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Basics of Macro Photography

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Basics of Macro Photography Basics of Macro Photography f11, 1/160, ISO 200, strobes 40% power Shooting Macro Macro subjects are typically 1 inch in length or less. Interchangeable lens cameras use lenses that do 1:1 reproduction. This allows you to “Fill the Frame” with subjects often measured in centimeters and millimeters Popular macro lenses for interchangeable lens cameras include; f2.8, 60mm, 100mm and 105mm. For compact/fixed lens cameras diopters/wet lenses can be used. Typically an ISO of 100 (or lowest ISO possible) is used when shooting macro. This will give you the best image quality and help if you decide to crop the photo in post processing. Typical starting macro settings for compact cameras when shooting in manual: ISO 100, f/8, 1/80, strobe ½ power. For slr/mirrorless: ISO 100, f/14, 1/125, strobe ½+ power. Do not use auto ISO. Shots will be over-exposed. Aperture Priority is a good choice for those who do not want to shoot in full manual. Depth of Field DOF will define how much your image is in focus “nose to tail.” DOF is controlled by f/stop. The bigger the number, the sharper the image front to back. Apertures of f/11 – f/22 are typical. Due to modern electronics, very high apertures will have more in focus, but will be softer overall. Mid-range apertures are generally better. At higher apertures, being very steady is important. If you rock backwards or forwards just a little bit you can lose or attain focus. Using spot focus, and the “half press” focus lock, then rocking in and out, you can easily move focus to the eye of the subject or other area. f16, 1/100, ISO 200, Strobes 50% power For Macro you can shoot in “TTL” and still take some control by shooting in Aperture Priority. You set the Aperture and the system will take care of the other settings. As you see in the adjoining image the higher the f/stop the less light that is striking the sensor. If shooting in Manual to get proper exposure, you will need to do one, or some combination of: 1. Increase strobe power 2. Move your light closer to the subject 3. Reduce shutter speed 4. Increase the ISO Courtesy of katieelaine824 With high f/stops you can more easily isolate your main subject on a black background. For “black backgrounds” typical settings are: ISO100, f22, 1/125, strobes at ½-full power. Lower f/stops in the range of f2.8 – f5.6 will leave more of the image background “blurred”. This helps draw the eye to the part in focus. This effect is called bokeh; “the effect of a soft out-of-focus background that you get when shooting a subject, using a fast lens, at the widest aperture, such as f/2.8 or wider”. - Nikon newsletter Super Macro Super Macro is achieved when equipment is employed to capture an image at greater than 1:1 reproduction, or of creatures just a few millimeters in size. Popular DSLR lenses for super macro include various versions of f2.8, 100mm & 105mm macro lenses. Crop sensor cameras automatically increase the magnification of lenses. The current best choice for 4/3 cameras is the Olympus 60mm f2.8 Macro lens. Due to the crop factor on most 4/3 cameras it really is a 35mm equivalent 120mm lens. DSLR cameras can also use tele-converters to increase the effective focal length of a lens by magnifying the central portion of the image. A 1.4x tele-converter makes you’re your 100mm lens an 140mm lens. This can be useful when wanting to shoot shy creatures, or adding diopters for super macro. It gives you more “working distance” for lighting. Tele-converters do have some negatives. Tele-converters reduce the light hitting the sensor. This can slow the autofocus feature of most cameras. A f2.8 lens with a 2x tele- converter becomes a f5.6. The most common method for both Interchangeable lens, and compact fixed lens cameras, to attain super macro is the use of diopter lenses. Diopters DO NOT “magnify” the subject. Camera lenses have a “minimum focal distance.” The lens will not focus if you get closer to the subject than the minimum focal distance. Diopters reduce the minimum focal distance. Diopters allow you to get closer to the subject, thus filling more of the frame with the subject. The stronger the Diopter the closer to the subject the camera will be. Most diopters are threaded front and back, so you can “stack” them for more power. But this process introduces more glass and can increase chromatic aberration. Chromatic aberration in optics, is a type distortion in which there is a failure of a lens to focus all colors to the same convergence point. This can result in a blue, purple or green outline or “fringe” around the subject. Stacking diopters and increasing power also reduces the depth of field for focus. There is a point where stacking diopters becomes ineffective. In part due to the lens needing to be so close to the subject to get focus you will be touching the subject. Two Strobe Macro Set-up Start with both strobes alongside your port, pointed straight forward. Backscatter is less of an issue when shooting macro, but if in low viz conditions you can pivot the strobe head in and out. Depending on the subject you can move the strobes “up” to get light to fall on the “top” of the subject. Again the eye is accustomed to seeing light shining down and from the left on subjects. 1 2 One Strobe Macro Set-Up The closer the subject is to your port the closer the strobe can be to the port. Often the strobe needs to be moved forward so light can clear the port. 3 For larger subjects, the strobe can stay centered over the port but move straight up and back behind the plane of the port. In this image the strobe is positioned too far to the right. It should have been in the “12 o’clock position” centered over the port. Typically viewers are accustomed to seeing shadows cast from nose to tail. Remember to “lead” your subject. Here the strobe is positioned to have the light/shadow go front to back - lighting the side facing the camera lens. Due to the nature of snoots, the strobe is often set to ¾% - 100% power. Use your standard Macro camera settings. You can adjust ISO to darken or lighten the background. Using a snoot typically results working with just 1-2 subjects during a dive. Part of the “Guides to UW Photography” Series Author Martin Heyn More chapters and other free info at: www.OpticalOceanSales.com/Education 1800 Westlake Ave. N, Seattle, WA 98109 800-359-1295 / 206-284-1142 [email protected] © 2013 Optical Ocean Sales, LLC .
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