MasteringMacroPhotography

Ideas,Tips,Tutorials&DIYEquipment

Publishedby:

www.seeinginmacro.com

Copyright©2014.Allrightsreserveworldwide.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereplicated,redistributed,orgivenawayinanyformwithoutthepriorwrittenconsentoftheauthor/publisher.

TableofContents1.WhatisMacroPhotography?

2.IsMacroPhotographyDifferenttoClose-UpPhotography?

3.WhatisMagnificationRatio?

4.HowtoCalculateYourMagnificationRatio

5.WhatTypeofMacroPhotographerAreYou?

6.WhatYouNeedToConsiderBeforePressingtheShutterButton

TheImportanceofDepthofFieldinMacroPhotography

HowtoControlDepthofField

TheImportanceofColorHarmonyinMacroPhotography

HowtoAchieveColorHarmonyinYourMacroPhotos

IntroducingtheColorWheel

UsingMonochromaticColors

UsingAnalogousColors

UsingComplementaryColors

UsingTriadicColors

TheImportanceofCompositioninMacroPhotography

UnderstandingandApplyingCompositionRules

TheRuleofThirds

CleanBackground

AUniquePerspective

UsingDiagonalLines

PerceptionofMovement

Patterns

Texture

Framing

7.ShouldYouBeaRuleBreaker?8.WhatMacroPhotographyEquipmentDoYouNeed?

WhatCameraDoYouNeed?

HowtoChooseaCamera

WhatLensDoYouNeed?

HowtoChooseaLens

WhatareExtensionTubes?

HowtoChooseaSetofExtensionTubes

WhatisaLensReversalRingAdapter?

HowtoChooseaLensReversalRingAdapter

WhatareClose-UpFilters/Diopters?

HowtoChooseaLensDiopter/CloseUpFilter

WhatareBellows?

HowtoChooseBellows

WhatareFlashUnits(Built-In,Hot-Shoe,Ring&Dual)?

HowtoChooseaMacroRingLight/Flash

WhatisaFlashDiffuser?

HowtoChooseaFlashDiffuser

WhatisaTripod?

HowtoChooseaTripod

WhatisaMacroFocusingRail?

HowtoChooseaMacroFocusingRail

9.ComparingtheClose-UpFilter,ReversingLensAdapter,ExtensionTubes&DifferentCombinations

50mmLensOnly

50mmLenswithClose-UpFilters

50mmReversedLens

50mmLenswithFullSetExtensionTubes

50mmReversedLenswithFullSetExtensionTubes

10.SoWhatEquipmentDoYouREALLYNeed?

11.MacroPhotographyonaBudget–DIYMacroPhotographyEquipment

HowtoMakeaStringTripod

HowtoMakeaFlashDiffuser

HowtoMakeaLightBox/MiniStudio

HowtoMakeaMacroRingLight

HowtoMakeaMacroExtensionTube

12.EasyTipstoSaveMoneytoPurchasetheBestMacroPhotographyGear

13.UnderstandingCommonIssuesInMacroPhotography

HowtoIdentifyandFixBlurryPhotosfromCameraShake

HowtoIdentifyandFixBlurryPhotosfromIncorrectFocusPoint

HowtoIdentifyandFixBlurryPhotosfromSubjectMovement

HowtoIdentifyandFixBlurryBackgroundPhotos

14.HowtoKissBlurryPhotosGoodbye15.MacroPhotographyTechnique–FocusStacking

WhatisFocusStacking?

WhyUseFocusStackinginMacroPhotography?

Indoorsvs.OutdoorsFocusStacking

WhatEquipmentIsTypicallyUsedForFocusStacking?

16.HowtoFocusStack(Indoor)TutorialStep-by-StepFocusStackingTutorial

TipsandAdviceforBetterStackedPhotos

17.PracticalMacroPhotographyTipsandTricks

HowToPhotographInsects/Bugs

HowtoPhotographFlowers&Plants

18.WheretoFindMacroPhotographySubjectsWhenThereAreNoneAroundYou

19.HowtoMakeYourGardenaMacroPhotographySubjectMagnet

HowtoAttractButterflies

HowtoAttractOtherInterestingInsects

20.UniqueMacroPhotographyIdeas&Tutorials

PhotographingBubblesTutorial

AbstractOilandWaterIdeaTutorial

BubblesandWaterTutorial

BubblingSlicedFruitinWaterTutorial

InkInWaterTutorial

DewDropsonSpiderWebTutorial

WaterDropPhotographyTutorial

AbstractReflectionsinWaterDropletsTutorial

WaterDropletfromFaucetTutorial

21.DevelopingTheMacroPhotographer’sMindset

HowtoBecomeaBetterMacroPhotographer

YourFirst10,000PhotographsareyourWorst…

ShouldYouPrintYourDigitalMacroPhotos?

22.FinalWords–Bonus&OtherPhotographyResources

23.Credits

1.WhatisMacroPhotography?Macrophotographyisoneofthemostchallengingformsofphotography.Itopensupawholenewworldforphotographerstoexploreandencouragesthemtoseetheworldwithadifferentperspective.Ifwehadtodefine‘macrophotography’,wewouldsaythatitistheartofmakingsmallobjectslookbig.Itisaboutbringingoutthebeautyintheobjectsthatweoftentakeforgrantedinourdailylives

Whilsttheworldofmacrophotographyistypicallyassociatedtoimagesofinsects,flowersandplants,macrophotographersarenotlimitedtothesesubjectsonly.Whenyoustepintothemacrophotographyworld,youwillsoondiscoverthatthereisanothersidetomacrophotography–onethatisabstractandcreative.

Thiscouldinvolvecapturingtheexcitingtexturesandpatternsofanobjectandturningthesmalldetailsoftheobjectintothefocusofattention.Forexample,thetextureofaslicedfruitorthepatternsonabutterflywingoreventhewrinklesonaperson.

Beforeyoustartyourmacrophotographyjourney,wemustwarnyoufirst–macrophotographyisextremelyaddictive.Youwillbelockedintoalifelongjourneyoflearningandyouwillbeconstantlyhoningyourphotographer’seye,patienceandperseverance.

Sowewishyouthebestofluckandhopethatyouwillenjoythejourney-itisgoingtobeanexcitingandrewardingone!

Image1-WhatisMacroPhotography?

2.IsMacroPhotographyDifferenttoClose-UpPhotography?

Upuntilnow,wehaveintentionallysteeredclearofthetechnicaldefinitionof‘macrophotography’toavoidputtingyoutosleep.Itisnotaninterestingtopictocoversowewilltrytomakethisaspainlessaspossibleforyou.

Inthemacrophotographyworld,youwillhearmanydebatesonthedifferencesbetweenmacrophotographyandcloseupphotography.Itisahottopicandmorethanlikely,youwillbesuckedintothisdebateatsomepointinyourjourney.

Itisimportanttokeepinthebackofyourmindthedifferencesbetweenmacrophotographyandcloseupphotography.Thesephotosmaylookverysimilartoyouhoweverwhenwestarttodrilldownintothetechnicalcomponents,theyareactuallydifferent.

Macrophotographygenerallyrequiresa1:1orhighermagnificationratiobetweentheobjectimagethatyouarephotographingandtherealobject.Whatthismeansisthatifyouarephotographingabeethatis1inchinsize,thisbeewillappearas1inchorgreateronyourcamera’ssensor.Iftheobjectimageissmallerthantherealobject,thiswillthenbecategorizedascloseupphotography.

Whetheryouachievethemagnificationratioof1:1orhigherisgoingtobedependentonthephotographyequipmentthatyouuse.Wewillcoverthisinalaterchapter.

Sodoesitreallymatter?Forus-No.Butforsomeotherpeople-Yes.Inthisbook,wewillbeusingthetermsinterchangeably.Whileitisimportanttoknowthetechnicaldifferencesbetweenmacrophotographyandcloseupphotography,webelievethatitisfarmoreimportantforaphotographertogetoutinthefield,shoot,learnandenjoythemselves.

So,don’tletthe‘macrophotographyorcloseupphotography’debatesconfuseyouorstopyoufromenteringthemacrophotographyworld.

Image2-MacroPhotographyvsClose-Up

3.WhatisMagnificationRatio?Manypeopledonotfullyunderstandwhat‘magnificationratio’meansandmorethanoften,itcanbequiteconfusingaswell.Sotomakesureyouhaveagoodgraspofit,wewantedtocover‘magnificationratio’inalittlemoredetailandthenteachyouasimplemethodtodeterminethemagnificationratioofyourownequipment.It’llbequick,easyandfun.

Macrophotographersarealwayskeentoknowwhat‘magnificationratio’thattheyareachievingwiththeirequipmentbecauseahighermagnificationratiowillultimatelyallowthemtoobtaincloserphotosoftheirphotographysubjects.Moreimportantly,afterlearningaboutthewaytocalculateyourmagnificationratio,youwillthenbeabletospeaktoothermacrophotographersandtellthemaboutthemagnificationratioofyourequipment!

Sowhatdoesamagnificationratioof1:1mean?Tore-capwhatwesaidpreviously,thisbasicallymeansthatwhenyoutakeaphotoofabutterfly,theprojectedimageofthebutterflyonthecamera’ssensorwillbetheactualsizeofthebutterfly.

Tohelpusunderstandthis,let’sassociatesomenumberstotheexamples.Letusassumethatthecamera’ssensoris26mminlength.When26mmoftheactualimageisprojectedontothecamera’s26mmsensor,thenthisresultsinamagnificationratioof1:1.When52mmoftheactualimageissqueezedintofitontothecamera’s26mmsensor,thenthisresultsinamagnificationratioof1:2.Thismeansthatyouractualimagesize/magnificationhasbeenreducedtohalf.When13mmoftheactualimageisprojectedontothecamera’s26mmsensor,thenthisresultsinamagnificationratioof2:1.Thisultimatelymeansthatyouractualimagehasdoubledinsize.

4.HowtoCalculateYourMagnificationRatioThereareanumberofdifferentwaystocalculateyourmagnificationratio.Somepeoplewillsuggestusingasimplemathformulatocalculatethemagnificationratio.However,youneedtobeawarethattheformulahaveitslimitationsanddonotalwaysworkforeverytypeofmacrophotographyequipmentsetup.Themathformulamethodhasconfusedmanypeopleinthepastandassuchwehavechosennottocoverthismethodinthisbook.

Instead,wearesharingthishands-onmethodofcalculatingyourmagnificationratioforyourmacrophotographysetup.Itwillworkforeverysimpleorcomplexmacrogearsetupyouhave.Itisextremelyfunandyoucanreallyseeandmeasurethemagnificationchangerightinfrontofyoureyes!

WhatisRequired?CameraRulerLengthsizeofyourcamera’ssensor(Youcaneasilyobtainthisfromthemanufacturer’swebsite–orjustGoogleyourcameramodel+‘sensorsize’.eg.NikonD80sensorsize)

TutorialSteps1. Layyourruleronaflatsurfaceandhaveyourcameraverticallyaboveit.2. Aimattherulerandtrytolocatetheclosestheightwhereyoucanstillfocusontothe

ruler.Youwillneedtomoveyourcameraclosertotherulerwhiletryingtofocusontotheruler.Therewillbeapointwhereyouwilljustnotbeabletofocusontheruleranymore.Youwanttolocatethepointrightbeforethathappens.

3. Whenyouhavelocatedthelastpointwheretherulerisstillinfocus,takeaphotoofthemeasurementontheruler.

4. Lookatyourphotoandcounthowmanymillimeter(mm)oftheruleriscontainedwithinthephoto

5. Comparethatmeasurementtothelengthsizeofyourcamera’ssensor.Forexample,thesensorsizeonthemanufacturer’swebsitemaybe37mm(length)x24mm(width)andthephotooftherulershowsapproximately37mminlength.Thismeansthatyouhave1:1magnificationratio(lifesize).Ifthephotooftherulershowsapproximately18.5mm,thenyouhave2:1magnificationratio(twicethelifesize).

Usethefollowingformulatohelpyoucalculatethemagnificationratio–

Magnification=SensorWidth/#ofmmcapturedinyourphoto

Hands-onExamplePhotographofarulerwithamacrolens–Approximately37mminlength.

FirstScenario

Equipment–

NikonD700Nikkor105mmf2.8macrolens

Image3-Photographofarulerwithamacrolens.Approximately37mminlength.

Theabovephotowascapturedwithamacrolensonly.Applyingourformulaof–

Magnification=SensorWidth/#ofmmcapturedinyourphoto

Magnification=37mm/37mm=1

Thereforeanapproximatemagnificationratioof1:1.

SecondScenario

Equipment–

NikonD700Nikkor105mmf2.8macrolens68mmofextensiontubes

Image4-Photographofarulerwithamacrolens+68mmextensiontubes.Approximately17mminlength.

Theabovephotowascapturedwithamacrolensand68mmofextensiontubes.Applyingourformula–

Magnification=SensorWidth/#ofmmcapturedinyourphoto

Magnification=37mm/17mm=2.17

Thereforeanapproximatemagnificationratioof2:1

Aftercompletingthishands-ontask,youshouldhaveanideaofwhetheryouareactuallyshootingin‘macro’ornot.Ifyouarenotachievingaratioof1:1,that’sOK!Don’tstress–therearesomanyotherwaystogetyouclosertothe1:1ratio.Wewillsharesomeoftheselesserknownsecretswithyouintheequipmentchapter.

Asalways…Don’tforgetthatitismoreimportanttogetoutthere,learnaboutyourcameraandenhanceyourmacrophotographyknowledgeandtechniquesratherthanworryingaboutyourmagnificationratio.

5.WhatTypeofMacroPhotographerAreYou?

Beforeyoustartyourmacrophotographyjourney,youshouldtakeafewmomentstoconsiderwhattypeofmacrophotographeryouare.Thismaysoundsillyatfirst,butthiswillhelpyoutodeterminethetypeofphotosthatyoushouldtakeandthephotographytechniquesthatyouwillneedtouse.

Thesearethetwotypesofmacrophotographers–

1. Scientificmacrophotographer2. Creativemacrophotographer

ScientificMacroPhotographerMacrophotographyforscientificpurposesisverydifferenttocreativemacrophotography.Asascientificmacrophotographer,themainpurposeofyourphotoistodocumenttheevent,fauna(insects,animals,etc)orflora(flowers,plants,etc).Forexample,youmaybephotographingallthedifferentbutterflyspeciesinyourgeographiclocation.Therefore,theprimarypurposeofyourphotoistosupportyouorascientistinidentifyingeachofthespeciestype.

Asascientificmacrophotographer,youshouldtrytoachievethefollowinginyourphotos–

Includetheenvironment/surroundingsalongwithyoursubject.Youdonotneedtoworryaboutbackgroundclutter.Useasmallaperture(eg.f/16)toachieveadeepfieldofdepth.Thiswillensurethatyoursubjectandthesurroundingsareinfocus.Capturethesubjectatthecorrectanglesothatitcanbeusedforidentificationpurposes.Itisimportantforyoutolearnaboutyoursubjectbeforehandsothatyouknowtheangleortheanatomythatcoulduniquelyidentifythesubject.Forexample,itmaybeaspecificpatternorcolorthatisonyoursubjectthatwillidentifyitUseyourflashtofreezemotion.Avoidanypost-processingofyourphoto.Donotenhanceoraltertheoriginalphotoasanimperfectiononyoursubjectcouldtellawholedifferentstory.

CreativeMacroPhotographerWhenitcomestocreativemacrophotography,thesemacrophotosusuallyhaveanartisticelementtothem.Thisiswhatmakescreativemacrophotographysointeresting.Aphotoofthesamesubjectcouldbetakeninsomanydifferentwaysandcouldlookverydifferenteachtimeaphotoistaken.

Increatingacreativemacrophoto,thephotographerwilltakeanumberofdifferentfactorsintoconsideration.Wewillcoversomeofthesetechniquesinmoredetailinthenextchapter,however,asasneakpeek,thefollowingaresomeofthethingsthatareusuallyconsideredbeforetheshutterbuttonispressed–

DepthoffieldCompositionColorHarmonyLighting

6.WhatYouNeedToConsiderBeforePressingtheShutterButton

TheImportanceofDepthofFieldinMacroPhotographyAsamacrophotographer,itisveryimportanttounderstandwhatdepthoffieldisandhowitcanaffectyourphotos.Thedepthoffieldtechniquehasbeenusedinmacrophotographyformanyyears.Depthoffieldisthedistancebetweenthenearestandfarthestobjectsinascenethatappearacceptablysharpinanimage.

Whentalkingaboutdepthoffield,peoplewillgenerallyusetwodifferenttermstodescribeyourphoto–

1. Narrow/Shallowdepthoffield2. Wide/Deepdepthoffield

Bycomposingaphotothathasashallowdepthoffield,theareaswithintheimagewillbelessinfocus.Thiswilldrawaviewer’sattentiontoaspecificareaofthephotothatisstillinfocus.Althoughitisnottoocommonincreativemacrophotography,aphotographercouldalsoadjustthecamerasettingstoachieveadeepdepthoffield.Thiswillresultinphotothatislikelytohavemoreareasthataremoreinfocus.

Image5-ImportanceofDepthofField

HowtoControlDepthofFieldSohowdoyoucontrolthedepthoffieldinyourphoto?Thereareanumberofwaysandthisincludesthefollowing-

ApertureFocalLengthCameraDistancefromsubject

ApertureApertureisoneofthefactorsthatwillaffectthedepthoffieldinyourimage.Apertureisthesizeoftheopeninginyourlens.Generally,whenusingalargerapertureorsmallerf/stopnumber(eg.F2.8),yourimagewillbelessinfocus(eg.shallowdepthoffield).Whenyouuseasmallerapertureoralargerf/stopnumber(eg.F22),yourimagewillbecomemoreinfocus(eg.deepdepthoffield).

FocalLengthFocallengthistheotherfactorthatwillaffectthedepthoffieldinyourimage.Thelongeryourfocallength(eg.alenszoomedto100mm),thelessareasofyourimagewillbeinfocus(shallowdepthoffield).Ontheotherhand,ifyouuseawiderfocallength(alenszoomedoutto24mm),moreareasofyourimagewillbeinfocus.

CameraDistancefromSubjectThedistancebetweenyoursubjectandcamerawillalsoaffectthedepthoffieldinyourimage.Generally,thecloseryouaretoyoursubject,thelessofyourimagewillbeinfocus(shallowdepthoffield).Ifyouthenmovefurtherawayfromyoursubject,youwillnoticethattheimagewillbecomemoreinfocus(deepdepthoffield).

Whenconsideringthedepthoffieldinyourphotos,thereisnohardandfastruleinmacrophotographythatstatesthatyourimagesshouldhaveashallowdepthoffieldoradeepdepthoffield.Attheendoftheday,itcomesdowntothecompositionthatyouareafterasaphotographer.Youjustneedtobeawarethatdifferentdepthoffieldwithinanimagewilltellacompletelydifferentstorytoyourviewers.

TheImportanceofColorHarmonyinMacroPhotographyColorsplayanimportantroleinyourphotos.Asyouknow,thehumaneyecanseeandprocessawidespectrumofcolors.Evenwithoutanyformaleducationinartsordesign,thehumaneyeandbraincan‘sense’whetherspecificcombinationofcolorswillworktogether.

Insteadofrelyingpurelyonyoursensestodeterminewhethercolorswillworktogetherornot,wewanttoequipyouwithsomebasiccolortheoriessothatyouknowhowtoachieve‘colorharmony’inyourmacrophotos.Whenwetalkaboutcolorharmony,wearereferringtothesetofcolorsthatwillworkharmoniouslytogethertoachieveanimagethatispleasingtotheeye.Thesearethetypeofphotosthatyoushouldstrivetocapture.

HowtoAchieveColorHarmonyinYourMacroPhotosIntroducingtheColorWheelThecolorwheelwasinventedbyIsaacNewtonanditisatoolthatwillhelpyoutodeterminewhethercolorsareinharmony.Withoutboringyouwithallthedetailsofthecolorwheel,whatIwantyoutorememberisthattherearethreeprimarycolors–Red,YellowandBlue.Whenyoustarttoadddifferentmixturesoftheseprimarycolorstogether,thiswillresultinthecreationofanewcolor.Thesecolorsareknownassecondarycolors.Forexample,addingmoreyellowtoredwillhelptoachievetheorangecolor.Whenyoumixtheprimarycolorwiththesecondarycolor,itwillthenresultinthecreationofanothernewcolor.Thesenewcolorsarecalledtertiarycolors.

Image6-TheColorWheel

UsingMonochromaticColorsThefirstwaytoachievecolorharmonyisthroughtheuseofmonochromaticcolors.Don’tletthebiglongwordscareyou.‘Mono’basicallymeans‘Single’or‘One’and‘Chromatic’means‘Color’.Assuch,toachievemonochromaticcolorsinyourphoto,youwillusedifferenttones,tintsandshadesofasinglecolor.

Thecolorwheelcanhelpyoutoachievemonochromaticcolors.First,youwillneedtoselectacolorfromthecolorwheel.Nextyouwillneedtoaddmoreblack,whiteorgreycolortoyourchosencolor.Byusingacombinationofthesecolors,youwillachievemonochromaticcolors.

Aphotocreatedwithmonochromaticcolorswillcreateavisuallyappealingimagethatisbalanced.However,thephotowilllackcolorcontrast.

Image7-MonochromaticColorsonColorWheel

Image8-MonochromaticColorExample

UsingAnalogousColorsThesecondwaytoachievecolorharmonyisthroughtheuseofanalogouscolors.Onceagaindonotbeintimidatedbytheterm.‘Analogouscolors’relatestotheselectionofagroupofcolorsthataresimilarandblendwelltogether.

Thecolorwheelcanhelpyoutoselectyouranalogouscolors.Toachievethis,youmustfirstselectthemaincolorfromthecolorwheel.Youwillthenneedtoselect2adjacentcolorstothemaincolor.Youcanselectonecoloroneithersideor2colorsfromonesideofthemaincolor.

Asmacrophotographers,wearequitelucky.Analogouscolorsappeareverywhereinnature.Ifyouthinkabouttheleavesonthetreesduringtheearlyautumnseason,youwillnoticethattheleavesareamixtureofgreen,yellowandredcolors.

Aphotocreatedwithanalogouscolorswillresultinanimagethatisricherthanthemonochromaticcolors.However,itmaysometimesnotlookasvibrantasitstilllackscolorcontrast.

Image9-AnalogousColorsonColorWheel

Image10-AnalogousColorsExample

UsingComplementaryColorsThethirdwaytoachievecolorharmonyisthroughtheuseofcomplementarycolors.Thisistheselectionofcolorsthatwhencombinedtogether,willprovideahighcontrastimage.

Thecolorwheelcanhelpyoutoselectyourcomplementarycolors.Firstyouneedtoselectamaincolorfromthecolorwheel.Next,youwillthenusethecolorthatisdirectlyoppositeoftheselectedcolor.

Aphotocreatedwithcomplementarycolorswillresultinanimagethatishighcontrastandvibrant.However,asyouwillprobablyexperience,itcanbequitedifficulttobalancethecolors.

Image11-ComplementaryColorsonColorWheel

Image12-ComplementaryColorsExample

Image13-ComplementaryColorsExample

UsingTriadicColorsThefourthwaytoachievecolorharmonyisthroughtheuseoftriadiccolors.Asthename‘triad’suggests,thismethodinvolvesusingthreedifferentcolors.

Toachievetriadiccolors,youfirstselectthekeycolorfromthecolorwheel.Youwillthenneedtoselectanothertwocolorsthatareevenlyspacedfromthekeycolor.Ifyouhavedonethiscorrectly,thiswilleventuallyformatriangleonthecolorwheel.

Aphotothatincludestriadiccolorswillhelptoachieveavibrantimagewithhighcontrast.However,whencomparingthistocomplementarycolors,itdoesnotofferasmuchcontrast.

Nowthatyouknowhowtoachievecolorharmony,makesureyoukeepitinthebackof

yourmindwhenyoucomposeyourphotoasitwillhelpyoutocreatephotosthatarepleasingtotheeye.

Image14-TriadicColorsonColorWheel

Image15-TriadicColorsExample

Image16-TriadicColorsExample

TheImportanceofCompositioninMacroPhotographyBeforewestarttalkingaboutcomposition,trytorecallthebestphotothatyouhaveseeninyourlife.Onceyouhaveanimageofitinyourhead,askyourselfwhythephotoissoimpressive?Ifyouwereabletonameafewreasons,thenyouaredefinitelyonestepaheadofthegame.Ifyouwereunabletolistanyreasons,don’tbetoodown–itcanbequitedifficulttodeterminewhatmakesagoodphoto.Sometimesitjustboilsdowntoa‘feeling’thatyougetwhenyoulookatthephoto.This‘feeling’thatyougetisoftentheresultofgoodphotocomposition.

Beforeweintroduceyoutosomebasiccompositionrules,let’sstopandthinkaboutwhatcompositionreallymeans.Youheartheterm,“PhotoComposition”tossedaroundalot,butwhatdoesitreallymean?Perhapsit’sbesttochangeourframeofreference–orfocus,ifyouwill–forjustamoment,tothetopicofmusic.Youknowthatsongsareoftencalledcompositions.Thisreferstotheindividualpieces–therhythm,melody,etc…–thatworktogethertomakeupacompletesong.Inasimilarmanner,theindividualpiecesofapictureworktogethertomakeupitsuniquecomposition.

Remember,macrophotographyisanartform,justlikecreatingmusic.Tocreatememorablephotos,youmustconsidertheindividualpiecesthatarebeingcapturedinthephotograph,inorderforthatphototohavetrulybalanced,eye-capturingcomposition.

UnderstandingandApplyingCompositionRulesLearninghowtocomposeaphotoisafundamentalskillinmacrophotography.Photographerswhodonotknowhowtocomposetheirphotoswillalwaysbestuckwithtaking‘good’photosonly.So,ifyouwanttotakeyourphotographytothenextlevelandstarttakingamazingphotos,youmustalwaysconsiderthecompositionbeforeyoupresstheshutterbutton.

Inthischapter,wearegoingtointroduceyoutosomebasiccompositionrulessothatyoucanputthemintopracticeandimproveyourphotographyskills–

TheRuleofThirds

Image17-RuleofThirds

Theruleofthirdsisatechniquethatcanbeappliedinmacrophotography.Thistechniquewillrequireyoutosplityourframeorviewfinderintonineseparateareasbyimaginingtwoequallyspacedverticalandtwohorizontallinesacrossyourimage.

Researchhasshownthatthehumaneyesarenaturallydrawntotheareaswheretheverticalandhorizontallinesintersect.Thesepointscreatetension,energyandinterestinthecomposition.Assuch,tomaximizetheimpactofyourphotos,thesubjectortheareaofinterestshouldalwaysbeplacedontooneoftheseintersectingpoints.

Byfollowingtheruleofthirds,youwillavoidplacingyoursubjectorareaofinterestinthemiddleoftheframe.Itisimportanttoknowthatthereisonlyoneexceptiontothisrule.Ifyouareplanningtocropyourimageintoasquareframe,yoursubjectorareaofinterestcanbeplacedinthemiddle.

CleanBackground

Image18-CleanBackground

Beforeyoutakeyourphoto,youshouldcheckthatthebackgroundofyourphotowillnotcontainanyobjectsthatmightdistractsomeonefromyoursubjectofinterest.This

commonlyincludesabranch/stickoranotherflowerthatisinthebackgroundofyourphoto.Forsituationslikethis,youmaywishtoremovetheseobjectsbeforeyoutakeyourphoto.Ifyouareunabletoremovetheobject,youshouldtryshootingfromanotherangletohidethedistractingobject.

Additionally,youcancontrolthedepthoffieldtobluroutanydistractionsthatareinthebackground.Toachievethis,youneedtouseawideaperture(eg.F2.8)settingsothatyourphotohasashallowdepthoffield.

AUniquePerspective

Image19-UniquePerspective

Takingyourphotosfromauniqueviewpointisanothermacrophotographytechniquethatyoushouldtrytousemoreoften.

Imagineyourselfadmiringtheflowersinyourgarden.Whenyouarelookingattheseflowers,youarealwayslookingfromatop-downperspective.Assuch,ifyoutakeaphotofromthesameviewpoint,itisnotuniqueanddoesn’tcaptivatetheattentionofyourviewers.

Bymakingaminoradjustmentandgettingdowntothelevelofyoursubject,youprovideadifferentperspectivetoyourviewer–onewhichthattheyarenotusedtoseeing.Thishelpstocapturetheattentionofyourviewersanddrawthemintothemacrophotographyworld.

Additionally,simplychangingtheangleabitorskewingyourpointofviewcangoalongwayinimprovingcompositioninphotography.Yes,itdoestakesometimetogetusedtoshootingwithamoreangularapproach,butthepayoffisphotographsthatreallycaptivatetheviewer’seyesandmind.

UsingDiagonalLines

Image20-DiagonalLines

Whentherearestraight‘lines’(eg.abranch,horizontalorverticaltexture)goingthroughyourphotos,thereisasimplemacrophotographytipthatyoucanfollowtoenhanceyourphoto.Ratherthankeepingthoselinesasverticalorhorizontal,considerrotatingyourcameraslightlysothattheselinesrundiagonallyacrossyourframe.Thisminoradjustmentcanusuallymakeabigdifferencebetweenagoodphotoandabrilliantphoto.

Additionally,trytoavoidhavingthese‘lines’comeoutfromthecornersofyourphotos.Itisusuallymorebalancedandmoreaestheticallypleasingtotheeyeifthelinesexittheframejustbeloworabovethecornersofyourimage.

PerceptionofMovement

Image21-PerceptionofMovement

Inmacrophotographyofinsects,itisusuallyidealtoleavesomespaceinfrontofyoursubject.Eg.Ifthedragonflyisflyingtowardstheright,youshouldleavesomespaceontherightsothatitgivestheviewertheperceptionofmovement.Additionally,thisspacegivesthevieweraglimpseintotheworldinfrontoftheinsectandhelpstodrawyourviewerintothemacrophotographyworld.

Patterns

Image22-Patterns

Thehumaneyeisnaturallydrawntopatterns.Thesepatternscanbecreatedbycolors,shapesorevenlines.Therepeatedelementinthephotowillluretheviewerinandcreateanimagethatisaestheticallypleasingtotheviewer.Whentakingyourmacrophotos,keepaneyeoutforbreaksinthepatternaswell–theycanbejustaspowerful.

Texture

Image23-Texture

Texturesareveryinterestingtotheeyeandaddsanewdimensiontothephoto.Notonlyareyoushowingwhatyoursubjectlooksliketotheviewer,butyouarealsoaskingthemtofeelit.Byincludingtextureinyourphotos,ittriggersanemotionandafeeling.Thesetexturescanbeemphasizedbyusingbacklightingorsidelightingtocreatethehighlightsandshadows.

Inmacrophotography,youcanalsomakeuseofcontrastingsurfacestoaddalevelofdepthtoyourphoto.Forexample,youcouldphotographasmoothleafonaroughtreebark.Thecontrastingtextureswillaccentuatethetexturesandhelpyourviewersto‘feel’thestoryofyourphoto.

Framing

Image24-Framing

Framingiscommonlyusedbyphotographerstodrawaviewer’sattentiontotheirsubject.Itachievesthisbyintroducinga‘frame’toblockallthenoisesanddistractionswithinthesurroundingsofyoursubject.Forexample,inthephotoabovethetwoleavesintheforegroundactsasaframeforthesubjectandhelpstoblockallthedistractionsthatmayexistinthebackground.Whenlookingatthisphoto,theviewerwillautomaticallyfocusonthemainsubject.

7.ShouldYouBeaRuleBreaker?Weallknowthatrules,lawsandguidelinesexistinnearlyeveryaspectofourlives.Whenyoudriveyourcar,youmustobeythelawsoftheroad.Whenthetimecomestopayyourtaxes,youhavetoponyupthecashthatthegovernmentsaysyouowe.Butwhataboutthecompositionofyourphotos?Domacrophotographershavetofollowthephotographycompositionrulesandguidelines,orareyouabletosimplyshootwhatyouwant,whenyouwant,usinganysettingsthatyouwant?Thesearequestionsthatwarrantadefiniteanswer.

Tokeepthisshort,inouropinion,wedon’tbelievethatitiswisetosimplyignoreorbreakallthecompositionrulesonaregularbasis.Weunderstandthattherearetimeswhensomeoftheserulesmustbebroken-noteveryruleofcompositionisnecessarilygoingtoapplytoeverysituation.However,untilyouknowtheruleswell,andareusedtoapplyingthemwhenyoushootmacrophotos,youwillneverreallyknowtherighttimesto“breaktherules”.Soifyouarenewtomacrophotography,wewouldurgeyoutolearnthecompositionrulesandlearntoapplythemtoyourshotsfirstbeforeattemptingtobreakanyofthem.

8.WhatMacroPhotographyEquipmentDoYouNeed?

WhatCameraDoYouNeed?

Image25-DSLRCamera

Thecamerahascomeaverylongway.Gonearethedayswherecamerasareonlyforprofessionalphotographers.Inmacrophotography,photographersgenerallyusedigitalSLRcameras(dSLR).Withtheaimofkeepingthissimple,wewillavoidboringyouwiththetechnicaldetailsofwhatadSLRisandhowitoperates.

Essentially,theDSLRcameraconsistsofacamerabodywhichallowsyoutousedifferenttypesofinterchangeablelenses.Theyalsohavealargerimagesensorthanyourtypical‘PointandShoot’cameras.Sothismeansthatyouwillbeabletotakehigherqualityphotos.Moreimportantly,thesecameraswillprovideyouwiththelevelofcontrolthatyouneedtobecreativewhenyoustartyourmacrophotographyjourney.

Needlesstosay,onceyouhaveaDSLRcameraandprovidedthatyouhavetheappropriatelens,youcanusethecameraforotherformsofphotographyaswellEg.Landscape,Portraits,etc.

HowtoChooseaCameraTherearecurrentlyanumberofDSLRcamerabrandsoutinthemarket.SomeofthesecontendersincludeCanon,NikonandPentax.EachofthesebrandshaveawiderangeofDSLRcamerastocaterfortheEntry,Semi-ProfessionalandProfessionallevel.Unfortunatelythismakesthedecisionmuchharderforyou!

WhenlookingforaDSLRcamera,youmaywishtoconsiderthefunctionsbelow.Nowadays,theseareusuallystandardfunctionsbutitisbesttocheckthattheDSLRcamerahasthefollowingcapabilities–

Burst/ContinuousHighSpeedShootingmode(Thisisimportantinmacrophotographywhereyoumayneedtotakemanyshotsofyoursubject–youmayonlyendupwithafewgoodones)BuiltinsensorcleanerAbilitytoshootinRAWformatLiveview

Abilitytoattachabatterygriptoextendthebatterylifeofthecamera

Ifyouareonabudgetorifyouarenewtothephotographyworld,ouradvicetoyouistocompromiseonthecamerabodyandlookintobuyingahighqualitymacrolensinstead.Manyamazingphotographersouttherearestillusingamacrolensonanentrylevelcamera.Justrememberthatbuyingthemostexpensivecamerawillnotautomaticallymakeyouabetterphotographer.Unfortunately,itdoestaketimeandplentyofpractice.

WhatLensDoYouNeed?

Image26-Lenses

TherearemanydifferentlensesforDSLRcameras.However,whenfocusingonmacrolensesonly,thereusuallytwomaintypesoflenses–

1. Zoomlenseswithmacrofeature(eg.70-300mmtelephotozoomlenswithmacro)

2. Fixedfocallength/Primemacrolenses(eg.105mmprimemacrolens)

Bothoftheselensesarecapableofachievingamazingresults.

HowtoChooseaLensWhenchoosingthenextDSLRmacrolenstoincludeintoyourmacrophotographyequipmentcollection,itisimportantthatyouchooseonethatcatersforyourneeds.Todeterminetheappropriatemacrolenstobuy,youshouldthinkaboutthephotographysubjectsthatyoumaywanttophotograph.

Likecamerabodies,therearealsomillionsofdifferentlensesoutinthemarket.Sochoosingamacrolenscansometimesbedifficultduetothelargerangeoflenses.Ifyouareintendingtotakephotosofmovingsubjectssuchasinsects,thenitisadvisabletopurchaseamacrophotographylensthatwillallowyoutophotographyoursubjectfromalittlefurtheraway.Thiswillhelptoreducepotentialshadowscausedbyyourlenswhenyouaretooclosetoyoursubject.Moreimportantly,thiswillensurethatyoudonotdisturbthem,therebyallowingyoutotaketheperfectshot.Sometimesalittledistancebetweenyouandyoursubjectmaybenecessaryaswell,especiallyifyoursubjectbitesorstings.

Ifyouthinkyourpassionisinstudioclose-upphotography(ofstillobjects)orflowerphotography,itispossibleforyoutouseatelephotozoomlens.Thiswillbemoreversatileforyouasthelenscanbeusedforotherformsofphotography.However,someofthesetelephotolensesmaynotbeabletoachievetherequired1:1ratiomagnification.As

such,yourimageswillbetechnicallyclassifiedas‘closeupphotography’ratherthan‘macrophotography’.

Macrophotographylensesthatwerecommendareusuallyprimelenses(fixedfocallengths–eg.50mm,105mm,etc).Generallytheopticswithinthesetypemacrolensesisfarbetterthanthetelephotozoomlenses.Thismeansthatyoucantakesharperphotoswiththeprimemacrophotographylenses.Unfortunately,giventhesuperiorqualityoftheprimemacrolenses,theyareoftenmuchmoreexpensivetoo.However,thegoodnewsisthatonceyouhaveaddedamacrolenstoyourmacrophotographyequipment,itwillbeyourcompanionforever.

Arangeofmacrolensesarecurrentlyavailableinthemarkettocaterforyourneeds.ThereisnosurprisethattheleaderswithinthismarketareCanonandNikon.TamronandSigmaarequicklyestablishingthemselvesasareputablebrandinthisspaceaswell.Wehavecompiledalistofsomeofthemostpopularmacrophotographylensesbelowforyou.

MacroPhotographyMacroLensesforNikonNikon40mmf/2.8GAF-SDXMicroNikon60mmf/2.8GAF-SEDMicroNikon85mmf/3.5GAF-SDXEDVRMicroNikon105mmf/2.8GAF-SIF-EDVRMicro

MacroPhotographyMacroLensesforCanonCanonEF50mmf/2.5compactmacrolensCanonEF-S60mmf/2.8MacroUSMCanonMP-E65mmf/2.81-5XCanonEF100mmf/2.8L-Macro-IS-USM-LensCanonEF180mmf/3.5LMacroUSM

ThirdpartyMacroPhotographyMacroLensforNikon/Canon

Sigma70mmf/2.8EXDGMacroSigma105mmf/2.8EXDGOSHSMMacroTamron60mmf/2SPAFDiIIMacroTamron90mmf/2.8SPAFDiMacro

Wetendtorecommendourfriendstogetamacrolensaroundthe70-100mmastheirfirstlens.Ifyouareonatightbudget,the50mmlenseswillbesuitableformostofyourworkonthefieldandinthestudiowhencombinedwiththereverselenstechnique.Youcanreadmoreaboutthetechniquebelowinthelensreversalringadaptersection.

WhatareExtensionTubes?

Image27-ExtensionTubes

Extensiontubesareaneconomicalwaytostartyourmacrophotographyjourney.TheseextensiontubeshavenoopticsinthemandarehollowringadaptersthatfitbetweenyourDSLRandyourlensandtheyallowyoutogobeyondtheminimumfocusingdistanceofyourlens.Thisbasicallymeansthatyoucangetclosertoyoursubjectwithoutlosingfocusandthiswillultimatelyhavetheeffectofmagnifyingyoursubject.

Includinganextensiontubessetintoyourdailymacrophotographyequipmentwillhelpyougetclosertoyoursubject.However,therearesomedownsidestousingextensiontubes.Onemajordownsideisthattheamountoflightthathitsyourcamera’ssensorisreduced.Secondly,youwilllosetheabilitytofocusoninfinity.

Thesetubescanbeusedincombinationwithanylenses,howevermanymacrophotographersusethemincombinationwithamacrolens.Whencoupledwithamacrolens,thiswillachieveamagnificationthatisgreaterthanthe1:1magnification.Thiswillallowthephotographertotakeaclosershotofthesubject.Extensiontubesareeasytouseandcanbepurchasedasaset/kitfromphotographystores.

HowtoChooseaSetofExtensionTubesExtensiontubesoftencomeinasetof3tubes–eachonewithdifferentlengths.Beforeyoupurchaseyourextensiontubes,itisimportanttoknowaboutthedifferenttypesofextensiontubes.

1.ManualExtensionTubes

Manualextensiontubesarenotdesignedwithanycircuitryormechanicalcouplingcomponentsinthem.ThismeansthatyouwilllosethecapabilitytoautofocusandautoTTLexposureonyourcamera.Assuch,thesearegenerallythecheapertypeofextensiontubes.Formostmacrophotographers,thisisnotamajorissueastheyaremanuallyfocusing.

2.AutoExtensionTubes

Autoextensiontubesaredesignedwiththecircuitryandmechanicalcouplingcomponentsinthem.Whenusingtheextensiontubesincombinationwiththelens,theautofocusandautoTTLexposurefunctionswillbemaintained.Whenpurchasinganextensiontubeset,ensurethatyouchooseonethathasacompatiblemounttoyourcamerabrandeg.Nikonmount,Canonmount,etc.Otherwise,youwillbedisappointedasyouwillnotbeableto

connectthetubestoyourcameraandlens.

TheextensiontubesthatweuseandrecommendtoourfriendsareKenkoAutoExtensionTubes.Whenusedagainsta100mmmacrolens,itwillhavetheapproximateeffectofdoublingyourmagnificationratiosothatyoucanobtainbiggerthanlifesizeimages.Youwillfindthattherearecheaperbrandsoutinthemarket–justbereallycarefulaswehavecomeacrosssomefairlypoorqualityextensiontubes.Youwillwanttogetonethatfeelssturdy/secureanddurable.

WhatisaLensReversalRingAdapter?

Image28-LensReversalRingAdapter

Notmanypeopleknowthattheycangetstartedinmacrophotographywithoutamacrolens.ReversingyourkitlensonyourDSLRcameraisoneofthemosteconomicalwaytoentertheworldofmacrophotography.

Alensreversalringisavitalmacrophotographyequipmentifyoudonothaveamacrolens.Asthenamesuggests,thelensreversalringallowsyoutomountyourcurrentlensbackwardsontoyourcamera.Itisessentiallyaconverter/adapterthatscrewsontotheendofyourlensandwillallowyoutomountthelenstheotherwayaroundontoyourcamera.

Reversingyourlenshastheeffectofturningitintoacloseuplens.Anylenscanbeusedwiththereversalring,howeveryoucantypicallyachievebetterresultsbyusingaprimewideanglelens(eg.asinglefocuslengthwideanglelens).Awideanglelenswillmagnifyyoursubjectquitesignificantly.

Forexample,reversemountinga20mmprimewideanglelenscouldachievecloseto4:1magnificationratio(eg.4timesthesizeofyoursubject).Ifyouthencombinethiswiththeextensiontubes,itwillfurtherincreasethemagnification!Whiletherearebenefitsinreversingyourcurrentlens,therearealsosomedrawbacksthatyouwillneedtobeawareof.Obviouslyyourautocontrolssuchasthecapabilitytoautofocusandaperturesettingswillnotoperateanymore.

Manypeoplehavehadreallygoodresultswithcombininga50mmprimelenswiththereversingring.Wehaveseensomestunningphotosfromsomeofthesephotographers!

Advantages

EconomicalandcanbedonewithanytypeoflensesGivesyouachanceto‘seeinmacro’andexploretheworldofmacrophotographyAchievesgreatresultsasitletsyoufocusreallycloseuptoyoursubject

Disadvantages

Asyourlensismountedbackwards,youwilllosemostoftheautofunctions(eg.Capabilitytoautomaticallyadjustourapertureandautofocus).Allthesewillneedtobemanuallycontrolled.Thisisgenerallynotalongtermsolution–dustmaygetintoyourlenssinceitismountedbackwards.Difficulttofocusduetotheincreaseinmagnification–anysmallmovementwillbe

magnified.Atripodwillsometimesberequiredtominimizeanyunwantedmovementsandhelpwithfocusing.

HowtoChooseaLensReversalRingAdapterTomountyourcurrentlensinreverseyouwillneedalensreversalringadapter.Youcaneasilyfindalensreversalringadaptertofitmostcameras(Eg.CanonorNikon).Astheycomeindifferentsizes,youwillneedtoensurethatyouchooseonethatmatcheswiththediameterofyourlens.Inordertofindasuitablelensreversalringadapteryouwillneedtoknowthefollowing–

1)Camerabrand

2)Lensdiameter(Note:Thisisprintedontothebottom/sideofyourcameralens.Thisisthediameterofyourfrontlens.Alternatively,ifyoulookintheback/insideofyourcameralenscap,youwillseethediameterprintedthere.)

Forexample,ifyouhadaNikonwithalenswithadiameterof67mm,youwillneedtobuyalensreversaladapterringforaNikonwitha67mmdiameter.Pleasemakesureyoudon’tgetthisconfusedwiththelengthofyourcameralenseg.200mmf2.8lens.Theyarecompletelydifferentthings.

WhatareClose-UpFilters/Diopters?

Image29-Close-UpFilter/Diopter

Macrophotographyhassometimesbeenassociatedtoexpensivemacrophotographyequipment.However,thatisnotalwaysthecase.Onepieceofinexpensiveequipmentthatyoucanaddtoyourmacrophotographykitisacloseupfilterset.Incontrasttotheextensiontubes,thesecloseupfiltershaveanoptical/glasscomponenttothemandtheyoperateliketheUVfiltersthatarescrewedontotheendofyourlens.Thesecloseupfiltersusuallycomeinasetandwillprovideyouwithanumberofdifferentmagnificationoptions(eg.+1,+2,+4,+10).Ifyouchooseto,youcanevenscrewthemalltogethertofurtherincreaseyourmagnification.

HowtoChooseaLensDiopter/CloseUpFilterInordertoselecttheappropriatecloseupfiltertofityourlens,youwillneedtoknowthediameterofyourlens(eg.52mm,58mm,62mm,67mm,72mmor77mm).Thisisprintedontothebottom/sideofyourcameralens.Alternativelyyoucanalsofindthediameterprintedontotheinsideofyourlenscap.

Sincethecloseupfiltershaveaglass/opticalcomponenttothem,itmaydegradethequalityofyourphotosifyouuseapoorqualitycloseupfilter.Sowhenchoosingacloseupfilter,itisrecommendedtouseapopularandhighlyregardedbrand.Generally,asaruleofthumb,thequalityofacloseupfilterisdirectlyproportionaltothecostofit.Forexample,themoreexpensivethecloseupfilteris,thehigherthequalityofthecloseupfilter.Soundslikeeverythingelseinliferight?

WhatareBellows?Bellowsarelikeextensiontubes.Thesebellowssitbetweenyourcameraandyourcameralens.Theyaremadeoutofaflexiblematerialthatwillallowyoutocontractandexpandthelengthofthebellows.Atfirstsight,thebellowsmaylookintimidatingandmayevenlooklikeanantiquepieceofphotographyequipment.However,ithassomebenefitsovertheextensiontubes.Unlikelyextensiontubes(wherethelengthsarefixed),themacrobellowswillallowyoutoadjustthelengthbetweenthecameraandthelens.Asmentionedpreviously,bymovingthelensfurtherawayfromthecamera,thiswillultimatelyallowyoutofocusmuchclosertoyoursubject.

HowtoChooseBellowsMostbellowsareverysimilar.Ifyouarekeenonbuyingabellowsunit,youcouldconsideronewhichhasanin-builtfocusingrail.Thiswillallowyoutofinetuneyourfocusandwillmakelifealittleeasierwhenyouaretryingtofindtherightfocus.

WhatareFlashUnits(Built-In,Hot-Shoe,Ring&Dual)?Themacrophotographyequipmentthatwillgetyououtoftroubleinlowlightconditionistheflashunit.Inmacrophotographyandcloseupphotography,aflashunitwillhelptolightupyoursubjectsothatyoucantaketheperfectshot.Usingtherightflashunitisimportantasthiscouldeliminatetheneedtouseatripod.

Thereareanumberofflashunitsoutinthemarketcurrentlyanditisimportanttoknowthedifferencesbetweenallthedifferenttypesofflashunitsbeforeyoudecideontheappropriateoneforyou.

1.Builtincameraflash

Image30-Built-incameraflash

Whilstthebuiltinflashonyourcameramaybesuitableforyourgeneralphotography,itisnotappropriateformacroorcloseupphotography.Thelightingfromtheseflashesaregenerallytoodirectandharsh.Assuch,thecamera’sbuiltinflashshouldbeusedasalastresortformacroorcloseupphotography.

Thein-builtflashunitshouldnotbeusedinmacrophotographyandshouldonlybeusedasalastresortformacrophotography.

2.Hotshoeflash

Image31-Hotshoeflash

ThesehotshoeelectronicflashesareexternalflashunitsthatfitontothetopofyourDSLRcamera.Theseflashescangenerallybeusedforalltypesofphotography.Itispossibletouseahotshoeflashunitformacrophotographyhoweveritmaysometimesbe

difficulttoachievetherightlighting.Thesehotshoeflashunitsareusuallymoresuitableforindoorcloseupphotography.Havingsaidthat,manypeoplehavetakengreatoutdoormacrophotoswhilstusingahotshoeflash.

Ifyouareplanningtouseahotshoeflash,asawordofadvice,youshouldalwaysuseaflashdiffusertoensurethatyouachieveasoftlightingonyoursubject.Otherwisethelightingisjustgoingtobetooharsh.Wewillcoverdiffusersinmoredetailsinoneofthesectionsbelow.

Additionally,wehighlyrecommendthatyouchooseahotshoeflashthatiscompatiblewithawirelessflashtrigger.Ifyouchoosetouseahotshoeflashformacrophotography,youshouldalsoobtainaseparatewirelessflashtriggeraswell.Thiswillprovideyouwiththeflexibilitythatyouneedforthelightinginyourmacrophotos.

3.Macroringlight/flash

Image32-Macroringflash

Thesemacroringlight/flashunitswereoriginallymadefordentalphotographyhowevertheyarenowcommonlyusedinmacrophotography.Amacroringflashisacircularflashunitthatismountedtotheendofyourlens.Theyevenlylightupyoursubjectandprovideasubjectthatisshadowless.Assuch,thesearesuitabletobeusedinpoorlightcondition.Asasidenote,youcanactuallyseecameraswiththeseflashunitsinmostoftheforensic/policeinvestigationTVserieseg.Dexter

Keepinmindthatsomemacrophotographersmayfindthemacroringflashunitrestrictiveasitdoesnotallowthemtousethelightingcreatively.

HowtoChooseaMacroRingLight/FlashItisimportanttoknowthattherearetwotypesofmacroringlights/flashesoutinthemarketcurrently.Inthissection,wehavecombinedthemtogetherforsimplicity,butyouneedtobeawarethatthereisadifferencebetweenamacroringlightandamacroringflash.

Firstly,themacroringlightisamoreeconomicalversionofthemacroringflash.ThelightfromamacroringlightareusuallygeneratedbyanumberofLEDlights.Whereas,thelightfrommacroringflashesaremuchmoreakintothetypeofflashesonyourin-builtcamera.Sowhatdoesthismean?Dependingonwhatyouarephotographing,theLEDlightsfromamacroringlightmaynotbestrongenoughorfastenough.Togiveyouanexample,ifyouweretotakeaphotoofawaterdropletwithamacroringlight,itislikelythatyouwillseethelightreflectioninyourwaterdroplet.However,withamacro

ringflash,youwillbeabletosetthestrengthoftheflashandthespeedoftheflashsothatyoucanachieveaphotothatwillnothavetheflashreflectioninthewaterdropletphoto.

4.Double/Dual/Twinmacroflashes

Image33-Twinmacroflashes

Thedouble/dual/twinmacroflashunitsaretheultimateflashforallmacrophotographers.Thisunitisverysimilartothecircularlightingprovidedbythemacroringflash.Insteadofasinglecircularflashunit,twoflashunits(verysimilartominihotshoeflashes)aremountedaroundthelensandtheycanbemovedaroundinacircularmotion.

Onebenefitofthedoublemacroflashunitisthattheflashunitscanbecontrolledindividually.Thisultimatelyallowsaphotographertobemorecreativewiththeirlighting.Aswithourpreviousadvice,itisalwaysimportanttouseadiffuserwithyourflashestoensureyouhavenicediffusedandsoftlighting.

WhatisaFlashDiffuser?

Image34-FlashDiffuser(Softbox)

Asyouknow,photographyisallaboutlighting.Photographerspreferlightingthatarenaturalandtryeverythingintheirpowertoavoidlightingthatareharsh.Assuch,whenitcomestousingtheirflashunits,theyoftenuseaflashdiffuser.Thesediffusershelptospreadthelightsothatitdoesnotlookasdirectandharsh.Adiffuserwillallowustoachievesoftdiffusedlighting.

HowtoChooseaFlashDiffuserTherearesomanydifferentkindsoftheseflashdiffusersandtheycomeinmanydifferentshapesandsizes.Somearelikeacapwhichyouplaceoverthetopofyourflashunit.However,formacrophotography,wewouldrecommendthatyouuseasoftbox.Thesoftboxismadeoutofalightmaterialandwillfitoverthetopofyourflash.Theycanbecarriedaroundeasilyandsomecanevenbefoldedup.Whatyouwillfindatthefrontofthesoftboxisawhitepieceofmaterialthatwillhelptodiffusetheflashlightevenfurther.

WhatisaTripod?

Image35-Tripod

Asaphotographeryouknowtheimportanceofhavingtherightgearonhandforallofyourphotoshoots.Itallstarts,ofcourse,withtherightDSLRcamera.Thentherearelensesandotheressentialgeartothinkabout.Onethingthatyoudon’twanttooverlook,inyoureffortstoassembletheultimatecollectionofphotographicgear,however,isthetripod.Manypeoplethinkthatalltripodsareprettymuchthesame.Uponabitofinvestigation,however,youwillsoonfindthattherearemanydifferenttypesandmodelstochoosefrom.

Itisimportanttochooseagoodtripodtoaddtoyourmacrophotographyequipment.Agoodtripodwilllastalifetimeandwillhelpyoutoachievesharperphotos.

Whenyouarecapturingyoursubjectwithahand-heldcamera,anyminormovementwillbemagnifiedandwilllikelyresultinablurryphoto.Toensureasharpphotoistaken,atripodshouldbeusedtoreduceanypotentialmovement

Atripodcanbeveryusefulwhenphotographinginanimateobjectssuchasflowers,plantsandwaterdroplets.Insituationswhereinsects/bugsareinvolved,youwillneedtoconsiderthespeedofthesecritters.Forfastmovingsubjects,thetripodmaynotbesuitableasitmaybedifficulttoquicklymoveintopositiontocapturetheperfectmoment.

Assuch,itisalsoimportanttoensurethatthetripodislightweightanddurable.Lookforatripodthatcanbeeasilycarriedwithyouonallyourexcitingadventuresandplacedintopositionwithinmomentsofusingit.Foralighttripod,werecommendchoosingaprofessionaltripodthatismadeoutofcarbonfibre.Makesureyoucheckoutthetripodsby‘Manfrotto’.

Additionally,ifyoutakephotosthatareveryclosetotheground,youwillneedtochooseatripodthatallowsthetripod’slegstobendorfoldallthewayoutsothatitcanreachthelowergrounds.

HowtoChooseaTripodWhencomparingthevariousmodelsavailable,youshouldconsider3things–portability,stabilityandprice.Ifyouareonabudget,thenyouwillhavetosettleforatripodthatislessstableandportable.Ifyouareaftersomethingthatisextremelyportableandstable,thenyouwillhavetobepreparedtopayamuchhigherpriceforthetripod.

PortabilityInregardstoportability,thereareafewthingsyouneedtoconsider.Areyouplanningtocarrythetripodoutwithyou?Ifyouare,thenyouwillneedtofindatripodthatcanbecollapsed/foldedintoasmallsizesothatyoucancarryitinyourbackpack.

Whenconsideringportability,youshouldalsoconsidertheweightofthetripod.Tripodsthataremadeoutofcarbonfiberareusuallymuchlighter.

StabilityThereisabalancebetweenportabilityandstability.Usually,themorestableyourtripod,thelessportableitis.Thisisduetothefactthatstabletripodsaremuchheavier.Buildingthetripodinsuchawaywillresultinlessvibrationsorswayinthelegswhenthewindblows.Ifyoudidn’tknow,thesevibrationsandswayinginthelegswillcauseblurryphotos.

Additionally,youwanttoensurethatthetripodthatyoupurchasewillbeabletosupportyourcameraandlens.Thereisamaximumweightforeachtripod–somakesureyoucheckthisbeforebuyingyourtripod.

PriceAsalways,themoreportableandthemorestableyourtripodis,themoreexpensiveitisgoingtobe.Tripodscanrangefrom$20throughto$600.Ifyouareonabudgetorifyouareaftersomethingmorefortheshortterm,youshouldthenpurchaseoneofthecheapertripodsandworkwithinitslimitations.Ifyouarelookingforalongertermtripodandthereisarealneedforyoutohaveanextremelystabletripod,youshoulddefinitelyconsideroneoftheprofessionalcarbonfibertripods.

Attheendoftheday,youneedtoconsiderthescenarios/situationsthatyouwillbeusingthetripodin.Ifyouarenotusingitinharshweatherconditions(eg.wheretherearestrongwinds),thenyoucanpossiblygetawaywithbuyingatripodthatislessstable.Thiswillultimatelymeanalessexpensivetripod.

WhatisaMacroFocusingRail?

Image36-Macrofocusingrail

Afocusingrailmountstothebottomofthecamerasothatwecanmovethecameraforwardsorbackwardsinverysmallincrements.Itwillallowyoutofinetuneyourfocuspointbymovingthecamerainasystematicway.Thecameraismountedontothemacrofocusingrailplateandthisplateisthenmountedontoyourtripod.Ratherthanmovingyourcamerabyhandtofindthespotwhereyoucanachieveagoodfocusonyoursubject,youcannowadjustanumberofknobsonthefocusingrailplatetomovethecameraforwards/backwardsorevensidewaysinsmallincrements.Asawordofwarning,youwillfindarangeoffocusingrailsoutinthemarket.Forbetterqualityandhigherprecisionones,youcanoftenseethemgoforafewhundreddollars.

Thesemacrofocusingrailsarealsousedbymacrophotographerswhentheyusethefocusstackingtechnique.Wewilltalkmoreaboutthiscooltechniqueinalaterchapter.

HowtoChooseaMacroFocusingRailWhenchoosingamacrofocusingrail,youshouldconsiderthefollowing–

SolidBuiltWhethertheknobswillallowyoutomakesmallandfineadjustmentsAbilitytolocktherailpositionEaseofattachingtocamera/lens

9.ComparingtheClose-UpFilter,ReversingLensAdapter,ExtensionTubes&DifferentCombinationsInthepreviouschapter,weintroducedyoutotheClose-UpFilter,ReversingLensAdapterandExtensionTubes.Itisimportanttonotethatmacrophotographerswillusuallycombinethesedifferentmacroequipmenttoachieveevengreatermagnification.Forexample,youcancombinetheextensiontubeswiththereverselenstechniqueoryoucouldcombineyourmacrolenswiththemacroextensiontubesandclose-upfilters.

Inordertogiveyouabetterunderstandingofthecapabilitiesofeachofthemacrophotographyequipmentandthedifferentcombinationsthatyoucancreate,herearesomeexamplephotos.Paycloseattentiontohowmuchcloseryoucangettothesubjectwhenusingeachofthedifferentequipmentandthedifferentkindofcombinations.

50mmLensOnly

Image37-50mmLensOnly

50mmLenswithClose-UpFilters

Image38-50mmLensWith+1Close-UpFilter

Image39-50mmLensWith+1&+2Close-UpFilters

Image40-50mmLensWith+1,+2&+4Close-UpFilters

50mmReversedLens

Image41-50mmwithReversedLensAdapter

50mmLenswithFullSetExtensionTubes

Image42-50mmLenswithFullSetExtensionTubes

50mmReversedLenswithFullSetExtensionTubes

Image43-50mmReversedLenswithFullSetExtensionTubes

10.SoWhatEquipmentDoYouREALLYNeed?There’saphrasebyDougBartlowthatyoushouldremember:“Nomatterhowsophisticatedthecamera,thephotographerisstilltheonethatmakesthepicture.”Okay,repeatthatafewtimesinyourhead,untilyouhaveitmemorizedasyourmantra.

Sowhatdoesthatquotereallymean?Well,let’sbreaktheconceptbehindthisquotedownabitandseehowitappliestoallofuswhohaveapassionforphotography.Evenifyou’veonlyjustrecentlypurchasedyourfirstDSLR,andarestillalittlebitwetbehindtheears,wethinkthatonceyouunderstandwhatthisquotereallymeans,you’llhaveevenmoreinspirationforpursuingyourphotographypassionthaneverbefore.

AFewWordsonPhotographyEquipmentAllyouhavetodoislookonlineoratthelocalphotographyshoptoseethattherearesomeprettysweetcamerasonthemarketthesedays.Andwhenyoufactorinsomeoftheotherimportantphotographyequipment,likemacrolenses,tripodsandcarryingcases,it’seasytogetoverwhelmedbythepricethatmustbepaidinordertohaveallthelatestandgreatestphotographygearatyourbeckandcall.Butifyouharkenbacktothequote,youknowthatyoudon’tnecessarilyhavetoownthemostexpensive,cuttingedgecamerainordertocaptureamazing,beautifulphotographs.

Here’sthedeal:Highendcamerasaregreat!Andhavingthebestgeariswonderful.Butyoudon’thavetofretifyoucan’taffordthehigherendgear.Thinkaboutalloftheground-breakingphotographsthatweretakenandpublishedwellbeforethedigitalphotographyrevolution.Someshotsthatendedupbecomingmagazinecovers,postersorevenalbumcoversweretakenoncamerasthatweremuchlesssophisticatedthantoday’scheapestDSLRs.

Whatwe’regettingathereisthefactthatamazingphotographsweremostdefinitelybeingsnappedeverysingleday,wellbeforetoday’shighendcameraswereevenconceivedof.Thisisgoodnewstoallofuswhomaynotbeabletoaffordthelatest,cuttingedgeDSLRcamera.Weknowthatitisabsolutelypossibletotakeunbelievablephotographs,regardlessofthesophisticationorexpensivepricetagofourcameras!

Inthepreviouschapter,yousawthatitispossibletoenjoymacrophotographywithouthavingamacrolens.Ifyouarestillsavingupforthatmacrolens,therearesomanyotherdifferentwaysforyoutogetstartedinmacrophotography.Yourmacrophotographyjourneycouldlookalittlelikethis-

1. Close-UpFilters–Startbyusingasetofcloseupfilterswithyourexistinglens.Whileitisunlikelythatyouwillachievea1:1magnificationratio,atleastyouarefamiliarizingyourselfwithoperatingthecamera,learninghowtocomposeyourphotosandunderstandingsomeofthecommonissuesofworkingwithinamagnifiedenvironment.

2. 50mmLenswithReversingLensAdapter–Onceyouhavefamiliarizeyourselfwithyourcameraandhaveconsistentlyappliedsomeofcompositionrules,youarethenreadytomoveontothereversedlenstechniquewhereyouwillspendmostofyourtimeunderstandingthelimitationsofthetechniqueandequipment.

3. AutoExtensionTubes–Whenyoubecomeunsatisfiedwiththemagnificationthatyouareachievingwiththe50mmlenswithreversinglensadapter,youarethenreadytoincludeanautoextensiontubeintoyourmacrophotographyequipment.Combiningthiswiththereverselenstechniquewillallowyoutogetevenclosertoyoursubject.

4. MacroLens–Therewillbeatimewhereyouwillbecomeunsatisfiedwiththemagnificationthatyouareachievingwiththeautoextensiontubesandreverselenstechnique.Whenthattimecomes,wehopethatyouhavefinallysavedupenoughtopurchaseamacrolens.Onceyoupurchaseamacrolens,youcanthenutilizeandcombineallthedifferentequipmentthatyouhavetoachieveanevengreatermagnification!

Havingsaidalltheabove,youmaybesosatisfiedwiththenon-traditionalmethodsofmacrophotographythatyoumaychoosenottoevenpurchaseamacrolensanymore!Thejourneyisgoingtobedifferentforeveryone.

Image44-Photographygear

It’sAllAboutYOUBeingBehindtheCameraNowthatwe’vediscussedtheheaviertopicofphotographyequipment,andhowyoudon’tneedtoownthebestgeartotakegreatphotographs,let’stalkaboutwhatreallymakesaphotographgreat.Yes,it’struethatcomposition,lightingandtheactualsubjectbeingphotographedareimportant.Butmostimportantofallisthepersonbehindthecamera–YOU!

Yousee,photographyisanartform.Justasmusicians(atleastthereallygoodones)seektodeveloptheirownvoiceorsound,photographersshoulddothesame.Yourapproachtomacrophotography–theanglesyouchoose,theapproachyoutake,andthesubjectsthatyouchoosetophotograph–arealluniquelyyours.Youaren’tjusttakingpictures;youaretellingyourstory–sharingyourvisionofanisolatedmomentintimewiththeworld.

Yes,itmaytakeyoutimetobecometechnicallyproficient,andyou’lldefinitelytakemorebadphotosthangoodonesinyourearlyoutings(don’tworry,though,thisistrueforALLphotographers).Butafteryouhoneyourskillsetandbecomecomfortablewithshootingaccordingtoyourownuniquestyle,you’llrealizethatitdoesn’tmatterifyou’retakingphotographswithahundreddollarcameraoramodelthatcostsseveralthousanddollars.Therealmagicbehindyourphotographscomesfromyou;yourcreativity,yourpassionandyourdesiretoshareyourvisionoftheworld,withtheworld.

Bestoflucktoyouasyoufollowthepathtopursuingyourpassion.Weknowthatyouareonthecuspofcapturingsomemacrophotosthatwillabsolutelydazzleyouraudience!

Image45-It’sallaboutyou!

11.MacroPhotographyonaBudget–DIYMacroPhotographyEquipmentHowtoMakeaStringTripodAtripodisoneoftheitemsthatishighoneverymacrophotographers’wishlist.Unfortunately,noteveryoneownsatripodandevenifyoudoownatripod,sometimesyoudonotwanttocarryitwithyouonyourphotographyexpeditions.SothisDIYstringtripodtutorialwillshowyouhowyoucanmakeyourveryownstringtripod(orimagestabilizer)foryourcamerawithjustafewdollars.It’sinexpensiveandfitsinyourpocket!

WhatisRequired?ABolt-1/4″diameterString(onethatdoesn’tstretch–eg.Nylon)Washer

Image46-WhatYouNeedForAStringTripod

TutorialSteps1. Cutthelengthofthestringsothatitisapproximatelyyourheight2. Tieoneendofthestringtothebolt

Image47-KnotAroundtheBolt

3. Tietheotherendofstringtothewasher

Image48-KnotontheOtherEndofString

HowtoUse1. Screwtheboltintothebottomofyourcamera(wherethetripod/quickreleaseplateof

thetripodwouldusuallyscrewinto)2. Dropthewasherontothegroundandstepontothewasher3. Bringthecamerauptowardsyourfaceuntilthereissometensioninthestring.The

stringshouldbetaut/tight.Thiswillhelpyoutoholdthecamerasteady.4. Composeandtaketheshot!

HowtoMakeaFlashDiffuserThistutorialwilltellyouhowyoucancreateoneonyourownDIYflashdiffuser,fornexttonothing…

WhatIsRequired?Analuminumcan(eg.Coke/Beercan)Plasticmilkbottle–thetranslucentplasticiswhatyouwillneedTapeScissors,boxcutterandcanopener

TutorialSteps1. Cutoffthetopandthebottomofthealuminumcan.Weusedacanopenerforthetop

andaboxcutterforthebottom.Forthetopofthecan,wemadeanumberofcutsintothetopofthecansothatitcanopenuptofitourflashunit.

Image49-TopofCanOpened

Image50-UseaBoxCuttertoOpentheBottomoftheCan

2. Cutthemilkbottletosize.Theaimistohavethetranslucentplasticofthemilkbottlefitovertheendofthecan.Dependingonthetypeandsizeofthemilkbottle,thismaybeassimpleascuttingoffthetopofthemilkbottle.Otherwise,youwillneedtocutthetranslucentplasticmilkbottleintoaflatsheet.Youcanthenwrapandtapethesheetacrosstheopeningofthecan.

Image51-TranslucentMilkBottleCuttoSize

3. Tapethetranslucentplasticofthemilkbottleontotheendofthecan4. Youmaychoosetotapetheedgesoftheotherendofthecansothatyoudonotcut

yourself5. Placetheflashunit(hot-shoeflashorbuilt-inflash)intotheotheropeningofthecan

andsecureitbycompressingtheendofthecan.

Image52-DIYFlashDiffuser

6. Youmayalsochoosetotapethecanontoyourflashunittofurthersecureit.

HowtoMakeaLightBox/MiniStudioAphotographylightboxcanbecreatedathomeeasily.Itcanbeusedforallyourindoorlive-actionmacroorclose-upphotos.

WhatisRequired?AcardboardboxBoxcutter&scissorsThinwhitecloth/tissuewrappingpaperWhiteposterboardpaperRulerPen/PencilTape

TutorialSteps1. Placetheboxonitssideandtapethebottomofthecardboardboxdown(thisiswhere

thetwoflapsofthecardboardboxcometogether)2. Withyourpen/pencilmarka1”(2.5cm)borderontheedgeonthetopandsidefaces

ofthebox

Image53-MarkBorderonBox

3. Usetheboxcutterandcutalongthemarkedlines

Image54-CutBoxwithBoxCutter

4. Thecardboardboxwillnowhaveawindowonthetopandthetwosides

Image55-BoxwithWindows

5. Cutthetissuepaperforeachofthewindow/hole.6. Tapethetissuepapertotheoutsideofthewindowofthebox

Image56-BoxwithWrappingTissuePaperWindows

Image57-InsideofBox

7. Cutthewhiteposterboardpapersothatit’sthesamewidthofthebox.Theaimisfortheposterboardpapertocoverthebackandthebottomofthebox.Theposterpapershouldcurl/bendsmoothlyfromthebottomsurfacetothebacksurfaceofthebox.Thiswillformaseamlesswhitebackground.

Image58-InsideofDIYLightbox

8. Theposterboardpapershouldbetapeddown.Youmaychoosetousedoublesided

tapeforthis.Alternatively,youcantapethetopcornersofthepaper.Note:Someposterboardpapermayalreadyhaveastickystriponthetopofthepaper.

9. Youwillneedtoaddtwolightsourcesoutsidetheleftandrightsideofthewindowtolightupyourlightbox.Experimentwiththedifferentanglestoachievetheappropriatecompositionyouareafter.

Image59–DIYLightboxinAction

HowtoMakeaMacroRingLightHereisoneofthesimplestDIYtutorialyouwillevercomeacrossoncreatingyourveryown‘macroringlight’.Itdoesn’trequireyoutoperformanysophisticatedcutting,drillingorevensolderingofwires.It’ssosimpleyouwouldn’tbelieveit…

WhatIsRequired?8LEDkeyringlightsVelcrostrip(Thelengthneedstobelongenoughtogoaroundyourlens)Velcrodots

Image60-HowtoMakeaMacroRingLight

TutorialSteps1. RemovethekeyringsthatareattachedtoeachoftheLEDkeyringlights.2. WrapthestripofVelcroaroundtheendofyourlens3. CuttheVelcrostriptosizewhenithasmadeafullcirclearoundthelens4. SticktheVelcrodotsontotheLEDkeyringlights.Alternativelyyoucan

cutoutsmallVelcrostripsthatwillfityourLEDkeyringlights

Image61-KeyRingLEDLightwithVelcroDot

5. Ifyouarenotusingpre-cutVelcrodots,applydoublesidedtapetothebackofthesmallVelcrostripsthatyouhavecutoutandthenstickitontothebackoftheLEDkeyringlight

6. WrapthecutoutstripofVelcroaroundtheendofthelensandensurethatitisstuckonsecurely

Image62-MacroLenswithVelcroStrip

7. SticktheLEDkeyringlightsontotheVelcrostriparoundthecameralens.8. TurneachoftheLEDkeyringlightsON.Voila!Formorelighting,youcan

addmoreLEDkeyringlightstothestrip.

Image63-DIYMacroRingLightinAction

HowtoMakeaMacroExtensionTubeYouwouldn’tbelieveit…Withjustafewitems,youcaneasilycreateyourveryownextensiontube.Whosaysmacrophotographyhastocostanarmandaleg?

WhatIsRequired?CamerabodycapPringlescanBlackspraypaintToolstocutthecamerabodycap(eg.BoxCutter)andpringlescanSandpapertosandtheedgesofthecamerabodycapHotglue/PVAglueBlackcloth/velvetRubberband

TutorialSteps1. Cutaholethroughthecamerabodycap.Ifyoudonotwanttocutthroughyourcurrent

camerabodycap,youcaneasilybuyaspareoneforafewdollars.Weusedthehammerandnailmethod–allthatwasrequiredwashammeringanailintotheedgeofthecircle.Asyouarehammeringthenail,thecoverwilljustbreakoff.

Image64-MakeaHoleinTheCameraBodyCap

2. PutthecamerabodycapontotheendofthePringlescanandtracethecircleoftheholeontothePringlecan.

Image65-TraceaCirclefortheHole

3. CuttheholeoutofthePringlescan.Wedidn’tuseanysophisticatedequipmenthere–allweusedwasaboxcutter.Youcoulduseadrillorsomeothercutting/sandingapparatusifyouwantamoreprofessionallookingandsmootherhole.Ifrequired,youcanalsousesandpapertosmoothoutthehole.

Image66-CutaHoleintoThePringlesCan

4. PreparethePringlescanbycleaningit.Youmaychoosetousetogivetheinsideaquickwashwithsomedishwashingliquid.

5. Withtheblackspraypaint,spraythepaintontheinsideandtheoutsideofthePringlescan.

Image67-SpraytheInsideandOutsidewithBlackPaint

Image68-PaintedPringlesCan

6. Oncecleanedanddry,gluethecamerabodycapontotheendofthePringlescan,makingsurethattheholesaligntogether.

Image69-AlignandGlueCameraBodyCapontoPringlesCan

Image70-DIYExtensionTube

7. Checktoseeifyourcameralenswillfitintotheotherendofthehole.ItislikelythatitwillbesmallerthanthePringlescan.Soyouwillneedtowrapstripsofblackmaterialaroundthelensuntilitfitssnuglyintotheholeofthecan.Weusedblackvelvetandarubberbandtokeepthevelvetwrappedaroundthelens.

Image71-50mmLensWrappedinVelvetStripandRubberBand

8. ConnectthebodycaponthePringlescantothecamerabody.9. WheninsertingyourcameralensintoyourDIYextensiontube,itisrecommendedthat

youplacethelensinreverse.Thisway,youwillbecombiningthereverselenstechniquewithanextensiontube,therebyachievingevengreatermagnification.

Image72-FinalDIYExtensionTubeWthReverseLens

12.EasyTipstoSaveMoneytoPurchasetheBestMacroPhotographyGearIfyou’vebeeninastateofpanictryingtofigureouthowyou’regoingtoaffordsuper-expensivephotographygear,youaremostdefinitelynotalone.Allphotographers–exceptforthosewhomayhappentobeindependentlywealthy–oftenstrugglewithfiguringouthowtheycanaffordthecameras,lensesandotheressentialphotographygeartheysodesperatelywant/need.Inthischapter,wewillsharesomeproventechniques(notphotographyrelated)tohelpyousaveextramoneyupforthoseitemsthatyousimplymusthave.

Image73-Savingforyournextgear

MoneySavingTip#1–BeSmartAboutTransportationLet’sfaceit–gasolinepricesaresky-high,anddon’tlooktobecomingdowninthefuture!Butifyou’resmartaboutyourtransportationoptions,youcouldsavealotofmoneyeverymonth.Publictransportationisagreatoption.Ifyouhavebusortrainlinethatrunsinyourarea,youcouldgetwhereyouneedtogoeveryday,whileavoidingexpensivefill-upsatthelocalgasstation.Putthatextramoneyintoyourphotographygearfunds,insteadofthatgasguzzlingfueltank!

MoneySavingTip#2–AvoidImpulseBuysIthappenstoeveryone;youarecheckingoutatthegrocerystoreandseethatcandybar,packofgumorotherimpulseitemandenduppurchasingit,eventhoughyoudon’tneedit.Here’sthething,though,thepeoplewhosettheseitemsup,dosostrategically.Theyknowthatwhenyourmoneyisoutitisveryeasytosimplytackonunnecessarypurchasesintheformofimpulsebuys.Musterupabitofwillpower,andavoidbuyinganythingatthesupermarketthatisnotonyourlist,anddivertyoureyesfromimpulseitems.Thissimpletipcanhelpyoutosockawaythatextracashintoyourcamera-purchasingbudget.

MoneySavingTip#3–WeatherproofYourLivingSpaceAlotofextramoneymaybefloatingoutofyourbankaccountintheformofahouseorapartmentthatisenergy-inefficient.Takesometimetoassessyourlivingspace,andmakeitmoreenergy-efficient.Afewbucksspentoncaulkingholes&crackscangoalongwayinloweringyourmonthlyheatingandcoolingcosts.Youcantakethemoneythatyousaveanduseitonreallyimportantitems–likethatnewlensorupgradedcamerainstead!

MoneySavingTip#4–Budget,Budget,Budget…Thebestwaytosavemoneyistobemeticulousaboutyourbudget.Startaspreadsheetandkeeptrackofmoneycominginversusmoneygoingout.Onceyouhaveabaselineofafewmonthsinyourspreadsheet,itbecomeseasytofindtrendsthataresuckingyourbankaccountdryandmakenecessaryadjustments.There’snosubstituteforbeingonasmartbudgetwhenyou’reseriousaboutsavingupforbetterphotographyequipment.

Wehopethesetipshelptoinspireyouandassistyouinyourquesttosaveupmoneyforbetterphotographygear.Anddon’tforgettothinkaboutsavingasanongoingtaskthatpaysoffwhenyoustickwithyourplanforthelonghaul.Byimplementingjustoneofthesetipsforafewmonths,youmayfindyourselfhavingplentyofcashtospareforthatnewpieceofphotographyequipmentthatyou’vebeendyingtogetyourhandson!

13.UnderstandingCommonIssuesInMacroPhotography

Tofixanyproblem,onemustfirstunderstandit.Thisstatementholdstruewhetheritisaprobleminlifeoranissueinmacrophotography.Thischapterwillhelpyoutounderstandhowyoucananalyzeyourphotostounderstandwhyyourphotosareblurry.Itwillteachyouthebasicsofidentifyingtheproblemandprovideyouwithsomesolutionsonfixingblurryphotos.

Blurryphotoscanoccurforanumberofdifferentreasons.Beforeyoucanfixtheblurrinessinyourphoto,youmustfirstunderstandwhatiscausingit.Inthedigitalage,wherewehaveaccesstoinstantpreviewsofourphotos,itisoftenquiteeasytopinpointthecauseoftheblurriness.Thephotopreviewonyourcameraisanimportantfeatureandwillprovideyouwithinstantfeedbackonhowyourphotohasturnedout.RemembertoalwayszoomintotheimagetolookatitinmoredetailasthesmallimagewillalwayslookdeceivinglysharpontheLCDpreviewscreen.

Ifyounoticethatyourphotoisblurry,thenyouneeddeterminethecauseoftheblurriness.Herearetheusualcausesofblurryphotos-

HowtoIdentifyandFixBlurryPhotosfromCameraShake

Image74-Camerashakeexample

Blurrinesscausedbycamerashakeisoftenquiteeasytoidentify.Theforegroundandbackgroundofyourimagewillappeartobeblurryandnothingwithinthephotowillappearsharpatall.

Problem/CauseCamerashakeisoftencausedbyusingslowershutterspeeds.Astheopeningofthelensisopened,yourcameraismoving/shakingaround,therebyresultinginablurryphoto.Itisalsoworthwhilenotingthattheamountofcamerashakeusuallyincreasesasyouincreaseyourmagnificationinmacrophotography.

SolutionThegeneralruleofthumbthatweusetominimizecamerashakeistouseashutterspeedthatisfasterthan1/’cameralenslength’.Soifyouareusinga105mmmacrolens,youneedtoensurethattheshutterspeedisgreaterthan1/105.Usingashutterspeedslowerthanthiswilloftenresultinblurrinesscausedbycamerashake.Insituationswhereyouareunabletousetheappropriateshutterspeed,youwillneedtoconsiderusinganadditionallightsource(eg.aflashunit)oratripod.

HowtoIdentifyandFixBlurryPhotosfromIncorrectFocusPoint

Image75-Incorrectfocuspointexample

Blurrinesscausedbyincorrectfocuspointcanbeeasilyidentified.Here,thesubjectofyourphotoisnotinfocusandappearstobeblurry.However,anotherspotwithintheimageisincompletefocusandissharp.

Problem/CauseBlurrinesscausedbyincorrectfocuspointoccursasaresultoffocusingonthewrongthinginyourimage.Ifyouareusingtheautofocuspointfeatureinyourcamera,itgenerallymeansthatyouhaveaccidentallyselectedthewrongfocuspointorthecamerahasnotfocusedontotherightareacorrectly.Asyoucanseefromtheimageontheleft,theautofocuspointhasbeensettothegreenleaves/grass.Asaresult,thegreenleaves/grassisinfocusandourflowersubjectappearstobeblurry.

SolutionBlurrinesscausedbyincorrectfocuspointcanbefixedbyensuringyouarefocusingontotherightarea.Ifyouareusingautofocuspoints,thenitisassimpleasmovingtheautofocuspointoverthesubjectareathatyouwanttobeinfocusbeforeyoutakeyourshot.Ifyourcamerahastroublefocusingontothesubjectarea,wesuggestyoumovetoadifferentviewpointormanuallyfocus.

HowtoIdentifyandFixBlurryPhotosfromSubjectMovement

Image76-Subjectmovementexample

Blurrinesscausedbysubjectmovementcanbequicklyidentified.Here,everythingappearstobeinfocuswiththeexceptionofyoursubject.Therewillbeatrail/shadowyduplicateofyoursubjectwithintheimage.Thisgivestheviewertheperceptionofmovement.

Problem/CauseBlurrinessfromsubjectmovementisoftencausedbyanumberoffactors.Ifwearedealingwithinanimateobjectssuchasflowers,thenthisisoftencausedbythewind.Ifwearedealingwithbugs,thenthisisactuallycausedbythemovementofthebugitself!However,thetruecausedoftheblurrinessistheshutterspeed.Essentially,theshutterspeedyouareusingisnotfastenoughtofreezethemotion.

SolutionByincreasingyourshutterspeed,youwillbeabletofreezethemotion.Youmayalsowishtoconsiderusingaflashtohelpyoufreezethemotionofyoursubject.

HowtoIdentifyandFixBlurryBackgroundPhotos

Image77-Blurrybackgroundexample

Blurrybackgroundsarecommonlyusedinmacrophotographytohelpfocusaviewer’sattentionontoyoursubject.Itaddsacreativeeffectontoyourphoto.

Assuch,yoursubjectwillbeincompletefocusandthebackgroundofyourimagewillthenappeartobeblurry.

Problem/CauseBackgroundblurrinessoccurswhenyouareusingalargeaperturesettingonyourcamera.eg.f/2.8.

SolutionToeradicatethebackgroundblur,youwillneedtoloweryouraperturesettingonyourcamera.Forexample,ratherthanusinganapertureoff2.8youwillwanttoensureyouuseamuchsmalleraperturesuchasf/22.Thiswillusuallybringthewholeimageintofocusthen.

Armedwithalltheaboveknowledgeonfixingblurryphotos,youcannowsaygoodbyetoblurryphotosforever.Don’tforgetthatpracticemakesperfect.

14.HowtoKissBlurryPhotosGoodbyeWhetherwelikeitornot,wehaveallbeenvictimsofthegremlinthatishidingwithinourcameras–thatdarngremlinthatcausesourphotostobeblurry.Itisreallydisappointingandheartbreakingtotakeaphotoandonlytofindthatthephotoisblurry.Inmacrophotography,sometimesyoujustdon’tgetasecondchancetore-takethatshot.Thisisespeciallytruewhenyouaretakingphotosofinsects.Bythetimeyoufindoutthatyourphotoisblurry,yoursubjectmayhavealreadyflownaway.

Soitisveryimportanttomakeeveryshotcountandtoensurethatyoukeepthebelowmacrophotographytipsinmindwhenyoutakeyournextshottoavoidblurryphotos.

Tip#1–SelectanAppropriateShutterSpeedtogetSharpPhotosWhenshootinghand-held,beawareofyourshutterspeedsetting.Blurryphotosareusuallycausedbylongshutterspeeds.Inthisscenario,thereareanumberofadjustmentsthatyoucanmaketoreducetheblurrinessonyourphotos.

Onesolutionistoincreasetheamountoflighthittingyoursensorbyopeningupyouraperture.Forexample,choosinganapertureoff/2.8insteadoff/8.0.Itissometimesnotpossibletoopenupyourapertureasthismaynotachievetherightcompositionresultthatyouareaftereg.Youmaywanttoshootyourphotowithsmallaperture(eg.f/16)toachievealargedepthoffieldwherethebackgroundremainsinfocus.

Image78-Apertureexample

InthisscenarioyoucouldconsiderincreasingyourISOsetting.ByincreasingtheISOsetting,youwillreducetheshutterspeedontheshot.However,dependingonyourcamera,thereisusuallyatradeoffbetweenISOsettingandthequalityofyourphotos.AhighISOsettingwillgenerallyintroduce‘noise’ontoyourphotosandwilldecreasethequalityofyourphotos(moregrainy).

Ifyouarecommonlytakingphotoshandheld,itissometimesworthwhiletoinvestintoalensthathasimagestabilization.Theselenseshavebeendevelopedtoreduceblurringassociatedwiththemotionofacameraduringexposure.ForCanonlenses,theseareoftenbrandedasImageStabilization(IS)lensesandforNikon,thetechnologyismorecommonlyknownasVibrationReduction(VR).JustkeepinmindthatISorVRwillnotbeasusefulinmacrophotographysinceyouareextremelyclosetoyoursubject.

Whenshootinghand-heldthereisaquickwaytodetermineiftheshutterspeedthatyouareusingisappropriate.Inordertotakesharpphotos,youwillneedtoensurethatyourshuttlespeedisfasterthan1/focallengthofyourlens.Forexample,ifyouwereshootingwithafocallengthof100mm,youneedtoensurethatyourshuttlespeedisatleast1/100secorfaster(eg.1/200sec).Ifyoushootwithaslowershuttlespeedthan1/focallengthofyourlens,yourphotowillbesubjectedtomovementandwillresultinmoreblurriness.

Tip#2–ShootingTechniquestogetSharpPhotosIftheabovescenariosdonotimprovethesharpnessofyourphotos,youwillneedtoconsiderusingaflash.Thiswillultimatelyallowyoutotakephotosthatrequirelongershutterspeeds.Ifyoudonothaveaflashordonotwishtouseaflashthereareanumberofwayswhichyoucouldtrytoreducecamerashake.

Whenyouareshooting,bringyourelbowstowardsyourchestandpressitagainstyourchestforextrasupport.Whenshootingsubjectsthatareclosetotheground,youmaywishtoleavethecamerarestingonthefloorIfyouaresittingdownontheground,youcouldhaveyourfootflatonthegroundanduseyourkneeasatripodbyrestingyourelboworcameraontoyourkneetoincreasestabilityTakeabreathin,holdyourbreathandpresstheshutter.Somepeoplehavesuccessintakingtheshotattheendoftheexhaleorduringtheexhale.Trythedifferentwaysandseewhichoneworksbestforyou.

Iftheabovehasnothelpedtoreduceyourcamerashake,thenyoushouldconsiderusingatripod.

Tip#3-UsingaTripodtogetSharpPhotosUsingatripodwillhelptoeliminatesomeofthecausesofcamerashake.Ifyouarestillexperiencingblurrinesswhenusingatripodyoumayhavetotrythefollowing-

Whenshootingonatripod,itisrecommendedthatyouusethemirrorlockfunctiononyourcameratoreduceanyvibrationscausedbythemirrorwhenyoupresstheshutterbutton.

Additionally,usearemotetriggertotakeyourphotostoreduceanypotentialmovementyoumaycausetothecamerabypressingtheshutterbutton.Ifyoudonothavearemotetrigger,youcaneasilysetyourcameratotakeaphotobasedonatimer.Thiswillultimatelyreducetheamountofcamerashakewhenyouaretakingtheshot.

Tip#4–Using‘LiveView’togetSharpPhotosWehaveallbeeninthesituationbefore–welookthroughtheviewfinderandeverythinglooksasthoughitisallinfocusandsharp.However,whenwelookattheimageonourcomputer,itisnotsharpatall.

Onefeaturethatisnotusedtoocommonlybyphotographersistheliveviewfunctionontheircamera.Inmacrophotography,wecanuseLiveViewtohelpustocapturephotosthataresharpandinfocus.MostDSLRcamerasnowadayshaveLiveViewcapabilities.Ifyoudon’tknowwhatitis,LiveViewisthefeaturewhereyoucanusetheLCDdisplayscreenonyourcameraastheviewfinder.Itthereforeprovidesyouwithapreviewofwhatyourcameraisseeing.

Thismacrophotographytechniqueinvolvesenablingliveviewonyourcameraandthenusingthedigitalzoomfeature(usuallydepictedasamagnifyingglassononeoftherearbuttons)onyourcameratozoomintoyoursubjectforacloserinspection.Bydigitallyzoominginontothesubject,youwillbeabletoseewhetheryourimageissharpandinfocusquiteeasily.Youdon’tneedtoleaveittoluckanymore!

Sothenexttimeyoutakeyourphoto,ensureyouturnonliveview,magnifytheimageonthedisplayscreen,manuallyadjustyourfocusandthentaketheshot.

Tip#5–FocusingTechniquetogetSharpPhotosThereisasimplefocusingtechniquethatisveryeffectiveincapturingsharpmacrophotos.Youwillneedto–

SetyourlenstomanualfocusfirstThenyouwillneedtomanuallyfocusthelenssothatyouwillachievethehighestmagnificationApproachyoursubjectandthenslowlymovetowardyoursubjectuntilitisinfocusOnceyouhavedeterminedthepointwhereyoursubjectisinfocus,youcanthenslowlyswaybackandforthtofinetunethefocuspointAsyouaremovingbackandforth,therewillbeaninstancewherethesubjectisinfocus.Whenthisoccurs,triggertheshutterbutton

15.MacroPhotographyTechnique–FocusStacking

ByEricVettling

WhatisFocusStacking?

Image79-FocusStacking(7stack,f16,ISO200)

Focusstackingisatechniquecommonlyusedinmacrophotographytoimprovethedepthoffieldofyoursubjects.Focusstackinginvolvestakingmultiplephotographsofyoursubjectatdifferentfocaldistancesandthencombiningthesephotographsintoasinglephoto.Forexample,whenphotographingabee,threephotoscouldbetaken–thefirstphotofocusedontheheadofthebee,thesecondphotofocusedonthebodyofthebeeandthelastphotofocusedontothebackofthebee.Ifwelookedateachofthephotoindividually,onlyonepartofthebeewouldbeinfocusduetotheshallowdepthoffield.However,throughtheuseofafocusstackingcomputersoftware,thesephotographscanthenbeprocessedandcombinedintooneclear,infocusandverydetailedphotograph.

WhyUseFocusStackinginMacroPhotography?Haveyouevernoticedareasinyourphotosthataresoftandoutoffocus?Thisisoftencausedbyshallowdepthoffieldandisaverycommonoccurrenceinmacrophotography.Thegoodnewsis…Thereisawaytogetaroundthis.Thatisofcoursethroughtheuseoffocusstacking!Byusingthefocusingstackingtechnique,youcannowachievetheinfocusanddetailedphotographthatyouhavebeendreamingof!

BeforeFocusStacking:

Asingleshotofacoinbeforefocusstacking.Noticetheoutoffocusareasonthiscoinasaresultoftheshallowdepthoffield.

Image80-Beforefocusstacking

AfterFocusStacking:

Afterfocusstacking–Thisfinalimageiscreatedfrom22stackedphotos.Noticehowsharpandinfocusthecoinis.

Image81-Afterfocusstacking

Asyoucansee,focusstackingcanbeveryuseful.However,theremaybetimeswhenyoudon’twantatotallyinfocusphotoforcreativereasons.Thechoiceisyours!

Indoorsvs.OutdoorsFocusStackingFocusstackingisatechniquethatcanbeusedindoorsaswellasoutdoors.However,themajorityofphotographerswouldprefertoworkindoorswithinacontrolledenvironmentthatismorepredictable.Mostindoorfocusstackingisdoneinasmallstudio,with‘nonmoving’subjects.

Outdoorfocusstackingrequiresadifferentskillsetandisusuallymorechallengingasyoursubjectmaymoveonyou.Whenusingfocusstackingonsubjectsinanoutdoorsetting,itisrecommendedthatyousetyouraperturehighsothatyoucanachievegreaterdepthoffield.Aftertakingthefirstshotmoveyourbodyeversoslightlyforwardtotakeanotherandifyouarelucky,youmightgettwoorthreeshotsbeforeyoursubjectdisappearsonyou!

Thereisnodoubtthatthiscanbeverydifficultandwillrequirealotofperseverancefromyourend.Morethanoftenyouwillbemetwithfailure…Sopracticeisamust!However,togiveyoumorechanceofsuccess,youmightwanttooptforaverygoodtripod,afocusingrailandaremoteshutterreleaseforflowersandverypatientinsects.

WhatEquipmentIsTypicallyUsedForFocusStacking?

Image82-Anexampleofafocusstackingsetup

CameraandmacrolensAgoodhighendtripodLightTent/Box(todiffuselight)Goodlighting(Iusethreecorkscrew100wattfluorescents,inthreeclamponfixtures.Ifyoudonothaveaccesstoone,youcanuseagoodflashorstrobewithdiffuser.)Astageandaspecimenholder(ifdoingindoorsfocusstacking).Weuseda‘SolderingHelpingHands’inthistutorial.FocusingrailsWiredorremoteshutterreleaseFocusstackingsoftware(recommendationsbelow)

CombineZP(Afreedownload)HeliconFocus(Shareware–Mustbepurchased)ZereneStacker(Shareware–Mustbepurchased)

WhatAreSomeofTheseEquipment?Thereareseveralspecificphotographyequipmentthatwerelistedabovewhichwerenotcoveredunderthemacrophotographyequipmentchapter.Theyincludethefollowing-

1.LightTent/BoxThepurposeofthelighttent/boxistoprovideacontrolledenvironmentwhereyoucanplaceyoursubjectintosothatitcanbelitupbysoft,diffusedandevenlighting.Theselighttents/boxescanbeeasilycreated–oftencheaplyorevenfree(dependingonwhatisaroundinyourhome).CheckoutourDIYsectiontoseehowyoucanmakeyourveryownlightbox.Alternatively,theselighttents/boxescanbepurchasedinvaryingsizes.

2.Stage&SpecimenHolderThestageandspecimenholderisessentiallyatoolthatwillhelpyouholdyoursubjectinplacesothatitcanbephotographed.Thereareanumberoftoolsyoucanuse,butIuseatoolthatiscommonlyusedinsoldering–‘SolderingHelpingHands’.

Image83-Focusstackingandspecimenholdersetup

Focusstackingcanbedonebyanyone(evenbeginners).Afteryoucompleteyourfirstfocusstackphoto,youwillbeamazedbythequalityandsharpness!Afriendlywordofwarning,youmaybesoobsessedbythegoalofwantingtoseeverysmallthingsclearlyandcloseupthatyoumightgotogreatlengthstoachieveit–suchastakingover100photosofthesubjecttofocusstack!

WhatisRequired?CameraandmacrolensAgoodhighendtripodFocusingrailWiredorremoteshutterreleaseGoodlighting(Iusethreecorkscrew100wattfluorescents,inthreeclamponfixtures.Ifyoudonothaveaccesstoone,youcanuseagoodflashorstrobewithdiffuser.)Focusstackingsoftware–IusedCombineZP(Afreedownload)Agoodsolidtable(Foryourlighttent,stageandsubject)Lighttent(Fordiffusinglight)–Youmayoptforaflash,Idon’tuseone.Astageandspecimenholder(Thisisaplacetostageandholdyoursubjectorspecimen)–Iusedatoolcalled‘SolderingHelpingHands’asmystageandspecimenholder.Colorconstructionpaper(Forbackgroundambiance)Crazy/Superglue

Hereishowmymacrophotographyfocusstackingsetuplookslike–

Image84-Myfocusstackingsetup

Ifyoudonothavealighttentorexternallighting,youcouldtrythefollowingbasicbarebonessetup.Thisisagreatwaytostartlearningandproducesverygoodresults!

Image85-Basicfocusstackingsetup

16.HowtoFocusStack(Indoor)TutorialByEricVettling

ForthefollowingtutorialEricwillbeusinganinsectashissubject.

Step-by-StepFocusStackingTutorialStep1.Obtainaninsectofyourchoiceinacontainerandputitina‘killingjar’oruseyourfreezertodothejob.AkillingjarisanyoldjarwithafewcottonballsonthebottomabsorbedwithethylacetatealsoknownasFingernailpolishremover.Coverthecottonballswitharoundcardboarddiskcuttosizesoyourspecimendoesnotbecomeentangledinthecotton.Makesureyourjarhasatightfittinglid.Pleasebeawarethattherehasbeenadecreaseinthebeepopulationthisyearsopleasekeepthisinmindwhenyouarecatchingyournextsubject.

Step2.Afterafewminutes,younowhaveyour‘nonmoving’insectanditisreadyformountingontheendofthinwire,pinorneedle.Putasmalldabofcrazy/superglueontheendofyourneedleandstickyourneedleintoitandallowtimeforgluetoset.Thismaytakesomepracticetogetitright.Afterthegluehasset,yourspecimenisnowreadytobeputintothespecimenholderforstagingandphotographing.

Image86-Focusstackingsetup

Step3.Itisnowtimetomountthefocusingrail,cameraandshutterreleasetothetripodandprepareforthefocusstackingphotoshoot!

Step4.Foryourcamerasettings,IrecommendanISOsettingof100or200tokeepnoiseleveldownandanaperturesettingofaboutf14foryourfirsttry.Oncetheseareset,youcanadjustyourshutterspeedusingyourexposuremeterforproperexposureinthemanualmodeofyourcamera.Ifyourcamerahasit,usethemirrorlockupmodeasthiswillreducevibration.

Step5.Withyourcamera,focusrailandshutterreleasemounted,itistimetogeteverythinglinedupandstraightwithyoursubject.Thistakesabitofpatience,butmustbedone!Onceyougetyoursubjectintoyourviewfinder,lockdownallknobsonyourtripodtoreducemovementandvibration.Now,whilelookingthroughyourviewfinder,carefullyrotateyourfocusrailknobuntilyoucanjuststarttoseetheclosestpartofyoursubjectcomingintofocusandstopthere!

Step6.Wearereadytotakeyourfirstshot!Holdingonlyyourshutterreleaseandnottouchingthecameraortripod,presstheshutterreleaseallthewayandwaitforthemirrortolockupandwaitafewmoresecondsforvibrationstostopandpresstheshutterreleaseoncemore.Youhavejusttakenyourfirstshot!

Now,lightlygraspingthefocusrailknob,rotatetheknobjustaverysmallfractiontothe

nextfocusareaofyoursubjectandrepeattheshot.Repeatthisstepuntilyouhavereachedalltheareasyouwantinfocusandthenstop!HerearesomeexamplesofthephotosthatItook–noticehowdifferentpartsofthewaspisinfocusforeachshot.

Image87-FocusStacking–Photo#1(Frontinfocus)

Image88-FocusStacking–Photo#2(Middleinfocus)

Image89-FocusStacking–Photo#3(Backinfocus)

Image90-FocusStacking–FinalCombinedPhoto

Step7.Takeyourcameraoffthetripodanddownloadyourphotosontoyourcomputer

intotheirownfolder.Nowweneedtoopenourstackingsoftwareandloadourphotosintotheprogrammakingsureweloadtheminthesameorderaswetookthem.Thefirstthingwedoisalignourphotosusingthealignfunctionality.Somefocusstackingsoftwarewillallowyoutochooseaspecificfocusstackingmode.Tryallthedifferentmodestoseewhichoneyouprefermost.

That’sit!Saveyournewfocusstackedphototoafolder.Withpractice,youwilldevelopyourownwaysofdoingthings.Remember,onlythebasicshavebeenshownheretogiveyousomeideahowfocusstackingisdone.Therearemanydifferentwaystodowhatwasshownhere.Themostimportantthingistohavefunandkeeplearning!

TipsandAdviceforBetterStackedPhotosIfyoucan,setupyourstudiointhebasementwithacementfloortoreducevibrationstoyourequipment!Vibrationisyourenemy,andwillmakeyourstackssoft!Forgoodlightpositions,thesamerulesforPortraitphotographyapplyhereIfusingaflashorstrobe,youmaywantalightdiffusertosoftenthelightExperimentwithdifferenttypesoflightingtofindthestylethatbestworksforyouMakesureyourcameraisalignedwithyoursubjectsoyourframingdoesnotchangeasyouadjustyourfocusingrailUseyourmirrorlockupfunctiontoreducevibrationswhentakingaphotoAthigheraperturesettings(eg.f/16),youcangetawaywithaslittleastwophotosforyourstack.ThisisbecauseofalargerfocusareaormoredepthoffieldAtloweraperturesettings,(eg.f/4),youwillrequiremanyphotoswithvery,verysmalladjustmentsofyourfocusingrail.Thisisdueoftheveryshallowdepthoffield.Somephotographerscantakeasmanyas150ormoretoachievetheresultstheywantTrytokeepyourISOlow,100or200,toreducenoiseinyourphotosIfyoukeepyourinsectsinthefreezer,allowthemtimetowarmupandevaporateanymoistureoffofthembeforephotographingUseamagnifyglasstoinspectyourdeadinsectsfordust,dirtandgrimethatmayruinyouphoto!Ifdirtisfound,gentlycleanthemoffwithafinetipartistpaintbrushforamuchbetterqualityimage.

Rememberthatthistechniquecanbeusedonalltypesofsubjects–evenflowers!Sogetoutthereandstartpracticing!

17.PracticalMacroPhotographyTipsandTricks

HowToPhotographInsects/BugsOnceyoudelveintomacrophotographyasahobby,youfindthatitreallyistruethatphotographyisanartform.Whilesomepeoplemaysaythatit’seasytopickupacamera,pointitatyoursubjectandultimatelytotakeagreatmacrophotograph,thoseofuswhohaveputhoursintoourpassionformacrophotographyknowalltoowellthatthere’smoretocapturingamazingimagesinourphotographsthansimplyclickingabutton.Thisisespeciallytrueformacrophotographerswholovetospendtimeshootingnature/wildlifephotographs.Whenyou’redealingwithMotherNature,oranyofhercreatures,youhavetoknowwhatyou’redoing.

Thesecrettophotographinginsectscomesdowntotwothings…Patienceandperseverance.Whenyourphotographysubjectsarebugs,itisnotassimpleasdiallinginthecamerasettingsandtakingtheshot.Asamacrophotographer,youwouldactuallybespendingthemajorityofyourtimesearchingforbugsandchasingthemaround.Itisnotunusualforamacrophotographertotakehundredsofshotsofabugandwalkingawaywithonlyonegoodshot.

Inthissection,weshareanumberofimportanttipswithyoutohelpyoutoovercomesomeofthechallengesthatyouwillexperiencewhenphotographinginsects.

Image91-Photographinginsects

Tip#1-LearnAboutYourPhotographySubjectHere’sacommonscenariothatmanymacrophotographersgothroughonaregularbasis:Thephotographerdecideshewantstoshootsomeup-close-and-personalshotsofaparticularinsect.Heknowsthoseveryinsectsareinhisgarden,asheseesthemeveryday.So,ourphotographerheadsouttothegarden,setsuphisgearandspendstheafternoonfruitlesslytryingtogetsomegoodshotsofhisfavoritebugs.Whatwentwrong?Whyaren’tyouabletoget

thosekillershotsofyourfavoritebug,insectorcreepycrawler?Itusuallyboilsdowntothefactthatmanynewphotographerssimplydon’ttakethetimetoreallygettoknowtheirsubjects.Differentbugs/animalsreactdifferentlytotheverypresenceofahumanbeing.Whileabutterflymightgoaboutitsbusinessifyoushootitfromafewfeetaway,tryingtogetveryclosewithyourgearmayverywellscareyoursubject.

Youhavetolearnhowthelivingcreaturesyouplantophotographreacttoyourpresence.Thismeanstakingtimetoreadupontheanimalsorbugsyouwanttophotographandexperimentingwithdifferentdistancestocaptureoptimalshots.Thelastthinganyphotographershoulddoissimplyburstonthesceneandhopethathis/heractionswon’tupsettheverysubjectsthathe/shewishestophotograph.Justlikeyougettoknowyourhumansubjectswhenyoutakefamilyphotographs,youmustputinabitofresearchtimetogettoknowyourfour,sixoreightleggedsubjectstoo.

Sobeforeyouheadoutintothefield,makesureyouinvestsometimetolearnaboutyourmacrophotographysubjects.Spendingafewminutestodosomeresearchoreventakingsometimeouttorememberyourpreviousencounterwiththesubjectwillbeworthwhileasitwillreducealotoffrustrationsforyouinthefuture.

Thetwomainthingsthatyouneedtorememberaboutanyinsectis–

1. Habitat2. Behavior

Image92-Learnallaboutyoursubject

Habitat

Withoutlearningaboutthehabitatofyoursubject,youwillbewastingalotofyourtimesearchingforyoursubjects.Byknowingthepreferredhabitatofyoursubjects,youcanquicklyhoneintoareaswhereyouaremostlikelytofindyoursubjects.Forexample,grasshoppersusuallyhideintallgrassyareasandbutterfliesarefrequentvisitorsofareaswherethereareblossomingflowers.

Bybeingasmartmacrophotographerandlearningaboutyoursubject’shabitat,youwillbeabletospendmoretimefocusingonyoursubjectandphotographyitself!

Behavior

Asamacrophotographer,itisimportantforyoutolearneverythingyoucanaboutthesubjects’behavior.Themovementsandthebehavioroftheinsectscanbequitehardtopredict.So,bylearningaboutthebehaviorofyoursubjects,youcanoftenanticipateandbepreparedfortheirnextmove.

Learningaboutyoursubjectsthroughbooks,websitesoreveninstructionsfromotherphotographersisgood,howeveryoumustspendsometimeobservingyoursubjectsintheirnaturalenvironment.Spendtimeobservingtheirbehaviorandtakenoteofthosetimeswhentheyaremoreactiveversusthetimeswhentheyareabitmorerelaxed.Ifyouwanttocaptureashotofabeelandingonaflower,forexample,youhavetoknowthetimeofthedaythatthebeesaremostlikelytobeoutandforagingaround.Andyoualsoneedtoobservehowlongittakessaidbeetomovefromoneflowertoanother.Byspendingjustabitoftimedoingsomefieldobservation,you’llbebetterpreparedtotakethekindsofphotographsthatyoureallydesirethemost.

Somekeythingsthatyoushouldkeepaneyeoutonare-

Whatdoesthesubjectdowhenyouapproachit?Dotheyrunforcoverandhideunderaleafordotheyjustdropfromtheflowerassoonastheyspotyou?Howclosecanyougettothesubjectbeforetheystartrunning,jumpingorflyingawayDoesthesubjectmoveinastraightlineordoesthesubjecttravelinazig-zagmovement?Dotheyhavethehabitofreturningbacktothesameareaoncetheyfeelsafe?

Tip#2-SneakingUpOnYourPhotographySubjectsWhenitcomestophotographinginsects,patienceisthekey.Wehaveallbeentherebefore…Wespotoursubjectnearbyandasweapproachthesubjecttotakeaphoto,itgetsstartledanditrunsawayorfliesoff.Tryingtogetclosetoyoursubjectcanoftenbefrustrating.Unfortunately,itisjustsomethingthatweallneedtogetusedto.Ithappenstoeveryone,evenprofessionalmacrophotographerswhohavebeeninthegameforaverylongtime.

However,therearesomethingsthatyoucandotogiveyouabetterchanceof

landingtheshot.Togetyoustarted,herearesometipsonsneakinguponyoursubjects.

Getdowntoyoursubject’slevelandbepreparedtogetdirty

Whenyouspotyoursubject,thefirstthingthatyouneedtodoistogetdowntotheirlevel.Ifitisaninsectontheground,theclosertothegroundyouget,thebetter.Asawordofwarning,outdoormacrophotographycangetdirty-soyouwilloftenfindphotographerslayingdownontotheirbellyandcrawlingslowlytowardsthesubject.

Image93-Getdowntoyoursubject’slevel

Nosuddenmovements

Itisimportantthatyoudonotmakeanysuddenmovementsasyouapproachthesubject.Yourapproachshouldbeasslowaspossibleandasquietasyoucanbesothatyoudonotstartleyoursubject.Ifpossible,trytoavoidapproachingthesubjectheadon.Alensinsomeone’sfacewillmakeanyonefeeluncomfortable.Whenthishappenstoasmallinsect,theuneasinessisboundtobeexponentiallyhigher!

StartEarly

Asyousneakuponyoursubject,startsnappingaway.Somepeoplemaydisagreewithus,butinouropinion,thisachievestwothings.Firstly,youwanttostartacclimatisingyoursubjecttoyou.Thisincludesgettingthesubjectusedtothenoiseoftheshutteronyourcameraasyoutakeyourphotos.Andifyouareusingaflashunit,itwillalsohelpthesubjecttogetusedtotheflashoflight.Attheendoftheday,youwantthesubjecttofeelasthoughthenoiseandtheflashesoflightarepartoftheenvironmentthattheyarein.

Theotherreasonwhyweencouragepeopletotakephotosofthesubjectastheysneakclosertotheirsubjectisduetothefactthatthesubjectmaygetscaredoff.Ifthishappens,atleastyouhavecapturedsomephotosofthesubject.Youneverknow,youcouldcroponeofthosephotos.

Tip#3-ShootinColderTemperatures

Theysaythattheearlybirdcatchestheworm.Butdidyouknowthatit’stheearly-risingphotographerwhocapturesthebestphotos?Ifyouarenothavinganyluckinfindingbugsthatare‘cooperative’,youmaywanttotryshootingearlyinthemorningwhenitiscolder.Insectsaregenerallymoresluggish,placidandlessactiveincoldertemperatures.Assuch,youwillhavemorechanceoffindingamore‘cooperative’subjectincolderdays.

Forus,weprefertotakeourphotosearlyinthemorning(beforeitgetswarm)orlaterintheafternoon(whenitstartstocooldown).Wetrytoavoidtakingphotosofoursubjectsinthemiddleofthedayintheblazingheat.Itisjusttoohardtosneakuponinsectsthataretooactive.It’llbetoughtokeepupwiththemorevenfindonethatwillstaystillforyoutotaketheshot.

Thereisanadditionalbenefitofshootingearlyinthemorning-themorningdew!Thebeautifuldewdropscanaddanewdimensiontoyourphotos.Ifyouarelucky,youmayevenfindsomeinsectswithamazingdewdropsontheirfaceandbody!Thiswillmakeastunningphoto!

Image94-Shootearlyinthemorning

Tip#4-WaitForthePerfectMomenttoStrikeSubjectsthataredistractedareusuallyeasiertophotograph.Whenyouareoutinthefield,searchforsubjectsthatarepre-occupiedorifyouhavethepatience,waitforthemtobecomedistracted.Theperfectmomenttostrikeiswhenyoursubjectiseither-

Feeding/EatingMatingIntheprocessoflayingeggs

Additionally,tomakeyourphotostandoutfromtherest,trycapturinginterestingbehaviors.Thiscouldinclude–

Themomentwhentheinsecttakes-off/fliesInsectsthatareinflightThehatchingprocessofaninsect

Matingrituals

Image95-Strikewhenyoursubjectisdistracted

Tip#5–ChoosingtheRightLensForYourSubjectTogiveyourselfabetterchanceoflandingtheperfectshotofyoursubject,itisimportanttousetherightlens.Whenphotographingsubjectsthatmayflyawayandarenotasaccessiblesuchasdragonflies,beesorbutterflies,makesureyouusealongerlens.Thiswillgiveyouabetterchanceofcapturingaphotoofyoursubjectbeforeitnoticesyouandflyaway.

Ontheotherhand,whenphotographingsubjectslikeants,beetlesorcaterpillarsyoucanuseashorterlensbecausethesesubjectsareusuallyfoundinareasthatarequiteaccessible(eg.closetothegroundlevel).Andiftheydecidetoescapefromyou,atleastyoucangivechaseandkeepupwiththem!

Tip#6–Studio-likeBackgroundThereisasimpletechniquethatyoucanusetoisolateyoursubjectfromthebackground.Thistechniquewillallowyoutoachievea‘studio-like’whitebackgroundwhenyouareoutdoors.Itwilllookasthoughyouhaveshotyoursubjectindoorsinacontrolledenvironment(eg.alightbox).Ifthisistheeffectthatyouarelookingtoachieve,youcanplaceawhiteacrylicplexi-glasssheetbehindyoursubjectbeforetakingyourphoto.Ensurethatthisisinawell-litareasothatyoucanachievetheultra-whitebackground.Ifthereisnotenoughlight,youcancomplementthelightingwithaflashunit.Theflashshouldbepositionedsothatitispointingdirectlyintothewhiteacrylicplexi-glasssheet.

Image96-Whitebackgroundtechnique

Tip#7–DetermineYourFocusPointWhenphotographinginsectsandbugs,youwanttodeterminethepartoftheinsectthatwillbeyourfocuspoint.Asamacrophotographer,youwillbeworkinginanenvironmentwherethereisalwaysgoingtobeashallowdepthoffield.Assuch,itisimportanttoensurethatthesharpestareaofyourimageisdedicatedtothepartoftheinsectthatyouarephotographing.Thiswillhelptocreatetensionandassistindrawingtheaudiences’eyeintothatspecificarea.

Someofthebestfocuspointsforinsectsincludethefollowing–

Eyes–Forexample,themanyeyesofajumpingspider

Image97-FocusPoint:TheEyes

Head–Forexample,theheadandantennasofanant

Image98-FocusPoint:TheHead

Wings–Forexample,thepatternsonthewingsofadragonfly

Image99-FocusPoint:TheWings

Legs–Forexample,thebee’skneesthatisfullofnectar

Image100-FocusPoint:TheLegs

Anythingelsethatisuniquetothatspecies–Forexample,theproboscisofabutterfly.Thisisthedrinkingmouthpartofthebutterflythatlookslikeadrinkingstraw.

Image101-FocusPoint:Proboscis

HowtoPhotographFlowers&PlantsOfallthebrilliantandbeautifulphotographysubjectsintheworld,thereisnothingthatcanmatchtheinherentbeautyofflowersinfullbloom.Manyphotographersareneverhappywiththeirmacrophotosofflowers.Thetruthisthatsomepeoplewillstruggleabittoproducehighquality,brilliantandattractivephotosofnature’smostbeautifulsubjects.

Tohelpyoutostarttakingbettermacrophotosofflowers,wearegoingtostartfromthebasics.Asyoumayhavealreadynoticed,wearehugeadvocatesoflearning–thisincludesdevelopingyourknowledgeaboutmacrophotographyaswellaslearningaboutthesubjectsofyourphotography.Attheendoftheday,knowingalittleaboutyoursubjectwillhelptoenrichyourmacrophotographyexperience.

Image102-Photographingflowers

Tip#1–LearnAboutYourPhotographySubjectYoumightthinkthatthisisboringorirrelevanttophotography,however,understandingthedifferentpartsofyourphotographysubjectisgoingtohelpyoutodevelopasenseofthecoreareasthatyoucouldfocusonwhenphotographingflowers.Tohelpyougetstarted,wehavecollatedsomedescriptionsofsomeofthekeyflowerpartsthatyoucouldfocusoninyourphotography.Pleasenotethatthisisnotanexhaustivelist.

Wearenotbotanists,sothisisjustsomeoftheknowledgethatwehavegatheredthroughouttheyears.Wewouldencourageyoutoconductyourownresearchsoyoucanfurtherbuildonthisknowledge.

Image103-Partsofaflower(Credit:MarianaRuiz/Wikipedia)

StamenThestamentypicallyconsistsofastalkcalledthefilamentandananther.Itisthepollenproducingpartoftheplant.Oneinterestingfactthatyoumaynotknowofisthatthenumberofstamenwillequatetothenumberofpetals.

AntherAsmentionedabove,theantherispartofthestamenandproducesandcontainspollen.Dependingonthespeciesofflower,itisusuallyonthetopofalongstalkandwilllooklikefinehairs.

FilamentThisisthefinehair-likestalkthattheanthersitsontopof.

StigmaThisisthefemalepartoftheflower.Itisthestickybulbthatyouseeinthecenteroftheflowers.Thisisactuallywheretheflowerwillreceivepollenatpollination.

StyleThisisthelongstalkthatthestigmasitsontopof.

PetalThepetalsarethebrightandcolorfulpartoftheflower.Theyareresponsibleforattractingpollinators.

SepalThesepalarethegreenleavesthatprotecttheflowerbudbeforeitopens.Thesepalscanstillbeseenaftertheflowerblooms.

Tip#2–ShootwithaUniqueAngleWhenphotographingflowers,tryshootingfromadifferentangle.Ashumans,weareallusedtoseeingflowersfromthetopdownview.Sinceweareusedtoseeingtheflowerfromthisangle,ifyoutakeaphotooftheflowerfromthetopdownview/angle,itisgoingtolookboring.

Tocaptureafascinatingshotofaflower,youneedtocapturetheflowerwithaviewthat

wearenotusedtoseeing.Sowhatyouneedtodoistogetdownlowandtrytogeteye-levelwiththeflower.Onceyouareeye-levelwiththeflowertrysomeofthesedifferentanduniqueangles–

ShootfromBehind

Image104-DifferentAngle:Behind

ShootfromtheSides

Image105-DifferentAngle:Side1

Image106-DifferentAngle:Side2

ShootFrontOn(Up-Close)

Image107–DifferentAngle:FrontOn(UpClose)

ShootUpwards

Tip#3–TheBestTimeforFlowerPhotographyThebesttimeforoutdoorflowerphotography(oranyphotographyasamatteroffact)isonanovercastday.Asyouprobablyknow,whenthesunisoutinallitsglory(eg.Noon),thelightingisextremelyharshandwilllightupyoursubjectverystrongly.Thiscouldcauseyourphototobeoverexposed,therebyresultinginwashedoutcolor.Theharshlightcanalsocastdarkshadowsontoyoursubjectandmayruinyourcompositionofthephoto.

Asaruleofthumb,youshouldalwaysaimtoshootduringsunriseandsunsetondayswhereitisnotanovercast.

Tip#4–Lighting&PositioningWetouchedbrieflyonlightingintheprevioustipandwewantedtoexpandonithere.Ifyouarerelyingonnaturallightingsuchasthesunlight,trytoavoidphotographingyourflowersubjectswherethelightiscomingfromaboveorthefrontofyoursubject.

Whenthelightiscomingfromaboveorfromthefrontofthesubject,yourflowerswillnotlookgreat.Theharshlightwillexposealltheimperfectionsoftheflowerandthecolorwillbewashedout.

Image108-FrontLightingExposesFlawsinYourSubject

Whenfacedwithsuchasituation,youshouldre-positioningyourselfsothatthelightiscomingfromthesideorbehindyoursubject.Byre-positioningyourself,youcancaptureacompletelydifferentphoto.Ifyoudidn’tknow,backlightinghasanamazingeffectonflowers.Thebacklightwilllightupthepetalsandmakethepetalsglow.Whentakingamacroshotoftheflowerpetals,youwillbeabletoseeallthebeautifultextureofthepetalsandtheshadowsfromtheoverlappingpetals.

Image109-BackLightingMakesYourSubjectGlow

Tip#5–TakingSharpPhotosInthelaterchaptersofthebook,wewillbesharingsometipsonhowtoachievesharpphotos.Withoutgoingintotoomuchdetailhere,wewantedtoquicklyhighlightthatyoushouldconsiderthefollowingwhenphotographingflowers–

UseaTripodtominimizecamerashakeUseaRemote/WirelesstriggertotakeyourphotossothatyoudonotneedtopresstheshutterbuttononyourcameraIfyoudonothavearemote/wirelesstriggeryoucaneasilymakeuseoftheonboardcameratimer.Setittotriggertheshutterin5seconds.Whenwefirststartedinphotography,welearntaboutthe‘sweet-spot’rule.This‘sweet-spot’waswherethelenswouldachieveitssharpestimage.Thesimpleruleofthumbisthatthe‘sweet-spot’isusually2-3f-stopsfromyourmaximumlensaperture.Forexample,ifyourlenshasthelargest/maximumf-stopoff/2.8,youwillwanttostepdownyourapertureandshooteitherwithf/5.6orf/8.Ifyouwanttocaptureasmuchdetailaspossible,youwillneedtouseanapertureofatleastf/22.Thedownsidetothisisthatyouwillneedaflashunitorelseitwilllooktoodark.

Image110-Takingsharpphotos

Tip#6–ReduceDistractionsinBackgroundAsyouwouldhavelearntfromthecompositionchapter,youmustalwayscheckthattherearenodistractionsormessinthebackgroundbeforeyoutakeyourshot.Acleanbackgroundiskeytoagreatphoto.Herearesometipsonhowyoucanmakeyourphotolesschaotic.

Iftakingaphotoofaflowerandthereareotherflowersinthebackground,youcansometimesre-positionyourselfsothattheflowerinthebackgroundishiddenbehindyourmainsubject.Useawideaperture(f/2.8)sothatyoucanachieveashallowdepthoffield.Thiswillthenensurethatalltheflowersinthebackgroundwillbeoutoffocusandwillnotbeasobvious.Anexternalflashcanalsobeutilizedalongwithafastshutterspeedtounderexposethebackgroundsothatyouwillachieveacompletelyblackbackground.Trythisforyourself–startwiththefollowingsettings,f/9,ISO100andafastshutterspeedsuchas1/250.Itisafairlycooltrick!Shoottight(zoomedincloseandtightlycrop)youcaneliminatealltheclutteraroundthesurroundingofyoursubject.Thisisextremelygoodforwhenyouwanttophotographpatterns.Whenoutshooting,weusuallycarryalongsomecolorpaperwithus.Weusuallyhaveagreencolorpaperwhichwecanslidebehindthesubject.Thiswillblockoutthedistractionsbehindthesubject.Withawideaperturesetting,youwillnotnoticethatthebackgroundwaspaper!Thiscolorpapercanbeusedquiteeffectively–rememberthechapterwherewetalkedaboutcolorharmony?Makesureyoureadthatsothatyouknowhowtoselecttherelevantcolorstoensurethatyoursubjectpopsout!

Image111-Reducedistractionsinbackground

Tip#7–AlwaysCarryaSprayWaterBottlewithYouOneofthebesttimestophotographflowersisrightaftertherain.Flowerswillhavewaterdropletsalloverthemandyourphotoswilllookamazing.

Unfortunately,itdoesn’t’alwaysrainwhenwewantitto.So,sometimeswejusthavetorelyonthenextbestthing…aspraywaterbottle.Thisisamacrophotographer’sbestfriendandwillallowyoutoartificiallycreateyourownwaterdropletsontoyourflowersubjects.Allyouneedtodoisgiveitacoupleofsquirtsandyouwillsoonnoticethatwaterdropletswillformonthepetals.

Image112-InstantRainonYourSubjects

Therearesomanycreativewaystophotographwaterdropletsonflowersorplants.Oneofthecoolestthingsistophotographtherefractioninsidethewaterdroplet.Thesurroundingsbehindthewaterdropletisrefractedinsidethewaterdroplet.Whatyoucandoisyoucanincludeanotherfloweroranimagebehindthewaterdroplet.Thiswillthencausethebackgroundimagetoberefractedinsidethewaterdroplet.Thephotowilllookuniqueandwillstunallyourfriendsandfamily!Justrememberthattheimagewillappearupsidedownasitisbeingrefracted–soifyouaretryingtorefractabackgroundimage,makesureyouplacethatimageupsidedownsothatitisrefractedtherightsideup.

Image113-Createyourownwaterdroplets

18.WheretoFindMacroPhotographySubjectsWhenThereAreNoneAroundYouIt’salwaysagoodideaformacrophotographerstokeeptheireyesopen.Everywhereyougo,andeverythingyoupassbyinyourday-to-daylifecanserveasinspiration–orevenpotentialsubjects–foryourmacrophotographyendeavors.Fromtheflowersthatyoupassbyinyourgardentotheboxfullofscrewsonyourworkbench,therearemacrophotographysubjectseverywherethatyoulook.

Thesecrettonoticingthesethingsandthentakingmemorablemacrophotographsofthemissimplytobeaware.Don’twalkaroundinahaze,ignoringallthepotentialitemsthatcouldverywellserveassubjectsforsomeunforgettablemacrophotographs.

Sometimes,thebestplacesformacrophotographyisaroundthehouseandoutsideinyourgarden.Thisisactuallyquitecommonformostmacrophotographers!However,soonerthanlateryoumayjustrunoutofnewmacrosubjectstophotographoryoumayliveinanapartmentorinanareathatisfarfromanyplantsandinsects.Soifthiseverhappenstoyou,thenherearesomeactivitiesandplacesforyoutoconsider–

SuggestionsbyAnnetteOsborn-

ButterflyConservatoryAbutterflyconservatoryisjustwhatyoumightthink.ItisusuallyalargegreenhousetypebuildingthatislicensedbytheDepartmentofEnvironmentalConservationtokeepandbreedrareandexoticbutterflies.Theyareoftenattachedtobotanicalgardensorzoos.Notonlydothesefacilitieshouseallmannerofbutterfliesbuttheyalsocontainthebutterfly’s’foodsourcesofexoticflowers,succulents,andorchids,justtonameafew.Abutterflyconservatoryisa“nobrainer”ofmacrophotographyopportunities.

Image114–Butterflyconservatory

ZoosOfcoursephotographyatzoosisastandardofpracticeforeveryphotographer,amateurandprofessional.Themacrophotographercanalsofindareasofeveryzoothataretreasuretrovesofmacrophotographyopportunities.Manyzooshaverainforestexhibitswithexoticflowers,andyes,bugs,thatareeasilyaccessibletothemacrophotographer.Mostzoosalsohaveextensivegardensbetweenexhibitsthatofferawealthofmacrophotographypossibilitiesatalltimesofyear.Thereissomuchtoseeandshootinazoothatyoureallyhaveendlessopportunitiesifyouuseyourimagination.Ihavealsofoundthatzoosoftenhavepettingzoosforfamiliesthatallowyoutogetupcloseandpersonalwithsomeoftheanimals.Ifyouarepreparedforalittlegoatspitonyourequipment,youmightgetalovelymacroshotofagoat’sfunkyeyeballforyourportfolio.

Image115-Goat’seyeball

Hands-On,Children’sorScienceMuseumsOfcoursethefineartmuseumsthatweallthinkabout;withelegantlydressedvisitorswalkingslowlypastropedoffexhibitsandmakingquietexclamationsof“howmarvelous”and“ohmyjuststunning”,probablydon’tofferagreatwealthofshootingopportunitiesforthemacrophotographer.However,the“Handson”orChildren’smuseumsofferunendingchances.Thereisnothingquietoraristocraticabouttheseplaces.Kidsrunninghitherandyonandmakingasmuchnoiseaspossiblearetrademarksofthesemacrorichenvironments.Peopleareencouragedtomanipulateandexploreintheseinstitutions.Sand,feathers,fossils,minerals,crystals,textiles,water,(andotherliquids),rocks,andjustaboutanyothermaterialsthatcanbemanipulatedbylittlehandstostimulatelittlebrainscanbefoundhere.Ifyoudon’thavechildrentotaketotheseplaces,borrowafriend’skids.

Image116-Hands-onsciencemuseums

SuggestionsbySeeinginMacro-

BotanicalGardensBotanicalgardensareoneofthebestplacesformacrophotography.Thepicturesquegardenshaveadiversecollectionofplantsandflowerstosatisfyyourflowermacrophotographyhungerandaddiction.Withplantsandflowers,willalsocomethebugs.Forphotographerswhodonothaveaccesstoahomegarden,thisisadreamcometrue.Youwillbeabletogetupclosetoyourphotographysubjectstocapturetheperfectmacrophoto.

Image117-Plants,flowersandinsects

WalkingPhotoTourAnoutdoorwalkingphototourprovidesanabundanceofopportunitiestogetcloseupwithalltypesofflowers,plantsandinsects.Moreimportantly,itprovidesyouwiththeopportunitytodiscuss,learnandshareyourpassionwithothermacrophotographers.Anoutdoorwalkingphototourisaguidedtourandistypicallyorganizedbypeoplewhoareextremelypassionateabouttheirspecialization–thismayincludeexpertsinplants,flowers,insectsandphotography.

Whilethesewalkingphototoursprovideyoutheopportunitiestosnaptheperfectmacrophoto,alargepartofitisalsoforyoutolearnmoreaboutthesubjectsofyourphotography.Thesewalkingphototoursareguidedbyknowledgeablepeoplewhowillsharearangeoftopicswithyou.Thismayincludeprovidingyouwiththefactsandhistoryofyourphotographysubjects.Forus,thefunpartwaslearninghowtoidentifyourphotographysubjects.Wefindthatitisextremelyrewardingwhenyouareabletoidentifyandtalktoothersaboutthesubjectsofyourmacrophotography.

Sincewalkingphototoursareusuallyquitehandson,itisoneofthebestwaystolearnaboutmacrophotography.AsBenjaminFranklinoncefamouslysaid,“TellmeandIwillforget,teachmeandImayremember,involvemeandIlearn”…

Image118-Photowalkscanbeeducationalandfun!

InTheHouse-KitchenMacrophotographyhasfastbecomeassociatedtoinsects,plantsandflowers.Formanypeople,thekitchenwouldbethelastplacetheywouldconsiderfortheirnextmacrophotographyproject.However,therearemanyinterestingmacrophotographysubjectsthatcanbefoundinthekitchen.

Herearesomesuggestions-

Lookatwhat’sonthekitchenbench/tableYoucanfinduniqueobjectsaroundthekitchenbench/table.Startbysearchingforinterestingbottles(eg.oilbottles,balsamicvinegarbottles,etc).Whentakingmacrophotosofthebottles,remembertoshootitfromauniqueview–onewhichthehumaneyesarenottypicallyusedtoseeing.Thiswilladdanotherdimensiontoyourphotos.

Image119-Lookaroundkitchenbench

Tryphotographingsomefruitsthatyouhavearoundthekitchennext.Ifyouhavenevertrieditbefore,wehighlyrecommendyoutotryslicingthefruitupandtakingacloseupphotooftheslicedfruit.Throughthisphotoyouwillbeabletoexposeallthedetailedtexturesandpatternswithinthefruit.

Image120-Slicedfruit

LookinthedrawersandcupboardsInyourdrawers,youwillbeabletofindsomekitchenutensilstocreateabeautifulphotocomposition.Considerusingtheforksorspoonsinthedrawersandtakingamacroshotof

these.

Image121-Lookinthedrawers

Alternatively,lookforinterestingcupsorbowlsthatyoumayhaveinthecupboards.Youmaywishtolookforbowlsorcupsthathaveuniquecolorsorshapes.

Oneuniquekitchenutensilthatyoucanusetotakesomeincrediblemacroshotsisthekitchengrater/shredder.Placeagraterontopofacolorfulmaterialorpapersothatitreflectsthecolorofthematerial.Youcanthentakeamacrophotoofthecolorreflectionsonthebumpsonthegrater.

Image122-Abstractimageongrater

LookinthefridgeFridgesprovidemanycloseupphotographyopportunities.Lookforthingssuchascansofsoftdrinks/beerandvegetables.Remembertodribblesomewaterontothecansorthevegetabletogiveitthatperceptionof‘freshness’.Vegetablesaresometimesquiteinterestingtoshoot–especiallytheoneswithmesmerizingpatterns.Ifyouhavearomancauliflowerorbroccoliinyourfridge,thenyouwillbeamazedbythemacrophotosthatyoucanshootwiththisvegetable!

Image123-Lookinthefridge

19.HowtoMakeYourGardenaMacroPhotographySubjectMagnetWhenyoumaketheleaptobecomeamacrophotographer,youwillfindthatyou’realmostalwaysontheprowltofindsubjectsforyourphotoshoots.Andifyouliketocapturebugsandotherwildlifeduringsaidshoots,you’llmorethanlikelyspendafairamountoftimescoutingoutthebestlocationsinyourareatofindyoursubjects.Butwhatifyoucouldmakeiteasieronyourselfandactuallyattractmoremacrophotographysubjectstoyourproperty?Well,that’swhatwe’regoingtotalkaboutinthischapter:Howtomakeyourgardenavirtualmagnetthatattractsbeautifulcreepycrawliesforyourmacrophotographyshoots.

Likeus,you’reprobablylivingaveryfullandbusylife.It’sjustnotalwayspossibletorunouttothelocalparkorcommunitygardentofindgoodsubjectsforyourphotographs.Whenyoufollowtheadviceinthischapter,youshouldfindthatyoualmostalwayshaveplentyofsubjectsforyourphotographsthatareascloseasyourownbackyard.

HowtoAttractButterflies

Image124-Howtoattractbutterflies

Butterfliesarealwaysafavoritesubjectofwildlifemacrophotographers.Theresimplyaren’tanyothercreaturesinthewildthatareasbeautifulandgracefulasbutterflies.Itonlymakessense,then,thatyou’dwanttoincludesomeplantsinyourgardentomakeitamorehospitableenvironmentforthesedazzlingcreatures.Ideally,yourgardenshouldincludeawidevarietyofplants,flowersandevenwildgrassestoattractbutterflies.Byincludingavarietyofflorainyourgarden,youmakeithospitableandinhabitableforbothadultbutterfliesandthosethatareinthelarvaestage.

Herearesomeplantsyoumaywanttoplantinyourgardentoattractmorebutterflies:

ServiceberrybushesThesebushesareverygoodforcaterpillars.Ifyouwantbutterfliesinyourgardenthroughoutthewarmweathermonths,includeafewserviceberrybushes.

ButterflybushesWiththenamealone,youcantellthisisoneofthebestplantstohavearoundifyouwanttoattractbutterflies.Mostnurserieskeeptheseplantsinstockandyoucanpickupgoodsizedbutterflybushesataveryreasonableprice.Thesebushesattractawidearrayofbutterflyspecies,sotrytoincludeafewoftheminyourgarden.

DogwoodtreesThesesmalltreesareveryattractiveandtheyaregreatforbothcaterpillarsandbutterflies.Thinkaboutmakingadogwoodtreethecenterofyourgarden,andyou’llalmostcertainlyhaveplentyofcolorfulbutterfliesonhandforyour

photoshoots.

HowtoAttractOtherInterestingInsectsHerearesomeotherplantsthatyoumaywanttoconsidertoattractotherinsectstoyourgarden/yard:

CornflowersThesebrilliant,blueflowersreleasealotofnectar.Thismeansthatifyouplantsomecornflowersinyouryard,youcanexpecttogetvisitsfromlotsofbutterflies,wasps,beesandevenladybugs.Theseflowersareeasytocareforandputoutnectarevenwhentheyarenotinfullbloom.

FennelThisheartyplantisveryeasytofindinmostnurseriesandavailableinseveralcolors.Thebestthingaboutfennelisthattheyattractawidevarietyofbeneficialandinterestinginsects.Beesandbutterfliesareespeciallyfondoffennel,soaddsometoyourgardenassoonasyougetachance.

Sunflowers

Image125-Sunflowers

Ifyoulikeyourflowersonthelargeside,youcan’tresistplantingsunflowersinyourgarden.Andyouknowwhat?Beesabsolutelycan’tresistsunflowerseither.Andwiththelargesizeoftheseflowers,theymaketheperfectbackgroundforyourbeephotos.

Wehopethatyouarefeelinginspiredtogetouttothegardenandplantsomeoftheflowersandshrubsthatwementionedinthischapter.Itreallyisamazingtowatchyourgardencometolifewithallsortsofamazingcritterswhenyouincludesomeoftheplants.Nowisthetimetogettowork.Happygardeningandevenhappierphotographysessionstoyou!

20.UniqueMacroPhotographyIdeas&Tutorials

PhotographingBubblesTutorial

Image126-Photographingbubbles

Bubblephotographyisasuperfunprojectthatcanbeperformedindoorsoroutdoors.However,werecommendthatyoudoitoutdoorsasitcangetfairlymessywhenyouarelostinyourlittleworldblowingandchasingbubbles!

Thiswillusuallyprovideyouwithanexcusetoheadoutdoors,enjoythesunandmostimportantlyhavesomefun!Blowingbubblesisfunforbothadults(forthosewhoadmitit)andchildren,sothisisagreatopportunitytoalsoinvolvetheyoungeronesinthefamily.

WhatIsRequired?Pre-madesolution:

Bottleofsoapbubblesolution–thiscanbefoundatanystoresinthekids/toyssection.Thisshouldcomewithitsveryownwand.Afewdropsofthesecretingredient-Glycerin.ThisisasweetsyrupusedcommonlyasasweetenerandcanbepurchasedatWalmartorevenonlineonAmazon.

Home-madesolution:

1cupwater2tablespoonsofthesecretingredient-Glycerin4tablespoonsofdishwashingliquid1pipecleanertoformthewand.Thisisjustaveryflexibleandbendablepieceofmetal.

SomeTipsBeforeYouStartPhotographingbubblesisnotrocketscience–everyoneincludingbeginnerscanlearnhowtotakegreatshotsofbubbles!Beforewegetintothetutorialsteps,herearesomequickphotographytipstohelpyougetstartedwithbubblephotography–

Bubblephotographyisallabouthavinggoodlightingconditions.Ideallyshootduringtheearlymorningsorrightbeforedusk.Thenaturalmorningsunshinedoesagoodjobatlightingthebubbles.Thesunshinerightbeforeduskprovidesdarkerbackgroundswhichwillbringoutthecolorsofthebubbles.

Ensureyoutakephotosofyourbubbleagainstadarkerbackgroundtobringouttheswirlycolorsofthebubble.Chooseadaythat’snotaswindyasthiswillallowyoutoblowbiggerbubbles.Trytoavoiddryandhotdaysasyourbubbleswillpopquicker.Trydifferentmixupsofyourbubblesolutionasthismayaffecthowbigorlongthebubblelastsfor.Addingglycerintoyourbubblesoapsolutionwillhelpittogetstrongerandlastlonger.Regardlessoftheshapeofyourwand,thebubblewillalwayscomeoutROUND.

Image127-Bubbles

WhatCameraSettingsShouldIUse?Unfortunatelythereisnogoldencamerasettingforeverybubblephotographyproject.Thesettingwillbedependentonthelensusedandtheamountoflightthereiswhenyouareshooting.

However,asastart,wesuggestusingthebelowsettings.Youwillneedtoadjustitaccordinglytoobtaintheoutcome/exposureyouareafter-

Aperture:f5.6(Youwilltypicallyfindthatthereflectionsonthebubblewillbestrongerifyouusesmalleraperturessuchasf9.0)ShutterSpeed:1/200secISO:200-400(somecamerasatISOsettingof400willbequitenoisy/grainysomakesureyoucheckthepreviewonyourcameratoseeifitisacceptablefirst)Itwillbesomewhatofanexperimentandyoumayneedtodothisbytrialanderror,butifyourphotoislookingblurryyoucaneitheropenupyouraperturetoletmorelightin.Ifitisstillblurry,youcouldincreaseyourshutterspeedandthencompensatebyincreasingyourISO.

TutorialSteps1. Forthehome-madesolution,firstcreateyourbubblesoapsolutionbyaddingwater,

dishwashingliquidandglycerintogether.Forthepre-madesolutionoption,addafewdropsofglycerinintoyourpre-madebubblesoapsolution.Addingglycerintothesolutionwillhelpthebubbletolastslonger.

2. Mixwell.3. Forthehome-madeoption,youwillwanttobendyourpipecleanertoformaround

wandatthetop.4. Dipyourwandintothesolutionandstartblowing!5. Grabyourcameraandstartcomposingyournextmasterpiece!Rememberthe

photographytipsfromabove.

CreativeIdeastoTryYoucannevergetboredwithphotographingbubbles.Therearejustsomanydifferentthingsyoucandowithbubbles.Trythefollowingcreativeideas-

Trycomposingyourshotwithareflectiononabubble.Trycomposingyourshotwithitrestingontheground/grass.Trycapturingthemomentwhenthebubblepops.Tryblowingbubblesinsidebubbles.Infreezingconditionsduringwinter,trylettingthebubblefreeze.Youwillbewowedbythetexturethatthiscreates.

AbstractOilandWaterIdeaTutorial

Image128-Abstractoilandwater

Shootingabstractphotosofoilinwaterisaverysimpleprojectandcanbedonebybeginners.Thisistheperfectindoorprojectforthoserainydays.Itdoesnotrequiremuchsetupandthegreatthingwiththismacrophotographyprojectisthatalltheequipmentcanbefoundinyourhouse.

Whatisrequired?Camera+Lens(MacrooraZoom–weuseda105mmNikonMacroLens)TripodCoffeetablewithglasstop*Lighting/TablelampGlassdish(shallow)AjugofwaterCookingoilAfewA4colorpapersORcolorfulmaterial(eg.Handtowel,tablecloth,etc)

*Ifyoudonothaveaglasstopcoffeetable,youcanremovethepieceofglassfromaphotoframe.Youcanthenpropupthecornersofthepieceofglasswithbooks/cans/anythingyoucanfind.Youcouldtrystacking2cansforeachcorner.

Oursetuplookedabitlikethis-

Image129-Basicsetup

WhatCameraSettingsShouldIUse?Forthesekindofshots,wetypicallyshootinApertureprioritymode.Sinceyouwanttoachieveablurry/outoffocusbackground,youwouldchooseafairlywideaperture.Startwiththewidestapertureyourlensallowyoutogoto.Forexample

f/2.8.Aswehaveplentyoflightinginthissituation,ensurethatyourISOisaslowasyoucango.ForexampleISO100.Thiswillensurethatthereisminimalnoiseinyourphoto.

TutorialSteps1. Cleanglass/pyrexdishandwipedry2. CleantheglassonthecoffeetableandwipedryOR3. Ifyouareusingthepieceofglassfromaphotoframe,cleantheglassandthenprop

eachcorneroftheglasspiecewithafewbooksorcans4. Placetheglassdishontheglasstopofthecoffeetable/proppeduppieceofglass5. PlacetheA4colorpapersORcolorfulpatternmaterialundertheglasstopofthecoffee

table/pieceofglass.Thiswillactasthebackgroundforyourphotos6. Placethelighting/tablelampundertheglasstopofthecoffeetable/proppeduppiece

ofglass.Turnonthelight.Thisisshouldnowlightupthebackgroundmaterialthatyouhaveselected

7. Setuptripodoverthetopoftheglassdish8. Mountcameraontothetripodandcheckthatyoucanseetheglassdishandthe

selectedbackground9. Pourashallowlayerofwaterintotheglassdish10. Addatablespoonorafewdropsofcookingoilintothedish11. Disturbthecookingoiluntildesiredeffect12. Waitforthewaterandoiltosettle13. Aimandshootonyourcamera.Ensureyoutakethephotowitharemoteoratimerto

reducecamerashake.

BubblesandWaterTutorial

Image130-Bubblesandwater(Tsunamiwave)

ShootingbubblesinwaterisverysimilartotheOilinWaterprojectthatwesharedearlier.Itisveryeasytoproduceandyoucanachieveverybeautifulandmindnumbingpatterns.Thisisaveryfunprojectanddoesnotrequiremuchsetupsoitcandefinitelybedonebyabeginneroranadvancedphotographer.Asalways,alltheequipmentthatyouneedforthisprojectcanbefoundinyourhousesohappyhunting!

WhatisRequired?1. Camera+Lens(MacrooraZoom–weuseda105mmNikonMacroLens)2. Tripod3. Coffeetablewithglasstop*4. Lighting/Tablelamp5. Glassdish(shallow)6. Dishwashingliquid(Detergent)/SoapLiquid7. Ajugofwater8. Drinkingstraw9. AfewA4colorpapersORcolorfulmaterial(eg.Handtowel,tablecloth,etc)–We

actuallyusedadishdryingclothforthisproject(itwasorange,blueandyellowincolor).

*Ifyoudonothaveaglasstopcoffeetable,youcanremovethepieceofglassfromaphotoframe.Youcanthenpropupthecornersofthepieceofglasswithbooks/cans/anythingyoucanfind.Youcouldtrystacking2cansforeachcorner.

Oursetuplookedabitlikethis–

Image131-Basicsetup

WhatCameraSettingsShouldIUse?Forthesekindofshots,wetypicallyshootinApertureprioritymode.Sinceyouwanttoachieveablurry/outoffocusbackground,youwouldchooseafairlywideaperture.Startwithf/5.6Ifyoufindthatthebubblesarenotinfocus,youshoulddialinasmallerapertureeg.f/9.0toincreasethedepthoffield.Aswehaveplentyoflightinginthissituation,ensurethatyourISOisaslowasyoucango.ForexampleISO100.Thiswillensurethatthereisminimalnoiseinyourphoto.

TutorialSteps1. Cleanglassdishandwipedry2. CleantheglassonthecoffeetableandwipedryOR3. Ifyouareusingthepieceofglassfromaphotoframe,cleantheglassandthenprop

eachcorneroftheglasspiecewithafewbooksordrinkcans4. Placetheglassdishontheglasstopofthecoffeetable/proppeduppieceofglass5. PlacetheA4colorpapersORcolorfulpatternmaterialundertheglasstopofthecoffee

table/pieceofglass.Thiswillactasthebackgroundforyourphotos6. Placethelighting/tablelampundertheglasstopofthecoffeetable/proppeduppiece

ofglass.Turnonthelight.Makesurethatthisisnotinthewayofyourshot.Thisisshouldnowlightupthebackgroundmaterialthatyouhaveselected

7. Setuptripodoverthetopoftheglassdish8. Mountcameraontothetripodandcheckthatyoucanseetheglassdishandthe

selectedbackground9. Addashallowlayerofwaterintotheglassdish10. Addafewdropsofdishwashingliquidorsoapliquidintothedish11. Stirthedishwashingliquidorsoapliquidaroundtomixitallin12. Insertstrawintothewaterandblowtocreateyourbubbles.13. Havefun,aimandpresstheshutterbuttononyourcamera.Makesureyouusea

remotetriggeroratimertoreducecamerashake.

CreativeIdeastoTryPlayaroundwithdifferentbubblesizes.Blowharderintothestrawtogetbiggerbubbles.Forsmallerbubbles,blowlightlyintothestrawYoucanre-adjustthesizeofthebubblebypiercingthebubblewithyourstrawandblowingmoreintoitCreatelayersofbubbleswithinbubblesbypiercingthebubbleandblowingintothewateragain.

Image132–Layersofbubbles

BubblingSlicedFruitinWaterTutorial

Image133-Bubblingslicedfruit

Ifyoufollowthistutorial,youareguaranteedtohavealotoffun!Itinvolvestakingagreatcloseupof

WhatisRequired?CameraMacroLensTripod(ifpossible).Ifyoudonothaveatripod,youcantryproppingyourcameraontoaflatsurface.Aspotthatisnicelylitoruseatablelamp.GlassvasethathasaflatsurfaceAbottleofsparklingwaterAfreshlemon-Youwillonlyneedaslice.Makesureyouchooseonethat’sfleshy!ClotheslinepegBackgroundcolor/patternpaperormaterial

Oursetuplookedlikethis–

Image134-TheSetup

WhatCameraSettingsShouldIUse?WetypicallyshootinApertureprioritymode.

Giventhatyouhavegoodlightingandyouwantasharpimage,startwithanapertureoff/9.0.Dependingonthelightagain,youmayhavetoadjustyourISOtosuitaccordingly.WewillstartwithISO200.

TutorialSteps1. Cleanglassvaseandwipedry2. Addbackgroundcolor/patternpaperbehindthevase.3. Cutasliceoflemonandusetheclotheslinepegtoholdthelemonsliceinplace

againsttheinsidesurfaceoftheglassvase

Image135-PeggingtheLemonSlicetoTopofVase

4. Addsparklingwateruntilthesliceoflemoniscovered.Ifthereisnotenoughbubbles,addasmallteaspoonofbicarbonatesodatothewater.It’llmakeitfizzandyou’llhaveplentyofbubblesthen!

5. Setupyourcameraandtripodinfrontofthevase6. Ifthereisnotenoughlight,setupyourlightunitaswell.Wefindthatthelightfroma

tablelampissufficient.Setthelighttopointtowardsthevasefromthesidetowardsthebackgroundpaper.Youmayneedtomovethelightaroundandexperimentwithdifferentdirectionssothatyoucanachievetheexposurethatyouareafter.

7. Focusyourcameraontoyourlemonsliceandtaketheshot!

Image136-LemonSliceShot1

Image137-LemonSliceShot2(WithGreenBackground)

CreativeIdeastoTryTrydifferentslicesoffruiteg.Orange,lime,etc

InkInWaterTutorialInkphotographyisanothereasyprojectandyouwillhavealotoffuntryingitout.Notwophotoswillbethesameandyouwillbeamazedbyyourphotos.

WhatIsRequired?Clearglassvase–IdeallyonewithaflatsurfaceratherthanroundedWaterInk(differentcolors)/FoodcoloringEyeDropperWhiteA4paperGoodlighting/WirelessflashCameraTripod

Oursetuplookedlikethis–

Image138-TheSetup

WhatCameraSettingsShouldIUse?WetypicallyshootinApertureprioritymode.Wefoundthatit’sbesttouseasmallerapertureasyouwantalltheinktobeinfocus.Sostartoffwithf/9.0Dependingonthelightingthatyouhave,youmayhavetoadjustyourISO.WewouldsuggesttostartwithISO200.WedisabledtheAutoFocusfeatureonthelensforthisproject.Youcankeepitonifyouchooseto,butsometimesyoumayfindthatthelenswillfocusonthevaseratherthantheink.Manuallyfocusingwillgiveyoumorecontrol.Youwillfindthatyouwon’thavemuchtimetomessaroundwithcamerasettingsorthepositionofthecamerawhentheinkentersthewater.Thepatternisconstantlychangingandifyouarewantingaspecificshot,youwillmostlikelymissitifyouarenotpayingattentiontoit.

TutorialSteps1. Cleanglassvaseandwipedry2. Fillglassvasewithwater.Fillitwithwateruntilitis¾full3. Placetheglassvaseinawell-litplaceOR4. Ifyouarenotinawell-litplace,youshoulduseanadditionallightingunittolightup

theglassvase.Youwillhavetoexperimentandplayaroundwiththedirectionofthe

light.Weusuallyhavethelightshiningthroughtheglassthroughthesideofthevase.5. PlacethewhiteA4paperbehindthevase.Thisistohelpyouachieveawhite

backgroundwhenyoutakeyourphoto.Wehadthevasenexttoawhitewallwithaflashlightingthebackgroundinstead.

6. Setupyourcameraandtripodinfrontofthevase7. Ifshootinginmanualfocusmode,youshouldsetyourfocusbeforeyoustart.Agood

waytosetyourfocusistodipapencilintothemiddleofthevase.Thenmanuallyadjustyourfocusonyourcameratoensurethatthepencilisinfocus.Removethepencilwhenyouaredone.Rememberthespotwherethepencilwasasthiswillbethespotthatyouwillneedtodropyourink/foodcoloring.

Image139-SetFocus

8. Getyoureyedropperandsuckinsomeinkorfoodcoloring.Youdonotneedthatmuch-oneortwodropswillbemorethansufficient.

9. Releaseadropofink/coloringintothewaterinthevase.10. Startsnappingawayorwaitforaninterestingpatterntoform!Remembertousea

remotetotriggerthecameratoreducecamerashake.

Image140-InkPhotography

CreativeIdeastoTry

TryusingwithdifferentcolorsorevenusingtwocolorsatthesametimeTryusingwithmoreinkorfoodcoloringtocreateacurtainofink/foodcoloring.Usedifferenttypesofsolution–PaintmakesreallygreattexturesandlookverydifferentIfadventurous,youcanalsoaddalightinggelinfrontofaflash.Theseareinexpensiveplasticsheetsthatcomesindifferentcolors.Byfiringoffaflashwiththeselightinggels,itcanaddadifferentcolortothebackgroundorcreateacompletelydifferentatmosphereandphoto.

DewDropsonSpiderWebTutorial

Image141-Dewdropsonspiderweb

Spiderwebsaregreatmacrophotographysubjects.Whatweloveaboutspiderwebsisthattheylookevenmorestunningafterarainyday.Thewaterdropsonthespiderwebusuallyaddsanewdimensiontoyourmacrophoto!Ifthere’snowaterdroplets,youcanalwayscheatalittleanduseaspraybottletocreateyourveryown.

WhatIsRequired?CameraandmacrolensTripodRemotetrigger/CablereleaseSpraybottlewithwater

WhatCameraSettingsShouldIUse?WetypicallyshootinApertureprioritymode.Thecamerasettingswillbedependentontheamountoflightinthearea.Our‘homesetting’thatwealwaysstartoffwitharef/9.0andISO200.Makesureyoucheckontheshutterspeedasyoudon’twantthistodropbelow1/focallengthofyourlens.Forexampleifyouareshootingat100mm,youwanttoensurethatyourshutterspeedisfasterthan1/100s.Wewilltakeanumberoftestshotsandadjustthesettingsaccordingly.Ifitistoodark,thenwecouldopenuptheapertureorincreasetheISO.

TutorialSteps1. Locateaspiderwebafterarainyday2. Iftherenowaterdropletsonthespiderweb,thenusethespraybottletospraysome

waterdropletsontothespiderweb.3. Setupcameraandtripodinfrontofthespiderweb.Becarefulnottodisturborbreak

thespiderweb.Ensurethatyouarepositionedsothatyouareparalleltothespiderweb.Thisistoensurethattheareathatisbeingphotographedwillbeinfocus.Otherwiseyouwillfindthatsomeareasofyourspiderwebwillbeinfocusandothersareaswillnotbeasaresultofthedepthoffield.

4. Manuallyfocusuntilthespiderwebisinfocus.YoucanalsousetheLiveViewtechniquetohelpyoutofocus.

5. Youcanchoosetointroduceabackgroundtoyourcobweb.Thiscouldincludecolorpaperorevenholdingaleafbehindthespiderweb.

6. Takeyourphotowithyourremoteshutter,timerorreleasecableandenjoythestunningphoto!

WaterDropPhotographyTutorialWaterdropsphotographyisanotherfunandinterestingprojectthatyoucantryinthecomfortofyourownhome.Waterdropsphotographyisabouttakingaphotoofthesplashcausedbyawaterdropletfallingintowater.Itsoundseasybutitsometimesboilsdowntotherighttimingandluck.Whatwelikeaboutthisprojectisthatitgivesyouthehandsonexperiencingonhowyoucanfreezethemotionofthewater.Moreimportantly,itgivesyoutheopportunitytolearnmoreaboutyourcameraandtoplayaroundwiththesettingsonyourcamera.

WhatIsRequired?Containerforwater–Painttray(Adarkcolorpreferredeg.black–youwanttoavoidcontainersthatwillallowlightthroughthesidesasthiswillresultinunevenlighting)Colororpatternpaper(tobereflectedontothewater)Smallplasticbagfilledwithwatertocreatethedrippingdrops(Alternativelyyoucanmanuallycreateyourdropswithaneyedropper)WirelessOff-Cameraflash(AlternativelyyoucanhavesomeoneassistingyouandmanuallytriggeringyourflashunitORifyoudonothaveaflash,youcouldusealightsourcepointingtowardsyourbackground)AsmallplasticbagtocoveryourflashunittoprotectitfromthewaterTripodTheholderfortheplasticbagaboveyourwatertray(Wejustusedtheclothesdryingrack)Towel(Justincasewatergetsontoyourflash/camera!)PenNeedletopokeaholeintheplasticbag

Oursetuplookedlikethis–

Image142-TheSetup

WhatCameraSettingsDoIUse?

Thesearesomeoftheinitialsettingsthatyoushoulduse.Youmayneedtoadjustittofityoursituation/setup.Forexample,ifyourphotoistoodark,youmaywishtoadjustthepowerofyourflash,oropenupyourapertureorincreaseyourISO.

Camera

ManualmodeManualfocusAperture–f/8.0Shutterspeed–1/250sorfasterISO200

Flash

Power–1/16or1/32

TutorialSteps1. Fillthecontainerwithwater2. Fillthesmallplasticbagwithwaterandhangabovethecontainerofwater.Wehanged

thebagofwateronaclothesdryingrackabovethepainttray.3. Tapeyourcolorbackgroundpaperbehindthewatercontainer.Youwillwantthistobe

angledtowardsthewaterinyourcontainerifpossible.4. Setupyourcameraandtripod5. Pokeatinyholeintothesmallplasticbagtostartyourwaterdrips6. Toensureyougettherightfocus–Placeapenintothewaterwherethedripsare

fallinganduseautofocustofocusontothepen(ormanuallyfocusityourself).Thiswillhelpyouachievethecorrectfocus.Turnyourfocustomanualfocusoncethishasbeencompleted.

Image143-SetFocusPoint

7. Positionyourwirelessoff-cameraflashtowardsthecolorbackgroundpaper.Theflashlightshouldbounceoffthebackgroundpaperandontothewater.Thiswillgeneratethereflection.Abetterreflectionisachievedwhenwehandholdtheflashunitatthetopandinfrontofthebackground.Youwanttoangletheflashdownwardsintothebackgroundpaper.Additionally,youwanttoreducetheamountoflightingintheroom–weshootinafairlydimlitroomsothatwegetbetterreflectionsandavoidanyroguelightreflections.

8. Bepatientandasthewaterdrips,startsnapping!Youwillneedtoworkonyourtimingandgetintoarhythmwhenshootingthesewaterdroplets.

Image144-WaterDropletFrozeninTime

CreativeIdeastoTryTryusingdifferentbackgroundstoachieveinterestingreflectionsTryaddingcolordyetothewaterTrydrippingothertypesofliquidsuchasmilk,coloredmilk,etcTryusingtwowaterdropperstoachievedifferentpatternofsplashesManyphotographersalsouseamachinetocreatewaterdropletcollisions.

AbstractReflectionsinWaterDropletsTutorial

Image145-Abstractreflections

Thisisafunmacrophotographyideathatinvolvesphotographingabstractreflectionsinwaterdroplets.Wehopethatitwillbeafairlyeasytutorialforyoutofollow.Thissimpleprojectwillrequireyoutobecreative!

WhatIsRequired?Camera+Lens(Weuseda105mmmacrolens)TripodCoffeetablewithglasstop*Lighting/TablelampAglassofwaterAmaterial/cloth/paperwithsomenicepatternsonitasbackground(Weweresomewhatinspiredbythenew‘Superman’moviesowefoundanold‘Superman’t-shirt.).Thisistheimagethatyouwantinyourwaterdroplet.RainX&cloth–RainXiscommonlyuseonyourcarwindscreenstorepelwater.Thisisthesecretingredienttoachieveniceroundwaterdroplets.Waterdropperpipette/eyedropper

*Ifyoudonothaveaglasstopcoffeetable,youcanremovethepieceofglassfromaphotoframe.Youcanthenpropupthecornersofthepieceofglasswithbooks/cans/anythingyoucanfind.Youcouldtrystacking2cansforeachcorner.

Oursetuplookedabitlikethis–

Image146-Basicsetup

WhatCameraSettingstoUseInthesecontrolledenvironment,weshootinApertureprioritymode.Dependingontheamountoflightingthatyouhave,youwillneedtoexperimentwithyourapertureandISOsettingstoachieveacorrectexposure.Startwithf/5.6andthentakeatestshottoseeiftheimageisbrightenough.Ifitisnot,youwillneedtoopenupyourapertureorincreaseISO.StartwithISO200.

TutorialSteps1. CleantheglassonthecoffeetableandwipedryOR2. Ifyouareusingthepieceofglassfromaphotoframe,cleantheglassandthenprop

eachcorneroftheglasspiecewithafewbooksorcans3. Placeyourbackgroundimageundertheglasstopofthecoffeetable/pieceofglass.

Thiswillactasthebackgroundandthereflectedimageforyourphoto.Rememberthatyouwillneedtoplaceyourbackgroundimageupsidedown.Whentheimageisreflectedbythewaterdroplets,itwillalwaysbeinverted.Soforoursupermanbackground,weplacedhimupsidedown.Oncereflectedintothewaterdroplets,hewillbetherightwayup.

4. Placethelighting/tablelamponthesideundertheglasstopofthecoffeetable/proppeduppieceofglass.Turnonthelight.Thisisshouldnowlightupthebackgroundmaterialthatyouhaveselected.Thekeyistoensurethatthebackgroundimageiscompletelylitup.

5. Setuptripodclosetotheglasstop.6. Mountcameraontothetripodandcheckthatyoucanseetheselectedbackground

throughtheglasstop7. ApplysomeRainXontoapieceofclothorpapertowelandapplyitontotheglasson

thetabletop.Thisisastepthatyoushouldnotmissasthiswillhelptomakeyourwaterbeadwhichinturnhelpsyoutogetgreatlookingwaterdropletsandgreatreflections.

HereisanexampleofhowitwilllooklikeifyoudonotapplyRainX.Youcanseethatthewaterisnotbeadingatallanditlookslikeapoolofwaterinstead–

Image147-WithoutRainXapplied

8. Getaglassofwaterandusethedropperpipette/eyedropperandsucksomewaterfromyourglassofwater.

9. Dropthewaterdropletsontothecoffeetableglass(inwhateverpatternyouchoose).Trycreatingdifferentdropletsizesforfun!

10. Bynow,youshouldbeabletoseethereflectioninyourwaterdroplets.Youmayneedtoadjustyourbackgroundmaterialtoensurethatthereflectionispositionedcorrectly.Rememberyoumayalsohavetoadjusthowfar(height)yourbackgroundisfromthecoffeetableglass.

11. Allyouhavetodonowistoaimandshootonyourcamera.Asalways,ensureyoutakethephotowitharemoteoratimertoreducecamerashake.

CreativeIdeastoTryRememberthatyoucanbeascreativeasyouwantwiththisproject.Ifyouwantyourbackgroundtobemoreinfocus,chooseasmallaperturesetting(eg.f/22).Ifyoudon’twantthebackgroundtobeasdefinedorinfocususealargeraperture(f2.8).Asalwaystryallthedifferentaperturesettings.Playingaroundwithdifferentaperturesettingsherewillhelpyoulearnaboutdepthoffield!Ifthewaterdropletslooktoomundane,tryaddingamistofwateroveryourglassbyusingaspraybottle.Itaddsaniceeffecttothephoto!RememberthatRainXisthekeytothewaterbeading!Ifyoudon’thaveRainXlayingaroundinyourhouse,youcaneasilybuyonefromWalmartoronline!

WaterDropletfromFaucetTutorialByNickiLautemann

Image148-WaterDropletfromFaucet

Thecameracancatchsomethingsthattheeyescan’tsee.Thisnexttutorialwillteachyouanotheramazingwaytotakefallingwaterdropletsfromthefaucet/tap.It’ssolowtechthatyouwon’tbelieveit!

WhatIsRequired?Cameraandlens–NickiusedaNikonD3100witha50mmlensmountedinreverseColorfulbackgroundwithinterestingpatterns(eg.Scrapbookingpaper,wrappingpaper,colourfulfolder,notebook,artwork,abag,fabric,aphoto,etc)Aprotectivesleeveforyourbackground(notmandatory)Kitchen/Bathroomwithawatertap/faucetAkitchen/bathroomwithgoodlightingORuseaflashunitAtowel

Nicki’ssetuplookedlikethis–

Image149-Nicki’sSetup

WhatCameraSettingsDoIUse?ManualmodeThelensapertureisstuckopenatf5.6asaresultofthereverselenstechniqueStartwithashutterspeedof1/200sStartwithacameraflashof1/32ISO100or200Wehandheldherebutyoucanuseatripod

TutorialSteps1. Placethebackgroundimage/materialbehindthewatertap/faucetwherethewaterwill

dripoutof.Youwillneedtopositionthebackgroundimageupsidedownsothatitisreflectedinthecorrectpositioninthewaterdrops.Youmaywanttoputyourbackgroundmaterialinaplasticsleevetoprotectitfromgettingwet.

2. Ifyoucan,positionyourwatertap/faucetinfrontofthebackgroundmaterial.3. Turnthetaponandstartwithanextremelyslowdribble4. Focusmanuallyandtaketheshotofthewaterdrippingdown.

Image150-WaterDrips

CreativeIdeastoTryDon’tforgettotrydifferentcolor/patternmaterial

Image151-ExperimentwithDifferentBackgrounds

MovearoundandtrydifferentviewpointsofthewaterdropsOnceyougetafeelforit,tryplayingaroundwiththeamountofwatercomingoutofthetap/faucet.Tryaslowdribble,asmallsteadystream,afullonstream,orturnittosprayandgetaphotooflotsofdropsallatonce!

Image152-ASprayofDroplets

Bychangingtheamountofwatercomingthroughthefaucet,theshapeofthedropswillchangeaswell.Soeachphotowillbeuniquelydifferent!

Image153-WaterDropletsComeinManyDifferentSizesandShapes

21.DevelopingTheMacroPhotographer’sMindset

HowtoBecomeaBetterMacroPhotographerPeopleoftentellusthatweneedtoseethe“BigPicture”toreallyappreciatelife.Asyoumayalreadyknow,there’snobetterwaytohelpyouseethebigpicturethanmacrophotography.Byzoominginonsmallsubjectsorfocusingonthesmalleraspectsofverylargesubjects,macrophotographersareabletocapturesomeofthemoststunningphotographsyouwilleverhavethegoodfortunetosee.However,macrophotographyisaboutawholelotmorethansimplyzoominginonyoursubjectandsnappingaquickphotograph.Weknowthatsomepeoplestrugglewithbecominggoodmacrophotographers.Andthat’swhywearesharingsomeofourexperienceswithyousothatyoucantakeyourgametothenextlevel…

Image154-Becomingabettermacrophotographer

MacroPhotographyTip#1–PatienceisaVirtueEveryartform,whetherit’smusic,paintingorphotography,requirespractitionerstoexercisepatience.Thisiseventruerforpeoplewhowishtobecomeskilledmacrophotographers.Whenyouareshootingphotographsofverysmallsubjects,eventhesmallestlightchangeormovementcanquicklychangewhatyouthoughtwasgoingtobetheidealshot.Youmustlearntobepatientasyouprogressasamacrophotographer.Yes,it’sfrustratingwhenyoublowashot.Butallofthethingsthattestyourpatiencewillbewellworthitwhenyoubegintocaptureamazingphotographsthatpeopleraveabout!

MacroPhotographyTip#2–ChangeYourPerspectiveIfpeoplelearnanythingfrommacrophotographyitisthatyoucan’twalkaroundwiththesameoutlook/perspectivethatotherpeoplehave.Overtimeyouwillneedtolearntoseethingsabitdifferently.Toatraditionalphotographerthatbugcrawlingonaweedmaynotevenregisterasapotentialsubjectforashoot,butmacrophotographerslearntoopentheireyesandtheirmindstothesmallerthingsinlife.Youdon’thavetoobsessoverdetails,butyoushouldlearntobroadenyourvisionabittoseethehundredsofpotentialsubjectsthatmostpeoplewouldsimplywalkpastwithoutgivingitasecondthought.

Image155-Changeyourperspective

MacroPhotographyTip#3–SayGoodbyetoAutoFocusTherestoftheworldmayrelyonusingtheautofocusfeatureontheircameras,butifyou’reseriousaboutpursuingmacrophotographyasahobbyorasyourpassioninlifethenyoumustbegintoexperimentwithmanuallyfocusingyourcamera.Thismayverywellbethemostdifficulttechnicalaspectthatyou’llhavetolearn,butit’sgoodtostartmanuallyfocusingonyoursubjectsfromday#1.Bepreparedtodoalotofpracticingtogetgoodatusingthemanualfocusonyourcamera.Butallthatpracticewillpayoffwhenyoulearntoseamlesslycapturephotographsthatarefocusedtoperfection.Andtrustus;thisreallydoeshappensoonerthanyoumightthink.

Thereyouhaveit–ourtop3tipstohelpyougetstartedonthepathtobecomingagreatmacrophotographer.Besuretogetoutthere;exercisingpatience,broadeningyourperspectiveandmanuallyfocusingonalltheamazingphotographysubjectsthattherestoftheworldmaynotevennotice–untiltheyseeyourupcomingmacrophotographs,thatis…

YourFirst10,000PhotographsareyourWorst…You’lloftenhearthestandardwordsofwisdomwhenyoustartanynewendeavorinlife–“TheJourneyofathousandmilesbeginswiththefirststep.”Andwhilethatmaybetrue,itisn’talwaysthemostencouragingofstatementswhenyou’relookingtolearnoraccomplishsomethingnew.Inphotographywehaveourownwordsofwisdom:“Yourfirst10,000photographsareyourworst.”Notexactlywarmandfuzzyadvice,isit?“Ifyouhavetogetthousandsuponthousandsofphotographsunderyourbeltbeforeyougetgood,thenwhybother?”iswhatsomemightsay.Don’tgiveup,though,asyou’reabouttofindout,thelessonsyoulearntakingthosefirst10,000orsophotographsaregoingtoputyouonthepathtotakingsomeextraordinaryshotsintheverynearfuture!

Don’tbelieveus?Readontofindouthowthoseearlyeffortscontributetoyoubecomingamuchbetterphotographer…

Image156-Yourfirst10,000photosareyourworst

YouWalkBeforeYouRunIfyou’veeverspentanytimeexercising,youknowthatyoumustwarmuppriortoengaginginmoreadvancemovements.Ifyoudon’tyouwinduphurtingyourself.Thesameprincipleappliestophotography.Yourfirst10,000photographsareyour“warm-up”period.Whileyouwon’tgethurtbyskippingoverthisintroductoryphase,yourphotographqualitywillmostcertainlysuffer.

Partofwhatyou’lllearnduringyourearlydaysasaseriousphotographerissimplyhowtobestphysicallyengageyourcamera.Justasamusicianmusttaketimeto“breakin”evenaworld-classinstrument,youmusttaketimetogetusedtoyourcamera.Whatdoesthisbuttondo?HowdoIchangetheflashsettings?Questionslikethese,anddozensofothers,areansweredasyou“warm-up”asaphotographerandgetbetteracquaintedwiththeequipmentyouwillusedowntheroad.

It’snevereasytogoslow,butthat’sjustwhatyoushoulddowhenyou’refirststartingout.Whenyourcameraeventuallybecomesanextensionofyou–asitwillwithabitofpractice–you’llrealizejusthowimportantitwastospendtimeeasingintobecomingamoreexperiencedphotographer.

Image157-Practicemakesperfect…

DevelopingYourEyeAsaphotographer,youprobablywanttoshareyourvisionwiththeworld.Everyonewhopicksupacamerawantstocapturephotographsthatrepresent

thewaythattheyseeafleetingmomentintime.Few,however,everputinthetimeandeffortittakestodeveloptheirownperspectiveasaphotographer.Ifyoucanputintheefforttogrindoutthosefirst10,000orsophotographs,you’llslowlybutsurelydevelopyourown,uniqueperspective.Andthatperspectivewillpermeateallofthephotographsthatyoutakeformanyyearstocome.

Thinkabouthowmanyiconicphotographsweretakenusingcamerasthatpaleincomparisonwithwhatwehaveavailabletoustoday…Thisprovesthatitisaphotographer’sperspective–oreye–thatreallymakesapicturethatis,“worthathousandwords.”Byputtinginsomegruntworkearlyon,andexperimentingwithdifferenttypesofphotographystyles,you’lldevelopyouruniqueperspective.Lateron,whenyoulookbackatsomeofyourearlyphotographs,youmaycringeabit,butyou’llseethatyourskillswereaworkinprogressthatultimatelyledtoyoudevelopingaunique,unforgettablephotographystyle.

ItDoesn’tHappenOvernightEverynewphotographerwillstrugglewiththefactthatmostofhis/herphotographsdon’tcomeoutlookingperfect.However,asyou’veread,perfectiondoesn’thappeninasingleday.Youwillputinyourtimesnappingwhatmayverywellbesomehorrendousphotographs.Butasyougetusedtousingyourequipmentandstarttodevelopyourpersonalperspectiveandstyle,you’llsoonbecapturingsomeshotssogoodthatyoumayevenamazeyourself!Keeponworkinghardandclickingaway;you’regettingbetterasaphotographerwitheveryphotographyoutake!

ShouldYouPrintYourDigitalMacroPhotos?Wewantedtodedicateasmallsectionofthisbooktothetopicofprintingyourdigitalphotos.Nowadays,peoplearenotdoingenoughofit!Withmoreandmorepeopleusingdigitalcameras,itisfastbecomingmoreconvenienttostashyourdigitalphotosawayontoanexternalharddriveoronaCD/DVD.

Whenitcomestoprintingyourphotos,therearetwocampsintheworldofphotography:Thoseforprintingdigitalphotographsonaregularbasisandthoseagainstdoingso.Youmayhavewonderedwhetheritwasworththetime,effortandexpenseinvolvedtoprintyourphotographs,orwhetheryoushouldsimplystoreallyourworkawayondigitaldrivesorothermedia.

Image158-Shouldyouprintyourphotos?

TheCaseforPrintingyourPhotosPhotographs,aswe’vesooftensaidinthepast,areawayofpreservingaonce-in-a-lifetimemoment.Assuch,youprobablyhavegigabyteaftergigabyteonyourharddriveofmomentsthatyou’vepainstakinglycapturedwithyourDSLR.Fromfamilyphotographstomacrophotographs,youprobablyhaveinvestedalotofblood,sweatandtearsinmakingsurethatyoukeepallyourbestshotssavedforfutureviewing.However,weknowthatthisisn’taperfectworld,andyoumaywanttoconsidermakinghardcopiesofyourbeststuff.

Here’sthedeal–digitalmediacanfail.Harddrivescangetcorrupted.Andcomputers,discs,etc…canbestolen.Ifoneoftheseworst-case-scenariosweretohappentoyou,it’spossiblethatyoucouldlosesome–evenall–ofyourdigitalphotographs.Withthatbeingsaid,havinghardcopiesmayverywellbetheonlywaythatyoucouldensurethatyourphotographicmemorieswere,indeed,safeandwellprotected.

Additionally,whenyoudoputintheefforttoprintyourphotos,youoftenget

achancetoseeyourworkinawholenewlight.Subtleshadesandnuancessometimeslookbetteronphotographicpaperthantheydoonacomputerortabletscreen.Youmayevenwanttokeepaphotoalbumonhandthatfeaturesyourfavoriteshotsfromovertheyears.Youcancomparesimilarphotographsfromdifferentpointsintime,toseehowmuchyouareimproving.Manyphotographersusesuchhardcopycollectionstoassesstheirskillsandultimatelyimprovetheirphotographicchops.

TheCaseagainstPrintingyourPhotosPeoplewhodon’tliketoprintdigitalphotographsregularlysaythatthepriceofprintingissimplytoohigh.Thesefolksbelievethatthemoneyyouspendonprintingphotographsovertheyearscouldbesavedupandspentonbetterthings,likehigher-endcamerasorothergear.Andwhilethismaybetrue,youmustrememberthatifyoudon’tprintyourphotographsoff,there’sachancethatyoucouldwinduplosingthemforgood.However,asmuchasweliketostayprotectedfromdataloss,savingaback-upcopytoaclouddriveorsomeoff-sitedatastoragesitecouldpreventthatfromhappening.Soifmoneyisverytight,youmayfindthatskippingontheprintingisthemorefiscalsolution.

Bythrowingourhatintheringwithregardtothewholeprintingversusnotprintingargument,wehopethatwehavegivenyousomefoodforthought.Theultimatedecisionlieswithyou.Ifyoudoliketheideaofpreservingyourmemoriesandimprovingyourphotographicskills,byallmeansstartprintingmoreofyourdigitalphotographs.However,ifyoujustcan’tdealwiththeextraexpenseandhassleofprinting,youshouldattheveryleastkeepaseparate,off-sitedigitalcopyofyourbestphotographstobeonthesafeside.

UniqueWaystoPrintYourMacroPhotosIfyouarenotafanofthetraditionalphotoprints,therearesomanyothernewanduniquewaystoprintyourphotos.Herearesomeofourfavoritetypesofphotoprintsthatyoumaylike-

CustomPhotoBooks

Customphotobookscomeinavarietyofsizesandcanbemadewitharangeofdifferentcoversandmaterials(eg.paper).Whenprintingyourphotosintoaphotobook,itisafairlyeasyprocess.Youcandothisonlineeasily.First,youselectthephotosthatyouwouldliketouse.Thenyouwillbeprovidedwiththecapabilitytodesigneachoftheindividualpages.Youcanmovethem,resize,addtext,etctoeverypage.

CustomCanvasPrints

Printingoncanvasisoneofourfavoriteformats.Thesecanvasesareusuallystretchedacrossawoodenframeandcancomeinavarietyofsizes.Printingyourphotoontoacanvasissimpleandthehardpartisusuallydecidingonthephotothatyouwanttoprintontothecanvas.Allyouneedtodotoprintontoacanvasistoselectanduploadyourimage,makeanyrelevantedits(resize,re-positionyourimage,enhanceyourimagewithsomepre-createdfilters,addtext,etc).Thenallyouneedtodoissitpatientlyathomeforyournewcustomcanvastobedeliveredrighttoyourdoorstep!

Glass/AcrylicPhotoPrint

OneofourotherfavoritewaystoprintphotosistocreateaGlass/Acrylicphotoprint.Itamazesuseverytimeweseeourphotoprintedontotheglass/acrylic.Thephotolooksamazingandtheglassaddsabitofclasstothephoto.It’sperfectforanyroom.Justbecarefulwhenyoudoreceiveyourcustomphotoglassprint.Dependingonhowbigtheprintis,itcouldgetquiteheavy.

22.FinalWords–BonusPhotographyResources

Welldoneonreachingtheendofthebook!Whilethismaybetheend,itisonlythebeginningofyourmacrophotographyjourney.Wehopethatyouhavebeeninspiredandthatyouhavelearntathingortwoaboutmacrophotographyandclose-upphotography.Don’tforgetthatmacrophotographyisalifelongjourneyoflearning.Somakesureyoukeeplearningandpracticingeverythingthatyouhavelearntfromthisbook.Thatistheonlywaytoimprove!

BonusMaterialWehavemanymorephotographytips,tutorialsandideas(articlesandvideos)whichwewouldlovetosharewithyou.Itwasimpossibleforustocovereverythinginthisbook!

Toclaimyourbonus,gotothebonuspageandtelluswhereyouwouldlikeustosendthebonusto–

http://www.seeinginmacro.com/ClaimBonus

OtherAdditionalResourcesAsalways,wewouldlovetoseesomeofyourphotosandifyouwouldliketobeupdatedwithmorephotographytips,tricksandtutorials,pleasecomeandjointherestoftheSeeinginMacrocommunityoverat–

SeeinginMacroWebsiteYoucanreadallthelatestmacrophotographytipsandtrickshere-

http://www.seeinginmacro.com

SeeinginMacroFacebookCommunityShareyourmacrophotoswithusonourFacebookpageandjoininonallthefunwiththerestoftheSeeinginMacrocommunity!

http://www.facebook.com/SeeingInMacro

Wewishyoumuchsuccessinyourendeavortobecomeaskilledmacrophotographer.Alongthewayyou’resuretosharpenyourskillsandtobecomeamorepatientpersontoo.Withthosekindsofbenefitsonemightsaythateveryoneshouldgetinvolvedinmacrophotography;itjustmightmaketheworldabetterplace….

23.Credits

Thisbookwouldnothavebeenpossiblewithoutthehelpandcontributionofeveryonebelow.Thankyouforallyoursupportandcontribution.

SpecialthankstothefollowingSeeinginMacrocontributors-AnnetteOsborn(Image76,114-116),EricVettling(Image36,79-90)&NickiLautemann(Image148-153)

Ifyouenjoyedthephotosthathavebeenfeaturedinthisbook,pleasecontinuetosupportthesepeopleonShutterstock-CathyKeifer(Coverimage),WongYuLiang(Image1),kingfisher(Image2),johnnyraff(Image5),06photo(Image8),DeanPennala(Image10),Niuyang_sn(Image12),Kasza(Image13),JudyKennamer(Image15),marigo20(Image16),IrakliShavgulidze(Image17),RogerMeerts(Image18),fotodelray(Image19),DechaThapanya(Image20),Ra’idKhalil(Image21),irin-k(Image22),KAMONRAT(Image23),MartinValigursky(Image24),vovan(Image25),beboy(Image26),GeaninaBechea(Image30),PavelLPhotoandVideo(Image31),nito(Image32),vetkit(Image33),gorbelabda(Image35),ThomasMPerkins(Image44),chris2766(Image45),TischenkoIrina(Image73),PedroNogueira(Image78),suzz(Image91),MiroslavHlavko(Image92),BezuglayaTatiana(Image93),Tomatito(Image94),anuphadit(Image95),yumofoto(Image96),Tomatito(Image97),NicolaDalZotto(Image98),HueCheeKong(Image99),KovalchukOleksandr(Image100),AntoineBeyeler(Image101),KrivosheevVitaly(Image102),MarianaRuiz(Image103),IngridPrats(Image110),saiedshahinkiya(Image111),GalushkoSergey(Image112),KuttelvaserovaStuchelova(Image113),tonyz20(Image117),Tomatito(Image118),ClaudioBaldini(Image119),JurajKovac(Image120),Fotonium(Image121),NickyRhodes(Image122),O.Bellini(Image123),BobOrsillo(Image124),AlexeiLogvinovich(Image125),PanicAttack(Image126),NicholasToh(Image127),Yellowj(Image133),LaurynKayPhotography(Image141),ShulevskyyVolodymyr(Image154),Shico(Image155),Yellowj(Image156),KateChris(Image157),ChepkoDanilVitalevich(Image158)