Photography Sharing: 15 Tips For Macro Photography

With the advancement of smartphones and professional cameras, macro photography has become such a widespread art form that you can easily capture macro photos with just the click of a button or two. However, the results may not be what you were hoping for.

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

1.What is macro photography?

Macro photography is a unique form of photography that involves photographing small objects so that they appear life-size or larger. Common subjects for macro photography include flowers and small insects, and it allows us to see objects that are normally too close to be seen with the naked eye.

This type of photography is also used to highlight details in jewelry and other inanimate objects. It is a widely used art form that is incorporated into almost all types of photography.

True macro photography depends on the level of lens magnification. An ideal magnification ratio is 1:1, meaning a one-inch object will appear one inch on the camera sensor. When projected at half its actual size, the same one-inch object will only occupy half an inch on the sensor, resulting in a magnification ratio of 1:2. However, true macro photography is any object magnified at a ratio of 1:1 or higher.

Learn about macro photography

2.Understanding macro photography terminology

"Magnification" and "working distance" are both important terms in macro, or close-up, photography. But what do these words actually mean, and how can they help you take stunning macro photos? We need to take a deeper look.

(1)Magnification

Understanding how large or small your subject appears on your camera's sensor is an important aspect of macro photography. Magnification is the value you get when comparing the size of the subject as seen on the sensor to its actual size. A 1:1 ratio simply indicates that the subject has reached "life-size" magnification, while a "half-life-size" ratio refers to a 1:2 magnification.

(2)Working distance

Working distance is the distance between the front of the lens and the nearest subject. If you're trying to photograph small objects, 15cm is an ideal distance. The minimum working distance is achieved with a camera lens at a 1:1 magnification. Longer focal lengths allow for even greater distances.

Working distance is an important term in macro photography

3.How to take macro photos

Today, point-and-shoot, mirrorless, and DSLR cameras all have built-in macro modes, helping users photograph objects much closer than they could be viewed. The camera automatically adjusts the lens elements and moves them closer to the sensor to achieve optimal close focus, without the need for an additional lens or macro tube.

Of course, this isn't true macro yet; to achieve that, you'd need a dedicated macro lens. Alternatively, you can purchase an accessory that allows your camera or lens to take macro photos.

You can also "fake" macro by cropping your photo, making the subject appear more zoomed in. However, because the digital output of most cameras (except for full-frame sensors) isn't as large as film, taking such measures often results in a loss of image quality, which is why cropping won't produce the desired effect.

To achieve true macro photography, there are a variety of macro lenses available for specific digital cameras that are optimized to achieve magnifications up to 10x, allowing you to capture professional macro images. But even with the right gear, achieving professional macro photography can be challenging if you don't know how to properly adjust your camera settings to suit your shooting requirements, or how to create a more favorable shooting environment before pressing the shutter.

It might seem like macro photography is more complicated than you think, but it's not—especially after using our macro photography tips.

Learn how to take macro photos

4.15 Tips for macro photography

(1)Get a good macro lens

While today's cameras offer macro modes in their menus or as analog settings, they don't offer 1:1 magnification. If you want magazine- or gallery-quality macro photos, you'll need to invest in a dedicated macro lens for your camera.

There are several other good options for photography enthusiasts, including extension tubes and reverse lenses. A standard camera lens with an extension tube can provide a certain amount of magnification, while a reverse lens and extension tubes can provide greater magnification.

If you're new to macro photography, however, a dedicated lens for your camera is the most convenient and versatile option. Many popular macro lenses have a focal length between 90 and 105mm and a 1:1 magnification ratio. Additionally, other lenses have shorter focal lengths and shorter working distances, so you may need to get closer to your subject when shooting.

Additional tip: If you plan to photograph flat objects like coins and stamps, use a “flat field” macro lens to ensure edge-to-edge sharpness.

(2)Choose the right theme

Contrary to popular belief, not everything makes a good macro subject. Some subjects are indistinguishable up close and without context – if viewers can't understand what they're looking at when they see your macro photo, how can they appreciate it?

Of course, this is entirely a matter of preference and aesthetics. If your subject looks chaotic in macro, but is still visually pleasing, then it can definitely be considered a suitable subject.

Common subjects include small insects, butterflies, raindrops, and small objects like miniature dolls, jewelry, and household items. Inanimate objects are relatively easy to photograph because they don't move, but insects and bugs can be more challenging. A key technique for photographing them is to shoot from a safe distance to avoid scaring them off.

Macro photography requires choosing the right subject

(3)Choose the best location and weather

Bugs and insects, along with flowers and plants, are among the most interesting subjects to photograph with a macro lens. Areas with abundant flowers and plants often offer ample opportunities for macro photography. As for bugs and insects, these creatures are more active in warmer outdoor temperatures, meaning you can photograph them outdoors in temperatures of 17°C or higher.

Photographing insects in cold weather is also great because they tend to be motionless in their habitats. Some macro photography enthusiasts like to go to certain places early in the summer morning in order to be able to see and photograph sleeping insects. Overcast days also provide softer light, making them more suitable for macro photography than sunny days.

Also, learn about insect behavior. Some bugs will fly away when you get too close, or become accustomed to your presence within a few minutes, or ignore you completely. Taking lots of macro photos will be helpful in understanding an insect's behavior: when you do this, it will be much easier to predict its next move.

When photographing extremely thin objects like flowers or leaves, bright sunlight can be a difficult problem to overcome, as it can "burn" your subject and cause hot spots or overexposed parts of the image. It's recommended to try shooting on overcast days and utilize shadows or create them as needed.

(4)Use a tripod for stability

You can control camera movement to stabilize your composition very simply: place it on a tripod, bean bag, or mini stand so that it doesn't move around.

Whether you choose to shoot with a tripod, monopod, or simply carefully position yourself in a “fixed” position, you should consciously keep your camera steady when shooting extremely close-up shots. The slightest unintentional shift in composition can alter the entire shot.

A tripod is required to keep the shot stable

(5)Use longer focal lengths when photographing living organisms

Speaking of lenses, you may want to opt for a longer focal length depending on your chosen subject. This allows you to get “digitally” closer to insects and objects (without actually getting too close) without disturbing them or disrupting their natural environment, and the best focal length for these types of shots is 90mm and up.

(6)Incorporating auxiliary accessories

Even if you don't have a dedicated macro lens, you can still achieve decent macro photography using accessories that can be incorporated into your macro kit. There's something called a diopter filter, also known as the "poor man's macro lens." It is basically a close-up filter or magnifying glass that screws onto your regular lens or any bridge or compact camera and is used to achieve macro magnification without having to buy a true macro lens.

The bellows or tube is an accordion-like expandable part of the camera that facilitates ultra-close-up shots of subjects. You can also use a lens adapter to reverse the lens and manually control the aperture.

Instead of using a tripod, which greatly limits the photographer, you can use a "third hand" device (anything you can create or design with existing tools to form a true "third hand") to steadily hold and support your subject and background.

Use auxiliary accessories to fix and support your subject

(7)Customize your background

Photographing inanimate objects is quite easy because you have complete control over the location, lighting, and even the background. Simply position it against the background you want, depending on the composition, and make sure they don't clash with each other. Many photographers like to keep it simple and place their subject in front of a contrasting background that's farther away from the subject, which creates a beautiful blurred background effect.

If you're shooting outdoors, you might not have much control over the background. However, you can change your perspective or use a "third hand" to position an object, such as a leaf or flower, so it faces you from a different angle.

Remember that your eye naturally focuses on the brightest areas in a photo, so if you're shooting in mixed lighting, be aware of what's happening in the background. You may need to change your perspective, move closer to your subject so they fill the frame, or bring a piece of white paper to place behind your subject.

You can also control background clutter by shooting with a wider aperture (which puts less background focus) or using a ring light (which puts most of the background in darkness).

(8)Pay attention to depth of field

Most people will recommend using a smaller aperture because it helps increase depth of field and ensures that important parts of your subject are in focus. However, the problem with using a smaller aperture is that the reduced and diffracted light can significantly affect the sharpness of your image. On the other hand, if you use a too large an aperture, the depth of field decreases, and parts of your subject may become blurry.

One of the most difficult parts of macro photography is achieving the right balance between desired sharpness and depth of field. If you are able to shoot from an angle or perspective so that the most important or interesting part of your subject is in one focal plane, thus ensuring that your subject remains sharp while still maintaining beautiful background bokeh, then it’s simply a matter of finding that maximum aperture.

Possible solution 1: Crop the image

Alternatively, if you don't mind cropping the image, you can also reduce the magnification and use a smaller aperture to ensure that all parts of the subject are in focus, then simply crop the photo to make the subject appear more zoomed in.

However, one challenge with using a smaller aperture is that it restricts more light from entering the lens, meaning you'll typically need a slower shutter speed to properly expose the photo. Depending on the photographer, the solution could be using a tripod for a steadier shot or using a flash to add more light to the scene.

Possible solution 2: Try focus stacking

Another recommended solution to balancing depth of field and sharpness is focus stacking, a feature built into some cameras. If your camera doesn’t have this feature, you can also do it in Photoshop.

Macro photography requires a balance between depth of field and clarity

(9)Manual operation

While today's cameras' automatic features often take the guesswork out of photography, it's best to use manual focus when focusing close-ups. This is because autofocus works best when the lens is locked onto a sharp area, but when shooting close-ups with a macro lens, this isn't usually the case.

In fact, your lens will be frantically searching for something to lock onto. By using manual focus, you can decide what you want to focus on and lock it when you're happy with what you see through the lens.

Be especially careful when your focal element is in the center of the image. Remember, with a narrow depth of field, everything near the edge of the frame will be out of focus. If there's a bright, blurry area near the bottom edge of the shot, it can dominate your composition and draw the viewer's eye away from the actual focal point. So, if you see a bright area at the bottom edge, recompose your shot or focus on something in that bright area and compose around it.

(10)Create better lighting conditions

A key element in photography is light, and macro photographers obviously benefit greatly from good lighting conditions. Besides using it to artistically improve your photos, you can also add light to support your exposure settings. You can do this when the subject is too dark despite a wide aperture.

Many macro photographers recommend a ring flash for beginners, as it allows for smaller apertures and faster shutter speeds for handheld photography and moving subjects. A ring flash or dual flash provides good 3D lighting, but it's not as flat as a built-in pop-up flash.

Macro photography can be difficult to capture enough light. This can be because you're using high levels of magnification, or because your camera's close focus amplifies motion blur and blur caused by camera shake. Or, as you get closer to your subject, you block out more natural light. Using a flash can help you solve these problems. The flash will fill in the amount of light you want and quickly freeze the motion.

However, when you use flash for macro photography, the flash can also produce harsh light and glaring specular reflections. This is where a diffuser comes in, which can expand the flash area and produce a softer light.

Macro photography requires creating better lighting conditions

(11)Improve in-camera composition

Whether shooting macro or any other style of photography, photographers should learn how to improve their composition in-camera. This means you need to compose your shot correctly before pressing the shutter button, rather than relying on post-processing to correct the composition. This is especially important for macro photography, as cropping the image reduces the resolution.

Instead of cropping your insect photo to make it appear larger, increase the magnification of your subject when shooting so that you maintain the original resolution.

(12)Plan your focus

You’re ready to shoot, and all you need to do is focus on your subject and press the shutter. But before you do that, you should realize that in macro photography, focus can greatly improve your composition.

One thing that will help you take better macro photos is learning how to manually focus on different parts of the frame. You can experiment with changing your focus to discover different and interesting perspectives.

(13)Change your perspective

New macro photographers often shoot their subject from their current position, standing at a 45° angle. If you make this mistake, your photos will look dull, so finding unique angles is key. Try shooting your subject from the side, from the front, or from below. When you pull up on the plants or leaves that your subject is on, you can also get more interesting angles and more stunning backgrounds.

Finding a unique angle is key for macro photography

(14)Adding elements

Photographing dewdrops on plants or raindrops on windows can make for some striking macro photos, but you don’t always have to wait for rain or dew. You can also use a simple spray bottle to carefully sprinkle water droplets onto your subject to add more visual interest to your photos.

(15)Be patient

Although macro photography can be a bit complex for many beginners, it can be a very rewarding style of photography. While there are many things to remember to take a good, professional macro photo, practice helps to develop a habit. Once you get used to it, it becomes a skill and your photography improves with every click of the shutter.

Be bold with your composition, look for stunning colors, and don’t be afraid to experiment and create abstractions. The greatest benefit of macro photography is that it magnifies ordinary objects, transforming them into wondrous worlds far beyond the human eye's reach. If appropriate for the subject, increase the color and contrast settings on your digital camera. When using a film camera, use super-saturated film.

Once you've eliminated the variables, you can enjoy macro photography. Keep shooting, and don't be afraid to experiment. The closer you get, the more the camera will reveal while you wait.