Flickr Group – SLR Macro Photography (digital)

If you love macro photography, we’ve started a new Flickr group called SLR Macro Photography (digital), where members win REAL prizes! To start the group off, this month we will be giving away a free book from Amazon called, ‘Close up shooting: A Guide to Closeup, Tabletop and Macro Photography’. The winner will be announced on the 27th of March to celebrate the groups first month anniversary.

More details over at: SLR Macro Photography (digital) Group

Who is this flickr group for?

This group is mostly aimed towards those photographers who own an SLR/DSLR camera and enjoy taking macro or close up photographs of smaller objects, insects and flowers. I say mostly, because we do also have members that enjoy taking macro shots with their compact camera’s as well. The reason it’s initially been called ’SLR macro photography’, is that much of the groups discussions and RSS feed will revolve around SLR camera’s and settings.

You don’t need to own a dedicated macro lens to join. The idea behind this group is to inspire and encourage a love for macro photography. Many photographers first start enjoying close up photography with the use of macro filters on the end of their lens, or with a telephoto lens and the macro setting on their SLR. Once the enjoyment sets in, it usually doesn’t take long before they are looking at purchasing a real macro lens.

Whatever equipment you use to photograph your macro’s with, we ask only that the image appears to be a detail shot of smaller subjects.

To help give you an idea, acceptable images would include insects, flowers, small birds, frogs, leaves, coins, water droplets etc. On the other hand, unacceptable images would include a closeup shot of a horse or cat and similar larger objects.

Group News

SLR Macro Photography (digital) Group is off to a fantastic beginning. Since starting 5 days ago, we’ve had 476 members join, who have posted a total of 732 macro images into the group pool. The most popular discussion in the forum is titled, ‘What do you love about macro photography?’

Here is a sampling of answers so far:

I love entering a world that i cannot see with my naked eye. The detail, the beauty, flowers, bugs, inanimate objects, it doesn’t matter, just macro! … (posted by belle’sbeauties)

Of all types of photography, macro has always been no.1 for me. Seeing an insect or bug at a higher magnification reveals such amazing details of that bug. “1:1 will let you see a bug’s nose.. but at 3:1 or higher, you’ll see what’s inside the nose!!” … (posted by Lordmint)

When I shoot macro,I feel like i’m an Alice in the wonderland, everyhing is real, but kinda unreal … (posted by Moczkos)

I love the ability of showing people things that most never even realize are there. Or have never given a droplet on a flower or blade of grass much thought. I love showing them that there is a whole other world they are missing out on … (posted by farmmommy5)

More over at: SLR Macro Photography (digital) Group

Introduction to shooting macro’s or closeups with a telephoto lens

While not all photographers own a real macro lens, most do have a telephoto lens. By telephoto lens, I am referring to one has a 200 or 300mm focal lenth. Hard core macro photographers often refer to these types of shots as being closeups and not true macro’s. However, it’s hard to argue with the fact that telephoto lenses definately do a great job in photographing objects at close range.

Quick tips for photographing macro’s with a telephoto lens

• Use a firm tripod whenever possible. This is an important tip for all telephoto photography. The more you have your lens zoomed out (longer the focal length eg. 200mm) the more prone your shots are to camera shake.
• Using a remote release will also help with camera shake, which is often one of the main causes for unsharp results. For the same reason, look in your camera manual for a setting called mirror lockup.
• Choose to photograph your subject against an uncluttered background, so the main focus is on the subject. In other words, simplicity is the key.
• If you can’t choose an uncluttered background, ensure it’s positioned a long distance away from the subject you are photographing. Next, zoom the lens all the way out (eg. 200mm) and take the shot as close to the subject as you can physically stand, yet still be able to focus properly. This will result in a nicely blurred background like the photograph of the dragonfly seen at the top of this post.

Telephoto macro tips from nature photographer Peter Madeley

Nature photographer Peter Madeley, shares with us some of his tips for photographing macro’s with a telephoto lens. In this video below, Peter talks about what camera settings and shutter speeds you should be implementing when using a telephoto lens for macro photography. He also discusses the importance of mirror lockup and other alternatives if your camera doesn’t have this option. Towards the end of the demonstration, he shows by example, how light reflectors can be used for macro to obtain a controlled photo shoot.

What is the best time of the day for macro insect photography

I recently read in a photography magazine that one of the best times of the day for insect photography is early morning, before the dew dries out. This weekend I decided to get up at the break of dawn and put this theory to the test. As it turned out, early morning photo shoots certainly do put a new twist on macro insect photography.

There two main advantages of taking macro photographs early in the morning before the sun comes up:

• Lighting early in the morning is more colorful and less harsh than mid morning. With no sunshine to dull the colors, early morning macro’s look brighter and bolder.
• Insects can’t fly when their wings are covered with dew drops and they havn’t yet dried out. This also give you an opportunity as a macro photographer to show the viewer a part of nature that otherwise goes un-noticed. It doesn’t take long to realise why the early bird gets the worm, so to speak.

Note: You can click the insect macro’s below to see them in larger size

The insect macro shown above was photographed from above the dragonfly, looking down. As you can see by the dew drops on its wings, it wasn’t going anywhere too soon. As a macro photographer, this gave me sufficient time to get a good shot.

The photograph shown below is the same insect, shot at a different angle.

Now for one of my personal favorites, a damselfly covered in dew drops. The black background was created with the use of a Twin Lite MT-24EX flash.

Other times that are good for insect photography:

• I’ve found after a storm is also a good time for shooting macro’s of insects. Like most animals, they come out to play after a rainshower. Like early morning, many are also covered with water drops and can’t fly too well until they dry out.
• You’ll also find plenty of insects in the late afternoon and on cloudy days, where the lighting is perfect for really colorful shots.

In contrast, the worst time of the day for this style of macro photography seems to be hot sunny daylight hours, say between 10.30am and 3.30pm. Of course every insect is different, so it’s best to do your research.

Post production tips for macro photographers who edit their images with Photoshop

One question I’m asked on a weekly basis is: What editing or post production work do you make on your macro photographs?

While most of these types of questions come from those who use the same camera and macro lens as I own, the post production tips listed below will assist all macro photographers who edit their images with Photoshop.

It’s also important to note, that no amount of post production work is going to improve a bad photograph. Personally, a good macro photo consists of 50% photo taking and 50% post production editing. However, as I said, you do need a sharply detailed image to start with.

How to edit macro photographs using Photoshop software

1. The first editing I do to macro photographs is to crop them tightly. Not every viewer will look at the larger image (even when you supply a link), so it’s best to tightly crop the image so the details are clearly seen by a thumbnail. This also presumes the viewer prefers to see detail that isn’t normally seen by the naked eye. Which of course, is the true beauty of macro photography.

Take the two images below for example, the first shows the original photograph (resized for display purposes), while the second photograph is a cropped version showing the finest detail.

2. After cropping the macro photograph, I might resize the image, depending on how I am intending on using it. For example, if the plan is to display the image on a website, I’ll resize to no larger than 1024 width so it doesn’t take too long to download in the viewers browser. For printing purposes, I don’t normally resize.

3. Next I sharpen the image by implementing a mixture of Photoshop’s Lab color mode and the unsharp mask. I won’t go through the steps here as we already have a tutorial for this called: How to sharpen photographs in Photoshop.

This method not only sharpens, but in many cases also increases the color of the photograph.

4. After sharpening, I’ll continue on to the Shadows and Highlights adjustment tool. Once again, we already have a Photoshop tutorial for this: How to use Photoshop adjustment tool?

You will find this adjustment tool increases the detail seen within either (or both) the shadows and highlight area’s of your photograph.

5. Lastly, I use Photoshop S curves to add or reduce contrast. The S curve tool allows you to highlight the parts that are important and darken those that are not. The S curve also seems to make the colors within the photograph appear brighter and bolder. You can find a tutorial on S curves at: How to use Photoshop S curves?

Learning a few post production techniques can help improve your macro images ten fold. The steps shown above will result in more colorful and sharper macro photographs, that contain more detail than you’d otherwise have seen in the original image.

Macro photography tips, images and photographs

Shown below is a set of 10 amazing macro photographs. Each photograph includes an explanation of the camera equipment that was used and tips on how it was taken. While many of the images have been taken with a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens, the settings can be reproduced with any real macro lens. You’ll aslo notice they were photographed with an entry level DLSR camera from quite a few years back now! My point being, anyone with a DSLR camera can shoot awesome macro photographs.

Click on each image to see a larger version of the photograph.

1. Hoverfly in flight

Photograph of a hoverfly in flight was taken with a Canon 400D SLR entry level camera, a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens and a Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX flash.

Exposure (shutter speed): 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 100 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Program: Manual
Metering Mode: Pattern

Macro photography tip #1: If possible, use a ring flash or twin lite flash when shooting macro. It will allow you to shoot at a reasonable speed, yet enable you to keep the aperture on a high f/11 for sufficient depth of field. Of course, I understand it isn’t always possible for fellow DSLR photographers to purchase such equipment. No problem, keep reading for other tips.

This macro photograph of a flying insect was taken in a shady part of the garden. Using a Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX flash allowed me to keep the aperture on a high f/11 without sacrificing shutter speed (exposure). Having the ability to keep the shutter speed at a fast 1/200th of a second allowed me to capture the moving insect sharply. It also allowed me to hand hold the camera without the use of a tripod. Like many macro photographers, I find a tripod really restrictive when photographing insects.

Macro photography tip #2: Learn to use manual focus when shooting insects. As the hoverfly was constantly moving, I found turning off the lens AF (automatic focus) function made the job so much easier. If I hadn’t turned this lens setting off, it would have kept swimming or refocusing, making it near impossible to capture a sharp image of the hoverfly.

2. Unshaven dragonfly face

This macro was taken with a Canon 400D SLR camera, a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens and a Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX flash.

Exposure (shutter speed): 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 100 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Program: Manual
Metering Mode: Pattern

Macro photography tip #3: Learn how to be patient. Don’t run around like a mad photographer chasing an insect that won’t sit still. In my experience, that doesn’t work! You’ll be surprised how many insects are as curious of you, as you are of them.

I was lucky with this macro shot to have found a curious dragonfly. He sat really still and would allowed me to move in as close as I needed for a detailed macro photo of his whiskers. This also allowed me to keep the camera’s lens set on AF (automatic focus).

Macro photography tip #4: Crop macro images nice and tight, especially for online viewing. The original dragonfly image was cropped with Photoshop CS2 so the dragonflies face takes up the majority of the final composition.

3. Blue dragonfly

Similar to the first two macro photographs, this one was also taken with a Canon 400D SLR camera and a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens.

Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 100 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Program: Manual
Metering Mode: Pattern

Macro photography tip #5: Once again, learn patience. This dragonfly come up to me as I sat under a tree, so I took the opportunity to take a few macro shots of it. This is one of my best tips for macro insect photography. I can’t repeat it enough. Personally, I’ve found it hopeless chasing them around like a mad photographer. That only seems to scare them away. Instead, it’s best to be patient and wait until you find a curious insect that is sitting still.

4. Macro water drop

Playing with water droplets, a Canon EF 100/2.8 Macro USM lens and extension tubes. For those that don’t know what extension tubes are, they are a plastic tube that sits between your camera’s body and the lens. When using extension tubes, you need to set your lens to MF (manual focus), because the automatic focus won’t work. Nowadays if you purchase extension tubes that are the same brand as your macro lens, you may be able to keep all the automatic functions (depending on the brand).

Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture: f/0
Focal Length: 0 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Program: Manual
Metering Mode: Pattern
Flash: Onboard flash fired, as seen in the water drop.

Macro photography tip #6: Experiment with extension tubes. They are cheaper than you might think. If you view a photographs EXIF data and notice the aperture and focal length are showing as zero (0), chances are the photographer used an extension tube or some piece of equipment that sat between the camera’s body and the lens.

Macro photography tip #7: All the best macro photographers set shots up. This shot of a water droplet was taken with a plastic bag (and a pin hole in it) being held over a fish tank. The camera was then focused past the glass tank and onto the droplet. There is a detailed explanation showing the setup for it at: How to photograph water drops.

5. What the snake see’s

Photographed with a Canon 400D and a EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens. When photographing a friendly carpet snake, it was a great opportunity for a self portrait. If you click on this image and view it in a larger size, you will clearly see exactly what the snake was looking at!

Exposure (shutter speed): 0.033 sec (1/30)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 100 mm
ISO Speed: 100

Macro photography tip #8: Use a tripod if you cannot shoot faster than the length of your lens. For example, this photograph was taken with the use of a tripod and a remote release. Having a slower shutter speed of 1/30th of a second, I wouldn’t have achieved a sharp image if the camera was handheld. A general rule of thumb for hand held macro shots, is that if your lens is 100mm focal length, then the shutter speed needs to be at least 1/100th of a second or faster to achieve a sharp photograph. Therefore, if you are shooting in a shady spot of the garden, you will need a tripod to achieve great results.

6. Katydid macro

Picture of a Katydid photographed with a Canon 400D SLR and a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens.

Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 100 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Program: Manual
Metering Mode: Pattern

Macro photography tip #9: Just because your macro lens can shoot with an aperture of f/2.8 doesn’t mean you should use it. For this shot, the ISO was upped to 400 speed so I could keep the aperture at a higher F number of f/11. This enabled me to get more of the Katydid in sharp focus. One of the mistakes I did when I first purchased my macro lens, was to keep the F number at a low F2.8 (just because I could). Later on I realised this wasn’t always a good idea, unless you intend on getting just the eye of an insect in focus.

7. Eye in the sky (photographed by 2minutes who can be found on flickr)

This macro shot of a butterfly was photographed with a Nikon D40 camera and a Nikon AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens.

Exposure (shutter speed): 0.002 sec (1/500)
Aperture: f/7.1
Focal Length: 105 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Program: Manual
Metering Mode: Pattern

Macro photography tip #10: When shooting macro, shutter speed is more important than ISO. Because this butterfly was moving around quite a bit, the photographer upped the ISO speed to 400, so he could keep a faster shutter speed of 1/500th of a second.

8. Fairyland

Macro photography tip #11: Learn to see. This is what I’ve always imagined fairyland to be like However, in actual fact it’s a macro shot of the tiniest moss, found at the bottom of an orchid pot. This is the beauty of macro photography, in that you get to really appreciate the smaller things in life and see them in a whole different light.

The camera was a Canon 400D SLR and the lens a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro.

Exposure (shutter speed): 0.025 sec (1/40)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 100 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Program: Manual
Metering Mode: Pattern

9. Miss Ladybird

Photograph of a ladybird taken with a Canon 400D SLR and a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens.

Exposure (shutter speed): 0.002 sec (1/640)
Aperture: f/7.1
Focal Length: 100 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Program: Manual
Metering Mode: Pattern

Macro photography tip #12: If you don’t photograph the shot you initially want, that’s ok. The only reason the shutter speed is set to a fast 1/640th of a second in this case, is because I was attempting to capture the ladybird as it flies off. However, I wasn’t too successful this time around at getting one in flight. Although it’s still a personal favorite

10. Butt Heavy

Just had to love how hairy this little fellow was

Photo of a dragonfly taken with a Canon 400D SLR and a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens.

Exposure (shutter speed): 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 100 mm
ISO Speed: 400
Exposure Program: Manual
Metering Mode: Pattern

Macro photography tip #13: Make good use of morning sunlight to capture detail not seen otherwise. This particular photograph was taken at 8.30 in the morning with strong sunlight coming from behind the dragonfly. While many photographers don’t like shooting into the sun, I find when it comes to macro photography, it can often help to highlight an insects tiny hairs. You do need to be careful not to capture lens flare though. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Trying numerous angles also helps to find the best position.

What is the difference between macro, micro and closeup photography?

There is often much confusion amongst new photographers over the terms macro, micro and close up photography and how they differ. For starters, macro and micro usually refers to the same thing, in that Nikon names their range of ‘macro lenses’ with the word ’micro’. Canon on the other hand, calls them macro lenses.

For example, Nikons top macro lens is called AF-S VR Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED lens. Notice the term micro in that name.

Now for comparisons sake, Canon’s top macro lens is called a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 macro lens. This time, instead of seeing the term micro, you’ll notice the term macro within the lens name.

What does macro and micro refer to when it comes to photography?

The word macro means big, whereas the word micro mean small. So how is it that these two terms related?

If the subject you are photographing is small and you want to make it look big, you end up with a “macro” view of a “micro” subject.

What is macro (micro) photography?

Macro photography is that which is taken with a dedicated macro lens. A real macro lens has the capability of achieving in the least a 1:1 magnification. Just because a camera has the word macro written on it, doesn’t make it a true macro lens. Both the Nikon and Canon lenses mentioned above, are considered real macro lenses. If you’re not sure how to recognise a real macro lens, you may find an earlier article useful called, What is a real macro lens.

What is close up photography?

Close up photography, is the act of photographing objects such as flowers or insects in close range so the subject you are photographing fills the frame. In other words, it’s the act of photographing subjects close up. This is easily achievable with any lens, even a 300mm telephoto lens.

Macro photography is in essence close up photography as well. However, close up photography is not always considered as true macro photography. For example, if you have a lens that is NOT considered a real macro lens, yet offers a macro setting (as many do nowadays), this is usually refered to as being close up photography, and not true macro.

How to recognise the difference between macro and close up photography?

Capturing the finest detail, is one of the main differences between macro / micro photography and close up photography.

Macro lenses are expensive for a reason. That being, a true macro lens allows the photographer to capture finer detail than would otherwise have been seen. For example, the hairs on an insects face, or the pattern in its eye.

Take the two photographs below for example. The first image is a very good example of a close up photograph, taken with a Nikon telephoto lens. While the second photograph is a macro shot, allowing for bigger magnification and showing the finest detail.