As the world continues to be plagued with lots and lots of problems, more and more people are seeing the beauty in the smallest of things – quite literally. This is where macro photography comes in. Also known as ‘high magnification’ or ‘close-up’ photography, this niche zooms in on capturing the smallest of subjects in great detail. For this reason, macro photography is usually interlaced with nature photography and scientific research – making it a broad learning field for photographers of all skill levels.
Why try macro photography?
According to Jaymes Dempsey, a nature, macro and bird photographer, there are plenty of reasons why one should be a macro photographer, aside from being a nature lover. First of all, the locations are almost always available. Since macro photography subjects are typically things that exist all around us such as flowers, trees, shrubs and insects among others, going to a location can be as simple as stepping out into your garden or a nearby park. Second, macro photography requires little to no planning. If you are someone who likes to go on spontaneous photography trips, find subjects and then start shooting right away, this field will be perfect for you.
With locations the least of your worries, you can also do macro photography on the side while on a social outing or on a vacation. Lastly, this kind of photography can be done at different times of the day and is rarely physically demanding. Since your lenses will primarily focus on tiny subjects, you don’t have to pay that much regard to the so-called “golden hours” of the day. After all, you can get fantastic macro images in the middle of the day regardless of whether it is sunny or cloudy.
The tools you need to for good macro photography
Since macro photography is all about using a significant amount of magnification, the use of zoom lenses and macro lenses is to be expected. For beginners out there, the factors you have to pay close attention to when picking macro lenses are the focal length, the maximum aperture, the maximum magnification, the image stabilization capacity, and the auto/manual focus. The good news is that there is so much high quality photography equipment – including lenses for professional cameras – available on the consumer market. Many of the lenses having a fixed focal length of 90mm and above. And depending on your budget you will be able to find a lens that fits your camera and needs.
If you already have a macro lens or want to go for a more affordable alternative to buying a new macro lens, it would be in your best interest to invest in a number of macro extension tubes that can further enhance your systems’ macro functionality. When shooting macro, you will often find yourself with a very limited depth of field. In some cases, that can be as narrow as 0.5 millimeters. With such a shallow depth of field, every change in the distance between the camera and the subject has a great chance of ruining your frame and throwing the subject into the blurred zone. To keep that from happening, make sure to invest in a sturdy tripod.
Capturing the little things through macro photography is not just an activity that can get you closer to nature. It is also something that will allow you to contribute to the formal education of many, give you a chance to take highly artistic shots and help you see the world from a different perspective.
We hope this entry helps you to unlock the power to see the little things in life. You may also want to consider reading about zoom lenses as a creative tool and how utilizing aperture influences the outcome of your photographs