Macro

A presentation for Kelso Camera Club

by Norman Dodds

What is macro?

• From Makros – a Greek word meaning large, long• Macro is the term used to describe photographs where the

subject is recorded as life size or up to 10 times bigger than life size.

• Close-up is where the subject is recorded between one tenth of its actual size to life size.

• Macro and close-up are often used interchangeably!

What do you need for macro photography?

• A camera which can focus close to the subject – many compacts have a macro setting

• A reversing ring – allows you to fit your lens the wrong way round!

• A close-up lens – an advantage of this it doesn’t reduce light.A disadvantage is that it will reduce sharpness.

• Extension tubes – these are fitted between the camera bodyand the lens. No reduction in sharpness but they will reduce light!

• A dedicated macro lens!

Macro lenses

• Macro lenses generally come in several ranges 50-60 mm 90-105 mm 150-180 mm

• The advantage of the bigger focal lengthsis that you can be further away from your subject.

• The disadvantage is that they usually cost more!

Taking macro photographs

• Subject• Focussing• Lighting• Exposure• Movement

Subject

• Almost anything small!!• Flowers, insects, household objects are all popular subjects• Arrange your ‘set’. At close range everything is magnified

so don’t be afraid to remove that nasty bit of grass or anything else that shouldn’t be there!

• Create a background – even a piece of material behind your subject can make a huge difference

Focussing

• By definition you will be very close to your subject sodepth of field will be very small

• A TRIPOD IS ESSENTIAL!!• There are 3 ways to focus:

Using TTL automatic focussing Using manual focussing Using live view focussing (if your camera allows this)

Lighting

• Daylight• Artificial light – torches, table lamps• Off camera flash• Ring flash – the ideal solution – but expensive!• BEWARE OF NASTY SHADOWS!!• Use reflective, absorbent or translucent materials

out of shot to add, reduce or diffuse light

Exposure – ISO, shutter speed, aperture

• ISO – 100 ISO is ideal but you may need to increase this if light is low

• Shutter speed – if your subject is completely still and you are using a tripod, then shutter speed can be anything you like! You may wish to increase this if your subject is moving.

• Aperture – depth of field is very limited so this suggests a small aperture. However image quality will be reduced at very small apertures. Somewhere between f11 and f16 is generally an acceptable compromise.

• EXPERIMENT! (Check your histogram!)

Shooting with Photoshop in mind

• Make a composite image: Set up your shot using a tripod Take two or more shots of the same subject Change the point of focus with each shot Use Photoshop to merge the images

• This technique is called Focus Stacking

Focus Stacking

Questions?