subscribe 0330 333 1113 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 7 March 2020 17
KIT LIST ▲Nikon D850 ▲ ▲
‘I’m a big fan of this DSLR for
macro work, as it offers such
a fine degree of control. I
can set up the AF joystick so
a small group of AF points
are selected, and it offers
focus peaking when
shooting with manual focus.’Quality tripod
Ross uses a Gitzo Systematic series
carbon tripod with a Manfrotto
405 geared head. Geared
heads enable you to
make very precise
micro adjustments to
composition, which suits the
fiddly nature of close-up work.Small LED
Small LED devices, like Manfrotto’s Lumimuse range,
are great lighting aids for macro wildlife work. They
can be camera-mounted
or handheld. With a
continuous light source,
you can preview the
effect before triggering
the shutter.ISO expertise
A few years ago I would have said keep your ISO as low
as possible to minimise noise, but it isn’t so much of an
issue now. With a lot of my subjects, even though they
may be stationary on grasses or fl owers, even the
smallest wind movement causes a huge amount of
problems for close-ups. In order to freeze out that
motion, especially early in the day or late in the evening
when there isn’t a huge amount of light, compensating
through higher ISO, with the benefi t of higher shutter
speeds, is a great option. As long as the image is well
exposed you can happily shoot macro at ISO 1600 and
higher. It’s also useful when shooting handheld to offset
your own movement.Back button focusing
When I am stalking an insect or larger wildlife, I will use
AF with back button focusing (BBF). I will select a single
focus point and move it over the abdomen or eye of the
creature I am shooting, depending on the viewpoint and
my creative intent. I can set up the joystick on my Nikon
D850 so I can activate a small group of AF points to help
me get exactly the right area in focus. BBF is not for
everyone, but it enables me to focus on a point, quickly
recompose if needed, and take the image.Use focus peaking
I fi nd focus peaking very helpful and I
defi nitely recommend using it if your camera
supports it – most mirrorless cameras offer
focus peaking, along with my Nikon D
SLR. It helps me to see the extent of the
depth of fi eld. With macro work, the depth of
fi eld is very shallow, it tends to fall roughly
50/50 either side of the point of focus.
Sometimes I am not necessarily even focusing
on an insect’s eye, perhaps it’s the fl uff or fur
on the insect’s body and front of their eye.
Using focus peaking with a good lens enables
this kind of selective precision focusing.