Introduction to Macro

Photography
Dan Finelt
April 2012
Contents
Introduction
Equipment
Techniques
Examples
Macro Photography:
Definitions
Macro photography refers to taking pictures of
small things at close range.
Traditionally, macro photography is defined as
any photo in which the subject has at least a 1:1
ratio with the photo negative (or sensor).
This means that the image of the subject on the
negative (or sensor) is exactly the same size as the
real life subject. Therefore, 1:1 is often referred to
as life size.
Macro Photography:
Definitions (Continued)
Working distance refers to the distance between
the end of your lens and your subject.
As lens focal length increases, so does the working
distance.
Normally you want as much working distance as
possible.
To keep your distance from live subjects
To give you adequate room to set up your lighting
Focal Length Working Distance
200 mm 12.4(316 mm)
100 mm 6.3(160 mm)
50 mm 2.2(55 mm)
Macro Photography:
Definitions (Continued)
Using a macro lens results in a very shallow
depth of field.
Since we are dealing in inches and not feet in a
macro photograph, very high f stops (i.e., f22,
f32, etc.) are required to capture sharpness
across the subject.
This is especially true if the subject spans across
more than the plane of focus.
While f11 might be fine for a portrait, it will result
in a fairly soft image in a macro photograph.
Macro Photography
Tools of the Trade
Tripod
Macro Lens
Extension Tubes/Bellows
Diopters
Teleconverter
Equipment: Tripod
One of the biggest challenges in macro
photography is obtaining really sharp images.
Any movement of either the camera or
subject will result in less than tack sharp
images.
Therefore, a good tripod is essential for
macro photography.
A ball type head works best for macro
photography.
Equipment: Macro Lens
This is the best optical choice for macro photography.
The lens is corrected to focus to 1:1, meaning that the
image youre photographing is the same size on your
film (or sensor) as it is in real life.
Advantages:
They often have finely tuned optics, making them very sharp lenses.
They are often fast lenses, so you can have quick shutter speeds
without loss of sharpness.
Drawbacks:
Its a prime lens, so one more lens to lug around. You may have another
lens of the same focal length.
Theyre expensive especially at longer focal lengths, which I prefer.
You dont need one to get a good macro image.
However, if you become hooked on macro photography,
you will eventually buy one.
Equipment: Diopters
A close-up lens (or diopter) enables the camera to focus
closer than it normally can. This means that the image will
appear larger in the frame because you can get closer to it. In
other words, close-ups allow you to magnify the image. A
diopter is, in fact, a magnifying glass.
Close-ups can be stacked. When doing this, the highest
powered close-up should be the closest to the camera.
One problem with stacking is that the quality decreases
because there is more glass. Another issue is that as the
magnification increases the depth of field decreases. With
really high magnifications, the depth of field becomes paper
thin.
Still another important issue with close-ups is that you need to
get so close to the subject (i.e., a close working distance).
Equipment: Extension
Tubes
Adding extension between the lens and camera
body will let any lens focus closer.
Magnification = Total extension / Focal length
Total extension is the sum of how much your focusing
barrel has moved the lens out from its infinity focus
position, and any extension tubes you add.
The longer the focal length of a lens, the larger the
amount of extension needed to reach the macro
regime.
A 300 mm lens would need 300 mm of total extension (~1
foot) to go to 1:1.
Extension tubes come in different lengths and may
be stacked to achieve longer extension.
Equipment: Bellows
Bellows let you continuously vary the
extension.
Reverse mounting a lens (mounting the lens to
the bellows by the filter ring) yields more working
distance at higher magnifications.
But you have to manually stop the lens down prior
to making your exposure.
So a lens will need a mechanical aperture ring
(versus electronic control) if you plan to use it on
a bellows. For Nikon users this means no G
lenses.
Equipment:
Teleconverters
These multiply the focal length of a lens
without affecting the closest focus distance,
thus multiplying the achievable magnification
by the same factor.
They suffer from light loss, which makes
focusing more difficult.
1 f-stop for 1.4x
2 f-stops for 2x
There is some loss in image sharpness.
Equipment: Summary
Method Magnification Cost Working
Distance
Pros Cons
Macro Lens General
Photography to 1:1
$500 to
$1,000
Better with
105 mm vs.
60 mm
Easy to use Costly
Extension
Tubes
To 1:1 on a 100
mm; 2:1 on 50 mm
$100 to
$200 for
a set.
Poor with a
normal lens;
good with a
telephoto
lens
Inexpensive;
works with all
your lenses
Focusing may
become
difficult at high
magnification
Diopters 1:1 with a telephoto
lens
$50 to
$100
Good using
a telephoto
lens
Small, light,
low cost
accessory
Narrow
magnification
range
Teleconverters Multiply
magnification
depending upon
selected
teleconverter
$200 to
$600
Best Continuous
focus
Light loss
hampers
focusing
Equipment: Miscellaneous
Cable release or remote trigger
Mirror lock-up on your camera
Both will help reduce vibration from the
camera which could result in loss of
sharpness.
Reflectors and Diffusers
Electronic flash
Useful Tools in the Field
Spray bottle containing water
Use to enhance subjects such as a morning dew
or after a rain shower effect.
Tweezers
Remove distractions present on a subject such as
stray grass, pollen, etc.
Knee pads
Need I say more
Macro Composition/Technique
Two kinds of macro images (at least in my
opinion) and variations between the two:
Isolated Subject
Here you have a subjecta flower, bee, etc., set
against a background that is pleasing or
complementary to the subject.
Foreground Design
The frame is filled with the design of a particular flower
(or other subject).
Example of Isolated Subject
1/100 at f29, ISO 400
Example of Foreground Design
1/100 at f25, ISO 200
Techniques: Lighting
A great composition can still look boring if the
lighting is flat, or harsh if the lighting is to bright.
The best lighting is in the morning or evening, where
shadows are not harsh.
Mid-day photos can make harsh compositions with
blown highlights.
Cloudy days (and even drizzly days) are highly
preferable. Nothings better than a cloudy, drizzly,
windless day. You might be miserable, but your
photos will be great.
Lighting - Continued
Macro photography has a small enough subject
area that you can exert control over your lighting.
Even in the harsh mid-day sun, you can use a
diffuser to cut down on harsh shadows.
A white umbrella makes a great diffuser.
To add light on flat days, you can use a white, gold,
or silver reflector to add some contrast.
You can also use fill flash. As a guideline, set your
flash to under expose by 1.5 stops.
Technique: Depth of Field
In macro photography, you have precious little to
work with, even at f/16.
Its often difficult to keep enough of your subject in
focus while still blurring your backgroundthe more
separation between your subject and background,
the better.
You can use shallower depth of field to blur out
unwanted elements, floral imperfections, etc.
You can also use it to your advantage to select your
subject and distinguish it from other objects.
Technique: Patience
Explore your subject fully.
If you find an interesting subject, spend a lot
of time there and take a lot of pictures.
Look at the subject from different angles and
points of view. Try to exhaust all possible
vantage points.
Im surprised how many photographs I can
find if I slow down and look for some time.
Be aware of any background distractions.
Technique: Capturing the
Image
The big challenge is getting your image sharp where you
want it to be sharp and blurry where you want it.
I gave up on autofocus for macro photography. J ust
focus manually; its a lot simpler.
Find an angle that gives you enough separation between
foreground and background.
Keep your camera parallel with the plane of interest, so
that you can get your whole subject in focus.
Bracket depth of field. Take lots of images at several f-
stops and see which ones you like best later.
Be patient, especially on cloudy, windy days, and use
your mirror lockup function (1/10 1/30 sec).
Key Takeaways
Camera, tripod, cable release, mirror lock up,
lens that can focus close up alone or with
attachments.
Besides the camera, the tripod is the most important
tool in macro photography.
Dont take short cuts.
Macro photography demands more precision than
many other forms.
The equipment can slow you down, force you to
be more patient, and youll take better pictures.
Simple Macro Composition
Checklist
Simplify your image as much as possible.
Fill as much of the frame as possible with
your subject.
Over-compensate for sharp focus.
Experiment with various angles to find the
most aesthetically pleasing.
Be very aware of the background (which will
be out of focus) and eliminate anything that
will be distracting.
Technique Examples
Depth of Field
1/200 at f32 with flash 1/200 at f6.3 with flash
Depth of Field
1/10 at f22; ISO 200 1/4 at f32; ISO 200
Depth of Field
1/800 at f9; ISO 200 1/250 at f16; ISO 200
1/400 at f13; ISO 200 1/2000 at f5; ISO 200 1/400 at f13; ISO 200 1/2000 at f5; ISO 200 1/400 at f13; ISO 200 1/2000 at f5; ISO 200
With and Without Fill Flash
1/8 at f22; With 1/8 at f22 Without
With and Without Fill Flash
1/15 at f22; With 1/15 at f22 Without
With and Without Flash
1/160 at f40; With 0.8s at f40 Without
The Problem with WindBlur
Try again when the wind
dies down.
If the wind persists, you
have a few options:
Increase shutter speed/ISO,
but will give up depth of
field and more noise.
Try and block the wind.
Look for a similar subject in
a protected location.
Have a beer and come
back another day.
1s at f36 and ISO 200
Plane of Focus
Black background
created through flash
and extremely high
aperture number.
Note the focus is on the
caterpillar on the lefts
mouth. This results in
the caterpillar on the
right being less sharp
because it is in a
different plane of focus.
1/125 at f52 With Flash
Patience Pays Off