I was acquainted with the term macro photography over 30 years ago, when I first became interested in taking photographs. I saw close-ups of leaves, flowers, bugs and other stuff in nature photography books and wondered why I could not replicate those with my basic film camera and the standard 50mm f/1.8 lens. That was the typical film camera sold back in those days, they’d slap a standard 50mm lens on a camera body and give you a good deal. Although, I used my father’s Minolta at the time. There was no autofocus on that camera, no fancy metering, no more than about 3 frames per second shooting speed, no high ISO capability and so on. Because I would have to change film to achieve a change in ISO. Oh yes, those old days, back in the time of Jurassic Park, or so it seems when you compared to what you can achieve with good gear today.
In practice, the macro photography bug bit me during my scuba diving days from 1995 onwards. I was using a Nikonos system with a 35mm lens and extension tubes. I had a 1:3, 1:2, 1:1 and 2:1 extension tube, giving me those magnifications when placed between the lens and the camera. You are thinking what are all these numbers? It’s best to explain a little about how to photograph the small stuff.
What is macro photography? It is also referred to as photomicrography. This is a type of photography to capture small items on camera that are still visible to the naked eye. The term macro photography means that we are using life-size magnification, called 1:1 magnification, or more to capture images. Photography that magnifies at ratios larger than 1:1, say 1:2, 1:3 and so on, is close-up photography, not true macro. I just refer to most of my photography as macro when I have a macro lens on, even if I am just taking close-ups.
Shooting macro, in the strictest sense, simply means that if your subject is at the lens’ minimum focus distance (MFD), then the resolving power of the lens will give you an image of your subject at life size, or 1:1 ratio (see first image at the top of the nudibranch). It’s that simple. Let’s say you were shooting with a full frame camera that has a sensor size of 36mm x 24mm. You attach your macro lens, get really close (to the MFD) of your lens, and take a photo of a ruler at the MFD. You will see all 36mm of markings along the ruler, from one edge of your frame to the other. This is at 1:1 magnification. If your lens is capable of even more magnification, then at 2:1 you would only see 18mm at the MFD of your lens, at 3:1 you would see 12mm and at 4:1 you would see 9mm only. Therefore, the magnification becomes greater and you can see even more amazing detail.
It’s that simple in principle, but as with anything in the world of photography, there are a few caveats.
DEPTH OF FIELD
Depth of field limitations are real, even at small apertures. If you think you can stop your aperture down to something like f/16 and have a huge depth of field at 1:1 (or greater) magnification, then I am afraid that is not correct. At f/16 and 1:1 magnification, you have 1-2mm of depth of field if you are using a full-frame camera. At an aperture of f/16, you will also start dealing with refraction, which is an optical effect of the light passing through a much narrower opening in the lens, and it makes images softer. Now you also have to consider the trade-off between absolute sharpness or having a tiny bit more in focus. One way that modern cameras allow for sharp images of especially static subjects, is by having in-camera focus stacking capabilities. Many OM System cameras have this computational mode featured in the menu, and other brands now also have this ability as well. This means, that you can set the function of this capture method to take a number of images of the same subject at different points of focus, then the software in the camera will create a final composite. The OM System cameras produce a final high resolution jpeg composite and save all the image slices as RAW files so you can use software like Helicon Focus or Zerene Stacker to stack them yourself on your computer later, too.
Since I am discussing focus stacking and bracketing, I need to explain the main difference between the two methods of getting a wider depth of field.
- Focus stacking is a computational feature inside the camera, where you can set (via the user menu) a number of things:
- focus differential – which sets how narrow or wide the points of focus will be along the subject. The setting goes from shallow (1) to wide (10). Experimenting with this setting will make you realise which settings works better in a given scenario,
- number of frames you want to take – up to 15 in an OM System camera,
- flash charge time from 0 second to to 2 seconds.
- Focus bracketing is where you set your focus to manual focus, then steady yourself and slowly move the lens forward from the starting focus point on your subject in the direction you want to increase the depth of field, then combine images in the computer using one of the common software applications to do that.
Focus stacking – in camera, in the field
Focus bracketing – in software later
Depth of field is also influenced by the focal length of your lens. If you compose an image – and ensure you are keeping the subject the same size in the frame – using a wide-angle lens (14mm) and a telephoto lens (200mm), the longer lens will have a shallower depth of field. With a wide lens you need to be closer to the subject to make it bigger in the frame, and with the telephoto lens, you can stay further back to achieve the same sized subject in the frame.
MOTION BLUR
As you close down your aperture, you will have to also slow down your shutter speed to maintain the same exposure. While you can use a tripod and ball head with a cable release to capture images, it’s not always possible, especially if you are trying to photograph living animals in the field.
Live creatures present their own challenges as they move about and won’t give you the option of using slow shutter speeds, so using either a flash, or very high ISO values would be required to stop motion blur. But at times even this is not possible. Many macro photographers who choose to shoot nature may at times struggle with keeping subjects still. It’s either waiting for the right moment, when the animal stops momentarily, that they can take a good shot, or they must not take the shot due to the risk of motion blur. A flash makes it easier, but it’s still challenging to work with moving subjects.
Wind can be another issue, because it moves subjects around as you are trying to shoot. You can sometimes use clips to steady a flower stem, for example, by clipping it to a tripod leg. I sometimes have success blocking the wind with my body, but it’s not always successful either.
LIGHTING
This is a big challenge for a lot of macro shooters, because the fact you are using small apertures (letting less light in), so you need to have light in big amounts. Therefore, you either have to slow down the shutter speed or add light artificially. On a still morning in the field, when light is low, you can use a tripod and cable release to take images of a static subject sitting in its place. That’s not an issue. But any other variable, eg, moving subject or environmental conditions will necessitate the use of artificial light, such as a flash with a diffuser.
This is a great way to get into macro photography, as the flash is mounted on the hot shoe, then the diffuser is attached to the flash head and you can start shooting immediately without worrying too much about motion blur. Well, you kind of still have to, but you will have a far greater hit rate of successful shots when using a flash and diffuser.
The diffuser is a fantastic addition to the flash, as the lighting becomes more flat and even, and appealing, rather than harsh when using flash along without any diffusion.
COMPOSITION
As with most other wildlife photography I do, for me, getting to eye level is what I prefer. A bug’s eye view, as I might say, is important to give the nicest perspective. However, especially with lively subjects where I have little time to decide, I often take a top view shot, then work with the subject carefully to try and capture something more intimate.
With most modern cameras having an LCD screen that flips wide open, it’s easy to get shots at eye level. Of course, a higher end camera will autofocus far quicker than an entry level one, but that’s not everything. You can still get some shots anyway.
Challenges aside, one of my favourite ways to spend a few quiet evening hours in the bush is using a small macro-outfit and go for a pleasant walk to find subjects ranging from insects to reptiles to photograph.
It is a highly addictive form of photography, as you will never run out of subjects within your lifetime!