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Photo Tips & Techniques

Macro Flash by Russ Burden While some macro images look best under available light, a lot of factors must be just right to get the perfect shot.  It's best to learn how to use your flash with macro photography to figure out your best bet. Article rating: 9.00

I’ve seen many gorgeous images of macro subjects taken with available light. But as with many other subjects, a lot of factors must fall into place to create a successful natural light photo. The beautiful light has to be where the subject is located, the subject’s appearance has to coincide with the time of the gorgeous light, and the setting must be perfect for the direction of light. Rather than leave these factors to fate, wouldn’t it be nice to have a fallback plan at your disposal so you could create beautiful macro images even if it’s heavily overcast? The solution is a rather easy one. Use a flash. It can be used as a fill light, as a main light, or in tandem with multiple flashes to produce dramatic and pleasing results.

The advantages to using flash are many. First off, they can provide a large burst of light. The benefit is a smaller aperture can be used. This results in gaining a lot of depth of field over shooting with the lens wide open. This is important in that when you’re working with macro subjects, critical focus is measured in millimeters. Even the slightest error in focusing will result in an out of focus subject or a subject that may have a sharp wing instead of a sharp eye. Secondly, a flash will help offset movement of the tiny critter or flower if the wind is blowing. In that the duration of the flash is so fast, the slow moving insect will look as if it’s standing still.  The same goes for the flower that’s being moved around by the wind. An additional benefit is it frees you up from using a tripod. This is advantageous as you can move more efficiently and the tripod is just another item that may scare away your subject.

© Russ Burden

Flash As Fill: In the image of the flower, I used flash to fill in the shadows which resulted in softening the overall contrast. As I’m sure you’ve heard, a good nature shot can’t be made in the middle of the day because the light is too harsh. While this rings true for grand scenics and large animals, it isn’t gospel for macro subjects. The reason being has to do with the size of the subject relative to the size of the light. Obviously, when lighting a small subject with a powerful flash, the photographer can take control of the light. In relation to the scenic or in the case of a large animal, the amount of light that is emitted from the flash is not strong enough to effect the image. The flower photo was made late morning with the sun to its right. I set the amount of fill light to minus one and one third stops. This created a pleasing balance between the ambient light and the light from the flash.

Two Flashes: In the shot of the bee on the dahlia, I used a set up with two flashes. Each was mounted to a bracket that mounted to the tripod socket.  I positioned the “main” light on the right side of the bracket and the “fill” light on the left. The fill light was dialed down to go off at one half stop less that of the main light. Had I not used two flashes, distracting shadows from the overlapping petals of the dahlia would have appeared. The fill light softened the shadows resulting in a more pleasing lighting effect.

Add a Backlight: In the shot of the caterpillar, I still used only two lights, but I arranged them differently. Instead of mounting them to the camera, I placed the main light on a stand to my left and aimed it at a forty five degree angle to the caterpillar. To its right, I added a reflector to kick some light back to the right side. The second light I used was placed behind the right side of the subject at a forty five degree angle and pointed at the caterpillar to rim light the tiny hairs on its back. This light provided a more dramatic effect and also separation of the caterpillar from the background.

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 new 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.

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