MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY

Or at least our cell phone version of it

Macro photography has definitely become a very broad genre of the art form,
thanks to the ability of today’s cameras—from smartphones to professional
cameras—to make capturing macro shots as easy as clicking a button or two.
However, the results may not always be what you desired.

Before learning to take your macro photography to the next level, let’s talk about
what macro photography is and how it is achieved.

What is Macro Photography

Macro photography is a unique form of photography that involves photographing
small objects to make them look life-sized or larger in the photo. The usual
subjects include flowers and small insects. It lets us see objects we don’t
normally get to see up close with the naked eye. This type of photography is also
used for bringing out details in jewelry and other inanimate objects. It is a widely
used art form that is incorporated in almost every one of the types of
photography. You’ll see it in travel, portraiture, action, or even event photography,
both in the film and digital age.

A true macro shot depends on the level of magnification. The ideal magnification
is at 1:1, where a 1-inch object is also projected at 1-inch on the camera sensor.
When projected at half life-size, the same 1-inch object would take up just a half
inch of the sensor and would be at 1:2 magnification. However, true macro is
anything that has been magnified at a ratio of 1:1 or higher.

Understanding macro photography terms

“Magnification” and “working distance” are both important terms in macro or
close-up photography. But what do these words actually mean, and how do they
help you shoot stunning macro shots? Let’s dig a little deeper into each term.
Magnification

Understanding how big or small your subject will look like on your camera sensor
is an essential aspect of macro photography. Magnification is the value you get
when you compare your subject’s size as seen by the sensor to its actual size. A
1:1 ratio simply means that your subject has reached “life-size” magnification.
There’s also “half-life-size” magnification, which refers to 1:2 magnification.

Working distance
Working distance is the distance between the front of your lens and your nearest
subject. Six inches (15 cm) is perfect if you want to shoot small subjects. Camera
lenses will get the smallest working distance at 1:1 magnification. They can even
achieve a larger distance if they have longer focal lengths.

How to take macro photos

Nowadays, both point-and-shoot cameras, mirrorless cameras, and DSLRs have

a built-in macro mode that helps users capture significantly closer shots of an
object from an observable distance. The camera automatically adjusts lens
elements and moves them closer to the sensor to best suit close focusing. It
does so without the need for extra lenses or macro tubes. Of course this cannot
be considered true macro, because to achieve that you will need a dedicated
macro lens. Alternatively, you can get an accessory that will enable your camera
or lens to shoot macro.

There’s also an option to “fake” a macro by cropping your photo to make your
subject appear more magnified. However, since the digital output from most
cameras (except for those with full-frame sensors) are not as large as on film,
resorting to such measures will usually result in reduced image quality, which is
why cropping does not yield desirable results.

To achieve true macro photography, there is a wide range of macro lenses

available for select digital cameras that are optimized for achieving as much as
10x magnification for professional macro images. But even with the right gear,
pro macro photography can still be hard to execute without knowing how to
properly adjust your camera settings to suit your shooting requirements, or
without knowing how to create a more favorable shooting situation before clicking
the shutter.

Macro shooting may now seem to be more complicated than you thought it would
be, but it really isn’t—especially not after using some of our top tips for capturing
the best macro photographs.

No 1 Choose a suitable subject

No 2. Pick the best location and weather
No 3 Get stable with a tripod
No 4 Customise your background

Be bold in your composition, look for stunning color, and don’t be afraid to
experiment and create abstractions. The greatest benefit of macro is how it
transforms mundane subjects into worlds of wonder by enlarging them far
beyond what the human eye is used to seeing. Pump up your digital camera’s
color and contrast settings if that suits the subject. With a film cam, use
super-saturated film.

Once you’ve eliminated the variables, it’s time to have fun. Keep shooting, and
don’t be afraid to experiment. Shoot closer, and closer still. The closer you get,
the more will be revealed for your waiting camera. Enjoy exploring and
photographing the tiny worlds that await you!
Editing Macro Photography Images

The ability to fix your photos later in Adobe Photoshop shouldn’t mean that you
can afford to be careless with the photos you take. It does mean that you can
make up for problems you could not solve with your camera and. It also lets you
shape and tweak your image until it becomes the aesthetic product you want to
create.

Crop your image

Cropping is invaluable, especially for close-ups. You can’t always get as close to
your subject as you’d like. Just define the area of the image that interests you
most and resize it so it fills the frame. Finally, cropping lets you fine-tune your
composition. In close-up work, you often can’t get the best composition during
the shoot. You may have no choice but to include some distracting background
elements. Afterward, you can play with your framing and refine your composition
on your computer. A little creative cropping can erase or minimize unwanted
background features and help direct the viewer to the area of the image that is
most important or interesting.

Adjust colors

Close-ups, more than other kinds of photographs, pick up and reflect the colors
of their surroundings. If you find that your color is not quite right, use the color
balance control or the white balance tool in your software to recreate the color
you saw. Both work with sliders so you see the color changes and can play with
them until you are satisfied.

Alter exposure

It’s often difficult to get the best exposure in close-ups because you are working
at close range and can’t always compensate for lighting deficiencies by adding
light. Luckily, you can rescue otherwise fine images which need an exposure fix.
For example, if your subject is darker or less vibrant than you would like, you can
simulate fill light by using your fill slider. Or you can tone down an overly-bright
image using the exposure or recovery slider. See Diane Miller’s article Virtual Fill
Flash for more on this technique.

Fine-tune contrast

To add contrast, use the contrast slider or black slider for the effect you want.
Experiment with your black slider to achieve a contrast level that will set your
subject off from the background. The clarity slider can also be used to increase
contrast by adding a slight “pop” to your image.
Sharpen your image

Even if you do everything possible to get a sharp, in-focus image when you shoot
(see our previous article), you will still generally need to sharpen your images as
part of the after-capture process. That’s because digital images are structured
with pixels that have been altered during exposure so they appear to blur.