As a word, “macro” has many meanings, but the one most used by photographers describes a lens that produces life-size images. In other words, there is a 1 to 1 relationship between the size of the subject and the size of the image on the camera. While that definition was useful for film cameras, it is not very helpful for digital ones. However, it should give you a good idea of what macro photography is all about.
A better definition of macro photography might be “extreme close-up photography”. There is an even more extreme type of close-up photography called micro photography, but it involves taking pictures through a microscope of things that cannot be seen with the naked eye. Macro photos are always of things that are perfectly visible, it just shows them in a way you’ve never seen before.
To take a close-up photo, you need to zoom in. To take extreme close-up, you have to get very close and that’s what the macro button allows you to do. Typically, if you try to take a photo of something that is too close to the camera, you may receive a warning that the camera is unable to focus or that the camera may not even allow you to take the photo. If so, the subject of your photo will be out of focus. For most digital cameras, too close means something less than 4-5 feet.
That’s where the macro button comes in. When you press the button, it moves the glass pieces inside your lens and allows you to focus much closer than normal. In some cases, this can be as close as a few inches. At this distance, even the most mundane object is totally transformed into something visually impressive.
Have you ever been caught by a subject to photograph? Just activate the macro function and explore the world at your fingertips. The reason this works is that we just don’t look too closely at anything, which is why macro photography is always full of incredible surprises.
You take macro photos in exactly the same way as any other type, and the camera’s autofocus works the same way too, only it works at much closer distances. Remember to always turn off the macro when you are done because, in macro mode, your lens cannot focus at normal distances. There must be an indication on your camera somewhere when the macro function is on.
Macro photography is no more difficult than any other type, but there are a few things to keep in mind that will help you avoid the pitfalls some people experience when trying this out for the first time.
Darkness
Because you are very close to your subject, it is very easy for your shadow to cover you. Unfortunately, some cameras only allow you to use macro at the widest angle of the lens. This means that it has to be very close and careful positioning may be necessary to ensure that the subject is not in the shadow. If you can zoom in, it allows you to be a little further for the same size shot and thus reduces this problem.
Many cameras will not allow you to use the built-in flash in macro mode. This is because the flash typically cannot cover anything that close to the camera, and even if it could, the lens barrel would probably cast a shadow on the subject. Even an external flash installed on the camera can have the same problem. You can take macro photos with a flash, but for best results you need an off-camera flash or a specialized ring flash unit.
Depth of field
When your camera focuses on an object, depth of field is the distance in front of and behind the object that is also in focus. In macro photography, this is a very small distance. You can see this for yourself by taking a macro photo looking along anything with a textured surface, for example a rug. You’ll see that the part in the middle of the frame is in focus, but the areas closest and furthest away will be soft and out of focus. If you took the photo looking down with a ruler, you could measure this depth of field and see how small it really is.
This means that unless the subject is very flat and you are looking at a right angle, it is very likely that only part of the photo is in focus. When this is the case, it makes a huge difference to the final image depending on which part is in focus. The problem is that it is quite difficult to focus exactly where you want when the camera is in hand.
It is much easier to take macro photos with the camera mounted on a tripod or some other means of support. Unless the point you want to focus on is in the center of the frame, you will need to move the camera until it is, press the shutter button halfway until focus “locks,” frame the shot you want, and then press the button. shutter down the rest of the way.
If you are using a tripod or some other means of support and your subject is stationary, you can try increasing the depth of field by using a small aperture. I would use the aperture priority mode and set the f / no largest. available. This will result in a very slow shutter speed. It can be several seconds. However, this does not matter if your camera has a solid mount.
Explore your world
If you’ve never used the macro button on your camera, you’re missing out on a world of photographic possibilities that you probably didn’t even know existed. Just press the button and enter the wonderful new world of macro photography.
