We all love to see pictures of gorgeous sunsets, cute puppies, or even your friend’s selfie with a celebrity. But what about the things that are mostly unobserved or forgotten? A frostbitten leaf on a winter’s day, a ladybug mindlessly crawling over your hand, or the fine petals of a beautiful rose – our lives are full of tiny splendors that deserve to be captured.
Whether you’re interested in taking up a weekend hobby, or wish to enter the world of professional photography, learning how to shoot close-up shots is a beneficial skill. Jewelry, food, or clothing – someone has to take photos of new products for websites and catalogs. Take a look at these luxury watches to see how the pros do it.
Equipment
Many of today’s cameras do a decent job of allowing you to get up close and personal to your subject, most even have a ‘macro’ mode built-in when set to automatic. But if you’re going into this type of photography head first, then a dedicated macro lens from Canon, or another reputable brand, should be your first step. Attached to a digital SLR camera, the specialist lens will magnify your subject and bring out far more detail than a standard lens. Plus, the lens will improve depth-of-focus, allowing you to sharpen the features of your subject and blur any distracting background.
For additional worthwhile equipment, a tripod is particularly useful to reduce camera shake and maintain continuity if you’re taking several shots. Furthermore, a remote switch attached via a cable to your camera will allow you to stand back from your camera and still take photos. This is convenient especially for macro photography in nature, as there’s less risk of scaring off any insects or small birds and this also means you don’t have to keep your finger hovering over the shutter all day.
Subjects
As previously mentioned, insects such as bees, dragonflies, ladybugs, or butterflies that constantly hover close to flowers are a great source of inspiration for macro photography. For something a little bigger that feeds from a flower and would still look amazing captured by a macro lens, birds like cardinals, finches, waxwings, or blue jays would be your best bet.
For indoor macro shots, a home studio is easy enough to set up, then you can spend all the time in the world photographing jewelry, food items, or even a family member’s eye – all will reveal fascinating details in a photo.
The main point is to try out new methods in order to yield new and interesting results. Be patient with wildlife photography as well, as it can take some time to find the perfect shot. Most importantly, walk around nature or your own home, and look for unique things that that will look incredible when magnified.
