wasilvers
Well-known member
After reading that the theme for the tinboats April photo contest was macro photos, I decided it sounded like fun to learn just what a macro photo was. Turned to wikipedia and read that a macro photo is basically close up photography of small objects - generally the object is at least lifesize on the photo, many times it is much larger. You can read all about that here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macro_photography I personally love macro photos, the close up of a fly's eye or bee on a flower keeps my attention for a fair time.
So I read up on how to take good macro photos - here is what I learned lumped in to a paragraph or two.
I learned that you really don't need special lenses or flashes to take striking macro photos - though they can help. In fact, many point and shoot cameras have a macro setting on them already (usually identified by a flower). I have a limited budget for camera equipment, so I will not be buying any new lenses anytime soon - my current equipment will have to do.
I read about good Fstops, isos, flashes, etc, then finally broke out the camera and started playing. The first mistake I made was getting too close for my equipment. I have a digital SLR (Nikon D5000) and initially turned the zoom to about 18mm, got about 5 inches from my target and started taking pictures... Some of you guys are probably laughing right now... the 18mm setting is really a 'wide angle' setting - the opposite of 'macro' - the pictures didn't look right at all - I can't even show samples they were so bad.
After more reading, I found that I should have stepped back and zoomed in more (increasing the mm) and used the right focal point for my lenses - about 27 inches is the closest my lens will focus per my manual.
Once I got that down, I started playing with the f-stops - basically how much light the lens lets in - making this a higher number will make more of the photo in focus, a lower number will blur the background more. The higher the fstop number the longer the shutter will have to stay open to get enough light for a good picture. You can read a longer description here (https://www.shutterfreaks.com/Tips/ControllingDOF.html).
One thing that fascinates me about macro photos is the depth of field you have to play with is really small. That means that the area in focus can be really limited (in my case below- a fraction of an inch can make a big difference.
Just about everything I read said that a steady rest is a important for good (focused) macro photos. I had bought a tripod for family photos so I thought I was set there. We all know that good lighting is key to good photos. A flash can really enhance a photo or hurt it. I have a problem in that my flash is on the top of my camera. If I am trying to shoot a photo at about 30 inches away, the angles of the shadows are VERY noticiable, every thing that sticks up has a dark shadow under it and detracts from the image. The combination of a supported rest (tripod) and perfect lighting (or flash) would definitely make good photos easier to shoot. I'm personally thinking of a more specific flash for my camera to shoot some good macro shots for my office walls - but that's another post for another day.
So I took this information and used it to create some photos. I really wanted to find out the the difference correct focus, lighting and suppored camera makes to a photo. To do that, I shot pictures of the "shift" key on my keyboard. I thought I'd share these cropped from the original photos as close as I could get without (blowing them up) to fit tinboats picture limits.
#1 - I thought if I gave the subject enough light (with a flash), I wouldn't need a tripod to get a good shot - I held real still and shot a lot of photos, but this was the best I could get with a flash without a tripod
#2 - I used the tripod, focused the camera, then set the shutter delay so I wouldn't move the camera, in the slight movement of the camera, just a TINY,TINY bit, it became out of focus.
#3 - With the tripod, I first set the shutter delay, painstakingly focused the lens and snapped this beauty... you can see some of the texture of the plastic, and the dust on the keyboard.
My whole point of sharing this (besides notes to myself later) is to show that even an amateur like me with non-specialized equipment can make a decent macro photograph with some preparation and attention to detail. Hope this helps you with your photos too.
So I read up on how to take good macro photos - here is what I learned lumped in to a paragraph or two.
I learned that you really don't need special lenses or flashes to take striking macro photos - though they can help. In fact, many point and shoot cameras have a macro setting on them already (usually identified by a flower). I have a limited budget for camera equipment, so I will not be buying any new lenses anytime soon - my current equipment will have to do.
I read about good Fstops, isos, flashes, etc, then finally broke out the camera and started playing. The first mistake I made was getting too close for my equipment. I have a digital SLR (Nikon D5000) and initially turned the zoom to about 18mm, got about 5 inches from my target and started taking pictures... Some of you guys are probably laughing right now... the 18mm setting is really a 'wide angle' setting - the opposite of 'macro' - the pictures didn't look right at all - I can't even show samples they were so bad.
After more reading, I found that I should have stepped back and zoomed in more (increasing the mm) and used the right focal point for my lenses - about 27 inches is the closest my lens will focus per my manual.
Once I got that down, I started playing with the f-stops - basically how much light the lens lets in - making this a higher number will make more of the photo in focus, a lower number will blur the background more. The higher the fstop number the longer the shutter will have to stay open to get enough light for a good picture. You can read a longer description here (https://www.shutterfreaks.com/Tips/ControllingDOF.html).
One thing that fascinates me about macro photos is the depth of field you have to play with is really small. That means that the area in focus can be really limited (in my case below- a fraction of an inch can make a big difference.
Just about everything I read said that a steady rest is a important for good (focused) macro photos. I had bought a tripod for family photos so I thought I was set there. We all know that good lighting is key to good photos. A flash can really enhance a photo or hurt it. I have a problem in that my flash is on the top of my camera. If I am trying to shoot a photo at about 30 inches away, the angles of the shadows are VERY noticiable, every thing that sticks up has a dark shadow under it and detracts from the image. The combination of a supported rest (tripod) and perfect lighting (or flash) would definitely make good photos easier to shoot. I'm personally thinking of a more specific flash for my camera to shoot some good macro shots for my office walls - but that's another post for another day.
So I took this information and used it to create some photos. I really wanted to find out the the difference correct focus, lighting and suppored camera makes to a photo. To do that, I shot pictures of the "shift" key on my keyboard. I thought I'd share these cropped from the original photos as close as I could get without (blowing them up) to fit tinboats picture limits.
#1 - I thought if I gave the subject enough light (with a flash), I wouldn't need a tripod to get a good shot - I held real still and shot a lot of photos, but this was the best I could get with a flash without a tripod
#2 - I used the tripod, focused the camera, then set the shutter delay so I wouldn't move the camera, in the slight movement of the camera, just a TINY,TINY bit, it became out of focus.
#3 - With the tripod, I first set the shutter delay, painstakingly focused the lens and snapped this beauty... you can see some of the texture of the plastic, and the dust on the keyboard.
My whole point of sharing this (besides notes to myself later) is to show that even an amateur like me with non-specialized equipment can make a decent macro photograph with some preparation and attention to detail. Hope this helps you with your photos too.
