Introduction to Macro Photography

Macro photography means shooting blown up images of small subjects like flowers and insects.

There is a problem with Depth of Field reachinh its limit. The closer you get to the subject, the thinner the DOF, which means a small part of the subject will be in focus. Another problem is that an ordinary lens has a limit of how close it can get to the subject. Therefore you should buy a macro lens (that are usually more expensive) or get so called extention tubes. Extention tubes are a cost effective way to begin macro photography. They allow to move your lens further from the camera body.

When you set small aperture (down to f45 on some lenses) in order to obtain broader DOF, less light is coming to the camera. It means you need to use much longer shutter speeds (1 sec or even 3 sec). Here is what you should do to reach good macro results:

• Use a tripod;


• Set the smallest aperture;


• Use macro lens or extention tubes;


• Use a timer to avoid camera shake when you press the button.

Photo Analysis

This video tells you how to select what photograph is worth selecting for your portfolio or an exhibition from many similar ones you have taken.

You need to determine what is unique about it. Why you want to include it. The photo used as an example was cropped. It was done in order to leave out distracting elements like a tripod. After cropping it really started to stand out. The person on the photo is seen as a silhouette. His missing legs are balanced with legs in the left upper corner.

All the photos were taken from one position with 18-200 mm lens. It is very important to SEE what will look original and use cropping wherever necessary.