taking macro photos you will need to think about the f-stop setting unless you are using a close-up lens. Even if you use you camera’s automatic light metering which will adjust the exposure to account for light loss, you will still need to manually adjust your exposure settings to get the best results.
Macro Photography Lighting
A handheld flash is ideal when used a few inches from the subject. It lets you get a good field of depth and you can get down to below stop f-16 to get the clearest, sharpest results in your macro photography.
Lighting can be the most important part of your macro photography as it can be the difference between getting good macro photos and getting stunning photos.
Focus is Critical in Macro Photography
Camera focus and positioning is critical with a depth of field of only 1 mm, and a tripod does not necessarily allow you to focus from the angle you need to capture the depth of field of your subject. Many macro photographers use macro focusing rails that attach to the tripod. These are a rack and pinion setup that moves the camera backwards and forwards. Use the tripod to roughly position the camera and let the focusing rails take care of the fine positioning.
Use Macro Mode
Use the macro mode on your camera. I know this may seem really obvious but you would be surprised at how many people who have digital SLRs have not checked out the modes they have built in to their cameras. Usually a flower symbolizes macro mode and using this mode automatically tells your camera you want to focus more closely on the subject than usual. In macro mode the camera will choose a large aperture so the background is out of focus and your subject is sharp in the foreground of your macro shots.
It takes a lot of practice and learning from experience to get good macro photography photos, and if you try out some of these tips it will help you to develop your techniques as a macro photographer. It doesn’t all finish here. I ‘ve supplied an extra article at this link to give you a rough idea of what to consider when it comes to macro photography equipment.
If you would like to learn a little about equipment, you can read this article on macro photography equipment tips. If you’re hungry for lots of tips and useable information on macro photography, I suggest you download this useful report on Macro photography.
