100 DIGITAL CAMERA^ OCTOBER 2019
Lighting macro
I love macro
photography, but
often find the lack
of light an issue. What’s
the best way to solve
this issue: using flash or
reflecting natural light?
Connie SmithA
Both options will be useful on
their day, Connie, so I wouldn’t
rule either out. When possible,
I prefer to use natural light, so
a small reflector is definitely something
I would recommend you have with you so
that you can diffuse or redirect the natural
light that’s available. I like to use a white
reflector to bounce light back onto subjects
like fungi, but that’s very much a matter
of choice. At times a silver reflector can
give the extra bit of edge required to
get the shot how you want it.
Of course, trying to use a reflector with
an active and probably an easily spookedsubject, like a butterfly or damselfly, is an
entirely different thing. Apart from scaring
them away, it’s not always possible to find
a position amongst the undergrowth
to actually place a reflector anyway.
In these circumstances, using flash
can make a big difference.
The key is to try and make the flash look
as natural as possible, so you want to light
your subject without overpowering the
scene. You can get a dedicated ring flash
for close-up work, but you can use a normal
flashgun and get excellent results. I work
manually with the flash off the camera
so I can position it an angle to the subject,
and I make sure the flash is
diffused to soften it.
The shot above was
taken with my 100mm
macro lens and an exposure
of 1/160 sec at f/5.6. The
damsel was in foliage, so
wasn’t receiving much light:
I lit it with a flashgun slightly
above and to the right. The
flash was manually set to an
eighth power, just to trickle
enough onto the subject
to make it pop out.Going full-frame
Q
I am considering
upgrading to a
full-frame camera.
Can you explain the benefits
of full-frame to me?
To by We irA
The most obvious, and possibly
the most important, factor is
that full-frame sensors – so
called because they are based
on a 35mm film frame – allow you to shoot
at higher ISOs without running into issues
with noise. That’s not to say that full-frame
sensors don’t suffer from noise issues –
they do – but they will allow you to shoot
at higher sensitivities without fear of noise
ruining your shot. This means you can work
more confidently and effectively in low-light
conditions. With a full-frame sensor, you
also get a greater dynamic range, so in
theory you can capture more of a scene
with a wide range of tones, including strong
highlights, midtones and deep shadows.
The other thing to consider is that
a full-frame sensor can give you a
shallower depth of field, which can be
very important for certain types of
photography – portraiture in particular.
Other than my first-ever DSLR, pre-full
frame cameras being available, I have
always used a full-frame camera. This way
I don’t need to consider the crop factor
inherent in smaller sensors that means
focal lengths are magnified. If I put on
a 50mm lens, I get 50mm! Maybe this
doesn’t really matter, but I think it can
be confusing to photography newcomers
to learn the focal length on their lens is
different for their non-full-frame camera.
The size of the camera sensor won’t
dictate whether you take a good image
or not, but full-frame sensors give you an
advantage at higher sensitivity and capture
greater detail. Full-frame cameras are
inevitably more expensive, so you have
to weigh benefit
against cost.Q
Careful use of flash
can boost a macro
photograph without
becoming artificial.