Rather than me share the standard How To Photograph Macro Subjects article, I present to you a recipe of my quick tips.
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It’s summer and the flowers are in full bloom. As spring comes to a close and transitions into summer, different buds will open, many insects will help in the pollination process, and in just the same way that bees are attracted to pollen, macro equipped photographers will flock to the bees. At this time of year, macro becomes the photo de jour. Rather than me share the standard HOW TO Photograph Macro Subjects article, I present to you a recipe of my quick tips. Enjoy them and send me a low res of your favorite shot that you get because you used one of the tips.
FOCUS: If you are restricted from using a tripod and have to hand hold the camera, first get the magnification of the subject to the size you want. Once that’s set, rather than try to autofocus or even manual focus, move the camera closer or farther away from the subject. It serves the same purpose as focusing but you can use both hands to support the camera to help ensure you get a stable platform.
FLASH #1: If you use flash as your main light, a black or dark background is often the end result. To let ambient light be recorded, rather than synching the flash at 1/250 of a second, set the metering mode to manual and open the shutter to 1/30 or 1/60. This forces the shutter to stay open longer allowing the background to be exposed by the ambient light. The exposure of the flash will be determined by the f stop at which the camera is set.
FLASH #2: If you use flash to soften the contrast, use the fill compensation button to dial down the output. Check the LCD on the back of the camera to see if the amount looks good. If there’s still too much contrast, bring some of the output back. If the image looks too flashed, then dial it down even more. If it’s a bright and sunny day, you will need to get in the shade to properly evaluate the ratio.
REFLECTORS: Purchase a small collapsable gold reflector that can be used to bounce warm toned sunlight onto your subject. Not only will it help give the impression the photo was taken more toward sunrise or sunset, it will help soften the contrast in the image if it has to be made during the off peak hours of mid day.
KNEEPADS: A lot of the photography you do will be from a low level. This puts added strain on your knees - especially if you have to kneel on rocks or sharp pebbles. Padded knee pads absorb the discomfort allowing you to work the subject longer and to stay out in the field for longer periods of time.
SELECTIVE FOCUS: With a long lens and extreme magnification, getting close and shooting wide open narrows the depth of field to millimeters. This can be used to your advantage having just a single element of the subject sharp while the rest falls into a wash of color.
STOP DOWN: The opposite of selective focus is trying to get everything in focus. With macro subjects, given the limited depth of field, it’s mandatory the lens gets stopped down to apertures of f16 / 22 / and even 32. This requires a lot of light and translates to slow shutter speeds that may allow subject movement to be recorded or camera jiggle that nets a blurry photo. Flash greatly improves your chances of getting perfectly sharp images that need to be shot at small apertures.
STUDY THE NATURAL LIGHT: Just because you’re photographing a macro subject, the principles of front, side and backlight still apply. Study the way the light illuminates the subject. Is it harsh, contrasty, diffused, warm, coming from above etc.? Learn how to augment the light via the use of flash or reflectors if it’s not optimum.
RIGHT ANGLE VIEWFINDER: If the subject is very low to the ground, it’s difficult to get sprawled out so you can look through the viewfinder to create the composition. Some cameras have fold out LCD screens and they work wonderfully for this type of circumstance. If the LCD is fixed, then purchase a right angle viewfinder that enables you to look down and through the viewfinder so you don’t have to lay on the ground. Think of it as an inverted periscope.
To learn more about this topic, join me on one of my Photographic Nature Tours. Visit www.russburdenphotography.com and click on the NATURE TOURS button for more information. Also, pick up a copy of my book, Amphoto’s Complete Book of Photography. You can purchase a signed copy directly from me or visit your local book store or Amazon. Contact me at rburden@ecentral.com to order your signed copy
