![]() Likewise, the opposite works too, where a bright background and dark subject provide for interesting silhouette opportunities. This not only helps isolate the subject, but it also makes for visual drama. Speaking of moving the camera based on the background, if you first look for areas where bright light and deep shadow are in close proximity, you’ll have the opportunity to move the camera such that the subject is brightly lit, for instance, and the background is in shadow. Look For Edges Of Light To Divide Subject And Background In each case, achieving this requires first seeing what’s happening in the background, then choosing to move the camera-or the elements in the foreground and background-accordingly. But other times, a simplified, detail-free background might be called for it’s a great choice by default, in fact. Sometimes a photographer may want to focus on a colorful foreground flower and allow the flowers in the back to form a colorful, out-of-focus blur. With macro photography, those background details can become more of an issue because the tiniest changes in camera angle make huge changes to the background. New photographers tend to see only the center of interest and forget to examine background details. Wimberley Ground Plamp Examine The Background For outdoor macro photography, a Plamp (or two) is practically a must-have. For instance, they can be used to gently move other foliage out of the frame or to position a reflector or flag near the subject in order to control the lighting more precisely. Along with holding things in place, such clamps can also hold other useful things for the macro photographer too. The Plamp II clamps to the leg of a tripod while the articulating arm can be positioned to gently clip and hold foliage in place.Īnother model, the Ground Plamp, has a spike on one end to stick into the soil while the business end uses the same adjustable clip to persuade the subject to stay where you’d like. Using a device such as Wimberley’s Plamp, photographers can steady delicate foliage or flower stems without risk of damaging them. When your frame is only a few inches wide and depth of field just a few millimeters deep, even slight movements can be a real headache. Steady The Subject TooĪny photographer who has ever tried focusing on a delicate little flower in the slightest breeze knows how frustrating it can be to use a macro lens outdoors. Flying honey bee collecting bee pollen from apple blossom. The better the image stabilization, the sharper the picture, so if you won’t be using a tripod it’s best to invest in a dedicated macro lens with image stabilization built in. And that’s a recipe for blur if you’re not taking care to steady the camera as much as possible. Even at fast shutter speeds, because the macro lens amplifies everything, it’s also going to make the smallest movements seem massive. If your camera has focus peaking it can overlay highlights on sharp areas, which can be extremely helpful.For such a scenario, there’s nothing more useful than a macro lens with optical image stabilization (or vibration reduction) in order to help keep the camera steady. Using Live View to compose and focus your macro shots is often the easiest way, especially if your subject is static, as you can zoom in to the Live View display and manually fine-tune the focusing. We’re in manual mode at f/11, 1/250 sec, ISO640. At wide apertures, like f/4, the depth of field might only stretch to a few millimeters, so often it’s better to stop down to f/8 or more, to ensure a decent area of sharpness across your subject. Your aperture is key in macro photography. A focus rack is ideal for this, but if you don’t have one then a sliding tripod plate – like the one on our gimbal head here – can work just as well. Often when focusing it’s easiest to move the camera back and forth slightly. Alternatively, it can also provide shade when the sunlight is too harsh, and the diffusion panel can be useful for softening sunlight or flash.Ī tripod frees up your hands and enables you to perfect your focusing. ![]() Held opposite the light source, it can be used to bounce light back into the shadows. This is very useful for all kinds of photography, including macro. ![]() Some photographers like to attach the flash to the camera with a bracket, but if not you can simply hold it or use a stand. Fired directly, the flash can be too harsh – a small softbox attachment results in more diffuse, more natural light. They come in various focal lengths at shorter lengths, like the 15mm used here, the subject has to be very close to the lens for a true 1:1 capture.Ī speed light helps to lift your subject and bring out the colors. (Image credit: James Paterson / Digital Camera World)Ī macro lens enables you to frame close-up subjects at 1:1 view, meaning that the size of the subject can be recorded in its actual size on the image sensor.
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