Photo Plus - USA (2019-07)

48 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com

THE MISSION

Use flash, reflectors

and unusual macro

lenses for beautiful

close-up photos

Time needed

One hour

Skill level

Intermediate

Kit needed

• Macro lens


• Tripod


• Speedlight


• Small softbox


• 5-in-1 reflector


• Spray bottle

Extraordinary

close-up images

Experiment with unusual focal lengths and simple lighting tricks

to enhance your macro photography, James Paterson explains

een in close-up, the

world reveals all kinds

of hitherto unnoticed

details, colours and

textures. We can use an

array of tricks to enhance

these close-up details. We’ll

explore a few options for

doing so in this project. To

start off, we’ll experiment with

different focal length macro

lenses. A typical focal length for

macro lenses is around 100mm,

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unusual lenses like the 15mm

wide-angle macro used for the

snail photo seen above. It’s a

crazy lens that’s a real challenge

to use, but offers a captivating

perspective for close-up photos.

As well as altering our

perspective, we can also

experiment with lighting. On a

bright sunny day, like the one we

were fortunate enough to have,

there’s plenty of light to play with,

but it’s not always the best quality

for close-up images. So we’ll look

at how to manipulate the daylight

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and diffuse harsh sunlight.

We’ll also explain how to add

in light of your own using a

Speedlight. Like sunlight, direct

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harsh, so we’ll use a handy little

softbox for more attractive results.

There are plenty of techniques

you can employ to enhance the

subjects, details and textures on

offer in the close-up world. From

choosing the right aperture to

hunting for bugs and spraying

glycerin-infused water. Let’s look

at some tricks of the trade...

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