TO EXPLORE THE MINIATURE WORLD OF MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY IN THE SHARPEST
DETAIL YOU NEED A SOLID UNDERSTANDING OF APERTURES AND DEPTH-OF-FIELDAPERTURES FOR CLOSE-UPS
G
ETTING A GLIMPSE at a subject's
building blocks, the tiny details that are
typically invisible to the naked eye and
make a subject exceptional, is a privilege to
witness as a photographer. As specialisms
go, none are more satisfying for curiosity
and skill-set as close-ups. The challenges it
presents to photographers are many due to
a narrow field-of-view, high magnifications
and shallow depth-of-field.
In many ways, what you've learnt about
apertures so far also only loosely applies to
close-ups. Whether you use a dedicated
macro lens or close-up attachment to
reduce the focusing distance and to magnify
a subject, you have to work around issues
with focusing and depth-of-field like no
other. It's a true test of your technique and
knowledge of apertures.
Based on what you've learnt already about
apertures, you'll know to isolate details from
surrounding distractions and you'll need a
shallow depth-of-field to emphasise the
subject. However, with close-ups, due to the
proximity of your subject to the camera and
its magnification, you work with a razor-thin
plane of focus, even at mid-apertures; often
f/8-f/11 still gives very limited depth-of-field.
As depth-of-field with close-ups is
measured in millimetres, your focusing is
critical. It’s essential to place the focus point
on the most important part of the scene and
this is generally best done using manual
focus. Single-point AF can work too but youmay find low light levels cause autofocus to
struggle. If a subject is flat and exists on a
single focal plane, you may find you can use
a wide aperture such as f/4 to get enough of
the subject acceptably sharp – if you ensure
the camera is on the same plane too. But, as
most subjects are three-dimensional, you
may need to stop the lens down between
f/11-f/18, consider moving farther away to
increase depth-of-field or fall back on
techniques like focus stacking.
Your background is crucial for close-ups
too. With macro photography, depth-of-
field roughly extends in equal proportions in
front and behind the point of focus, so you'll
need to bear that in mind when positioning
your background if you want a soft, diffused
finish. Narrow apertures also make light a big
concern. As the proximity and magnification
of a subject restricts the light entering the
lens, you may need to employ additional aid
by increasing the ISO rating, using a slower
shutter speed or introducing lighting like
flash or reflectors. Slow shutter speeds are
fine, however, if you’re working with
stationary subjects indoors and you’re tripod
mounted, but factor in wind, any subject
movement or shooting handheld, and you’ll
likely need a faster than average shutter
speed. It’s a challenging balancing act, but
that’swhysomanyphotographersadoreit.(^) ROSS HODDINO
TT
HADRANI
HASA
N/SHU
TTERSTOCK
WHETHER YOU USE A MACRO LENS OR CLOSE-UP ATTACHMENT TO
REDUCE THE FOCUSING DISTANCE AND MAGNIFY A SUBJECT, YOU INHERIT
ISSUES WITH FOCUSING AND DEPTH-OF-FIELD LIKE NO OTHER
Focus stacking is when you use a mid-aperture to
focus at different distances in your image, from
the front of a subject to its rear, when optimal
apertures simply won't provide sufficient
depth-of-field. It's popular with macro images
and landscapes alike. By shooting frames focused
at different depths you can blend the images in
post-production for the ultimate depth-of-field.
WHAT’S FOCUS STACKING?
Photo Masterclass
Right: Try adding a teleconverter to a long lens for its close-up
benefits. B elow: Using selective focusing, a mid-aperture and
a distant, clean background, you could get shots like this too.
TOP TIP
THREE WAYS TO
MAXIMISE DEPTH-OF-FIELD
- Put as much distance between your
camera and subject as possible, which is
why longer macro lenses like the 100mm/
105mm are popular choices. - Keep your camera’s sensor on the
same focal plane as your subject. - Use a mid-aperture
such as f/8 to f/11.
56 Digital SLR Photography December 2019