Small world, big impact
Due to the shallow depth of
field that’s characteristic
of macro imaging, there
is great opportunity for
experimentation with light,
colour and detail, which can
be blended in various ways for
different effects
M
acrophotographyhastobeone
ofthemostengaginggenresof
photography.Whilelandscapes
havethepowertobeawe-inspiring,
andportraitsstirupcoreemotions,macro
bringsaboutsurprise,intrigueandwonder.
High-magnificationimagestakeusintoa
worldthatweallhaveaccesstobutseldom
see.Close-upshotsofinsects,flowerpetals
andtexturedsurfacescreatethesenseof
glimpsinganalternativedimension,madeall
themoreexcitingbytheknowledgethatmany
oftheseframescanbefoundwithoutleaving
ourowngarden.
Aswithanynichesubject,therearekey
challengesandtechniquesthatarespecific
tothegenre.Whenworkingwithsuchhigh
magnificationsandcloseworkingdistances,
achievingcorrectfocusbecomesincreasingly
difficult,comparedtoothertypesofscene.
Thecorrectuseofmacrolensesalsorequires
somepracticeandpatience,asdoestheuse
oflightingequipment,accessoriesandeven
unwieldytripods.
Ratherthantryingtoadaptyourexisting
photoskillstotheworldofmacroimaging,
it’sgenerallyfarmoreeffectivetostart
fromscratch.Whiletherulesofexposure,
compositionandfocusarethesame,the
actualshootingtechniqueyouneedto
succeedcanbecompletelyinverted.
Withthatinmind,here’sa completemacro
photographymasterclass.Learnhowbestto
approachindividualsubjecttypes,getmore
fromspecialistmacrogear,andovercomethe
mostchallengingtechnicaladjustments. ©
Gettyimages
Discover how to tackle the most challenging aspects of this
niche genre and capture your best close-up images yet