Outdoor Photographer - USA (2020-04)

I

have been drawn to macro photography almost from the first

time I picked up a camera. Macro photography allows us to

photograph the details in nature—which are endless. As we come

in closer and closer to our subjects, it’s a new world that we’re

seeing and photographing, sometimes for the first time.

At one-to-one or 1x magnification, the

physical size and the image size are the

same. I consider macro photography to

mean anything rendered at one-half life

size (0.5x) or greater within the frame.

It may be that you’d love to do some

macro photography but don’t know

where to begin. I’m here to say that with

some time and effort—along with using

the tips that follow—you’ll become a

successful macro photographer.

Basic Equipment For

Macro Photography

In my camera bag for taking macro pho-

tographs are lenses and accessories that

allow me to get close and focused on small

details. If you’re just getting started, check

out the macro lenses available for your

system. These will typically be in the

80mm to 100mm range. Lenses desig-

nated as “macro” lenses are the surest bet,

but you can do close-up photography with

a variety of lenses if they provide suitable

magnification and close-focusing ability.

As you become more experienced, you

might find yourself choosing among several

lenses, depending on the subject. I use the

following Canon lenses for macro work:

EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM

EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM

EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM

EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM

TS-E 90mm f/2.8 Tilt-Shift

Opposite top: Camellia blooms fallen

onto the ground and covered with

skeletonized leaves. Taken on tripod

with cable release using the Canon

EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM on

Fujichrome Velvia 100 film. Exposure:

1/4 sec., ƒ/22.

Opposite bottom: Emerald-eyed

tree frog (Hypsiboas crepitans), South

America. Use of a fill flash helped

ensure I’d freeze the frog’s movement

and also allowed the use of a smaller

aperture for the needed depth of

field. Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, Canon

EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM,

Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX flash.

Exposure: 1/200 sec. (the camera’s flash

sync speed), ƒ/27, ISO 400.

Above: Tailless swallowtail butterfly

from South America. Three light

sources were used: natural light, Canon

Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX flash and a

light with a softbox at 45 degrees from

the butterfly. The key to a composition

like this is to watch your focus and

make sure that the focal plane is

parallel to the subject. Canon EOS 5D

Mark III, EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro USM,

Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX flash.

Exposure: 1/20 sec., ƒ/8, ISO 400.

outdoorphotographer.com April 2020 35