Macro photography can be real fun. Macro photography brings out the fineness and detail which is not usually seen by the human eye. The subject being larger than life definitely adds to the fun. Here are a few tips on how you can do better at macro photography.
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Camera Settings [Macro Mode]
The camera’s macro mode is designed to give you the best results for macro shots. It will automatically set the maximum aperture and other settings to get the best out of the shot.
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The Specialized Macro Lens
This is if your camera accepts interchangeable lenses. There are special lenses for macro photography which give you the best result. If you pursue keen interest in macro photography you should consider going in for a specialized lens for macro purpose. Or better yet you can try reverse lens technique for shooting extreme close-ups. Check out the tutorial here.
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Light Set-up
The direction of light can be used to bring the details in the texture (basically side lighting). It is thus important that the light does not fall from the direction of the camera. In simple words avoid using flash. Try to use existing light and use a reflector to cast light sideways which will enhance the details of the texture.
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Avoid Shadows
Being too close to the subject can result in you casting a shadow over the subject. Make sure you stay a safe distance.
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Avoid Parallax Error
At macro distances camera’s tend to amplify the difference between what shows up in the viewfinder and what shows up on the actual picture. This difference is referred to as parallax error. This happens when you are shooting with a compact camera. An SLR (or DSLR) shows you the same picture as you’d see from the lens and thus there is no parallax error.
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Depth Of Field Considerations
When you shoot macro it is important to remember that the depth of field is greatly reduced. This can look beautiful since it drives the viewer’s attention to the focus area. However other areas are left out of focus. If you like you can use a high f-number which will give you a small aperture, greater depth of field and an overall sharper image. If stopping down the f-number does not help, you can take multiple shots by varying the focus points and then stack the images to get crisp and sharp results.
How much of macro do you shoot?
you also want to make sure your macro lens is a good one and not a “I can afford this one today” lens. Cheaper lenses normally tend to be very soft .. you want a sharp lens for macros .. let the softness be controlled by DOF and any post-work where it benefits the image.