What Is Macro Photography, Basic Steps for New Marco Photographer

We live in an interactive ecosystem, where we are surrounded by little organisms, objects, and things. Often we cannot see the detailing of these little surroundings with our bare eyes, but what we cannot do ourselves could be done by using a camera lens. Macro photography is a growing genre of photography especially liked by the new age photographers who search to create something which was never done before. Macro photography is a close-up photography technique where your subject is a tiny thing, creature, or an object like insects or flowers.

Macro photography can either be done in a studio setup or anywhere outside in nature including your backyard as well as long as there is proper light and scope to magnify the subject. This genre of photography comes out really well when the photographer is using a macro lens.

Specially designed to magnify the small subject, the macro lens brings out the detailing and sharpness for the best results.

Photography as a creative art requires one to gain practice and experience. Macro photography as a genre could turn out to be a tedious task for new photographers.

Steps for New Marco Photographer

Keeping in mind the following steps will make a new macro photographer’s life easy or for that matter any photographer’s life easy.

Understand your subject’s behavior

Planning to click little creations like bugs or insects? As a photographer, it is important for you to understand your subject. So before you pick up your camera and start with your macro photography with little creatures, research and understand the behaviors of these subjects as it will give you an edge to get every detail possible. Surf the net, read books, watch videos, or get involved with the subjects (if possible) before scheduling the final shoot.

Choose your lens wisely

No matter what the genre of photography, the most important part of the entire process is to have the correct lens. Try getting a dedicated macro or microlens which has the capacity to produce 1:1 magnification results. In some cases, you can use a prime lens but that simply depends on the subject and the surrounding in which the final shoot is to happen. Just in case you cannot get a macro lens, use two lenses, let one be attached to the gear while you invert the other. This process is a hack to get amazing macro photographs. Or else try to get extension tubes.

Light up the setup

Looking at the size of the subjects it is important to have a setup or ambiance which is properly lit. The scope of light reaching the subject can be low because of the surrounding in which the subject is either placed or stays. Try to explore and set your gear to an angle where there is proper natural light. Proper lighting will bring out the detailing of the subject without making it look dull.

Focus on the subject

As a photographer, one should be clear on what they wish to showcase through their pictures. In macro photography, the prime focus should be on the subject and not their surrounding or other unnecessary details. Try a different angle and understand what exactly you want to portray and then focus on that particular detail of the subject keeping everything else at bay.

Depth of field

Once you learn what you wish to focus on then simply click your subject from that perspective by creating a depth of field. Use your camera setting to get the effect of bokeh or blur surrounding.

Stabilize your gear

Macro objects and creatures are not only fragile but unpredictable too. In order to click little subjects make sure to have a stable pose as these tend to move back and forth. It is advised to have a relaxed and comfortable position while shooting as this gives the photographer an edge to stabilize their camera. In case the surrounding in which the setup is then it is advised to use external supports like a tripod which will help in stabilizing the camera and noise reduction. Not having a stabilized camera may hamper the quality of photography by making it blur out. So for sharp results stabilize yourself as well as your camera.

Move subject but not the camera

While clicking the subject in a staged set up try to move the subject instead of moving the camera. This is because one the camera has been set up according to the lighting, contrast, and ambiance. It gets convenient to click without making changes to the settings. On the other hand, try to set up your subject in a manner in which it can be moved or elevated. This is the best time-saver for macro photography.

Use Manual Focus

The photographer knows best what he is trying to click. While the autofocus may focus anything on the frame, the manual focus helps to focus on the particular detail you are trying to capture. This also comes true to the fact that focusing on micro subjects is difficult, hence the best is to do it yourself using manual focus.

Practice a lot

As mentioned in the previous section, macro photography can prove to be a tedious task, and the only way to overcome difficulties is to practice. As the old saying goes that practice makes you perfect is applicable in the field of photography as well. Along with the proper understanding of your camera, lens, equipment, and subject, it is important to gain hands-on experience. As one practice they gain the experience and confidence to face challenges that might line up while doing a final shoot. Practicing will help photographers prepare to get the best photography results by overcoming challenging circumstances. Still, if you need you can take help from a photo editing service provider to remove any unnecessary object from your photo.

Flash is your friend

While using a flash can ruin a photograph by over-exposing it, in macro photography, it plays a vital role. As your subject is too small to emit the light from surrounding it is advised to use flash to light up the image. Not having proper light can dull the image and result in it pixelating. Using a flash on other hand will sharpen the details and get you a proper image.

So before you pick up your gear run to the nearest setup or natural space to explore the magnificent world of macro photography, keep in mind the following tips