Macro photography with telephoto lens
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.
To watch the video tutorial above, press the go arrow
