Get Close to Create Memorable Pictures
Bee collecting pollen
When you get really close to your subject, you capture details in structure and components of a flower of which many people never notice. You provide a unique and interesting view of the world of flowers.
Natalie Denton in her blog suggests a start point. “Stand above the flower and shoot the subject from various angles, then lower the lens in stages to the same level as the flower and shoot again, finally fall beneath the flower head and shoot up at its delicate underbelly.” It is also interesting to repeat the photo session by going back and taking shots at different times of the day under different lighting conditions.
As an iPhone photographer, I find the native camera in the iPhone does not give me the true macro image capability for which I’m looking. You can use the zoom feature and get good close ups, but they lack the detail of a macro view. For true macro captures on a mobile phone you have a couple of options. First, you can buy an external lens you can attach to your camera or you can download a camera app. Because I don’t want to deal with an external lens, my preference is to use a camera app such as Camera+2 which has a macro mode feature. It’s a convenience thing. If you use a DSLR camera you can adjust the f stop to f18 or f22 to get a clear, sharp macro.
When taking macros, keep and eye on the weather. Just a little bit of wind will introduce movement and cause the picture to be blurry. It is also important to get the focus right. Don’t rely on auto-focus; manually set the focus and exposure to get that perfect shot.
As you gain experience in macro photography you may find it will become your favorite type of photography. You can be truly creative and capture unique and interesting pictures.
Grab your camera and look for those great macro opportunities.
Macro of a pink and white Lilly
Peppermint Flare Hardy Hibiscus
To see previous articles in this series, check out the Sep-Aug archives in the MCMGA Blog link on the homepage.
Written by Cliff Blackerby, July, 2019.