Ten Tips for Better Closeups
by: Jeff Bryson
Technically, macro is when the subject is larger on the media (negative or sensor) than it is in real life, so I'll use the term close up.
2. Use a cable release or remote triggering device. If you don't have one, you can use the timer on your camera, but this will preclude the next tip. |
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3. Use mirror lock-up. With mirror-lock up the shutter release must be pressed once to move the mirror up, and a second time to capture the image. This takes away the vibration of the mirror movement when the image is actually captured. |
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4. Use a fixed focal length lens. A zoom lens will slide if you are shooting down, and it is hard to get a good focus. If you are using extension tubes (see the next tip) zooming throws the image out of focus. |
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5. Use extension tubes. Don't think you have to buy an expensive macro lens. I use Canon's thrifty fifty and their 85mm 1.8 lens with generic extension tubes. Don't be shy about using more than one tube together. Many lenses will say they are macro lenses, but in actuality you can't get closer than 1 1/2 feet and still have focus.
7. Use aperture priority set to f/9.0. Depth of field will be very shallow. A higher f-stop does not give greater sharpness, and takes away shutter speed. A lower f-stop takes away sharpness. Raise the ISO rating on the camera until you get 1/60 sutter speed. Don't expect a great depth-of-field. Choose one interesting point to focus on and be content with that. If the subject is relatively flat in 3-D, you may get great sharpness in 2-D. Most close-up subjects are not so flat. The butterfly image is an example of a relatively flat subject. 9. Once you've mastered close-up with the tripod, cable release and mirror lock-up, put these aside and shoot handheld. The bee and butterly images were shot handheld. I did not want to put the bee in the freezer so it couldn't move (that, to me is cruel). Instead, I stood at the Rose of Sharon tree for an hour and followed the bee from flower to flower. When shooting handheld, raise the ISO rating until you get f/9.0 at 1/100 using aperture priority. 10. Take numerous images. Ansel Adams once said that any good photographer had 10,000 bad negatives under his belt. Since he was referring to large-format images, we can safely say that a D-SLR or 35mm photographer isn't good until they have 30,000 images under their belt. It takes 3 times as many bad images to get one good close-up than in other types of photography.
Posted with permission from Jeff Bryson. This may also be found at http://www.jpgmag.com/stories/2024. |