U3A TVN Workshop

13 April 2013

Jon Cole

(Wokingham U3A)

Photography

(Macro)

Close-up

Workshop Components

• Introduction to close-up photography

• Equipment

• Basic techniques

– Composition

– Lighting

– Detail

• Summary – top tips

• Some photos

• Members photos (if time)

Introduction • Close-up photography

– Nano

– Micro (photomicrography)

– Macro (1:1 or greater)

Scanning-electron-microscope image of polymers covering a porous silicon mould Image courtesy of Materials Research Society Photomicrography

• What does a Magnification Ratio (MR) of 1:1 mean ?

– Subject image is “life-size”, i.e.: • if an insect is actually 10 mm in length and shows as 10 mm in length on

35 mm film or sensor diameter

• 2:1 (twice “life-size”) = 10 mm insect appears as 20 mm on 35 mm film or sensor diameter

– Probably only useful if need to determine the macro ability of your lens – true macro = 1:1 or greater

– Otherwise, use a ruler !

Understanding magnification in macro photography

Cameras • What camera for macro ?

– Compact/bridge/CSC/SLR (suggest not mobile phone, yet....)

– Depends on user requirements

– Sensor size an important consideration

Bridge £120-800

Compact System

£400-1200 + kit lens (usually)

DSLR (enthusiast) £700-2500 + kit lens (usually)

DSLR (pro)

£2500-9000 body only

Interchangeable lenses Fixed lenses (usually zoom)

Compact £20-500

Cameras

Compact/Bridge(low end) Bridge(high end)/CSC/SLR

Relatively inexpensive Tend to be expensive, often very

Small and lightweight Bulky and heavy to very heavy

Small sensor (good depth of field, but low resolution)

Large sensor (smaller apertures required, but high resolution)

Very close focussing possible Focus from a distance (more flexible)

Less control (aperture, shutter speed etc.) Much greater control

No viewfinder (difficult to focus in sunlight) Viewfinder & live (screen) view

Fixed lens Interchangeable lenses (not bridge)

More ‘noise’ in low light Less ‘noise’ in low light

Large ‘crop factor’ Small or no ‘crop factor’

Image stabilisation (if present) crude Image stabilisation more sophisticated

Shutter delay possible in cheaper models No shutter delay

Low burst rates High burst rates possible (up to 10 shots/sec)

Advantages/disadvantages of each type

Useful terms to understand • Lens aperture (f number)

– The size of the whole that lets light through to the film or sensor

– The smaller the hole the bigger the number, e.g. f22 is smaller than f5.6, so more light needed

– The smaller the hole the greater the depth of field (or focus)

f-stops 1.4, 2.0, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22 – light entering the lens halves with each increasing stop

• Shutter speed (speed of exposure to film or sensor) – The faster the speed the better the control of blur, but light reduced

• ISO (International Standards Organisation) – The sensitivity of the film or sensor to light (same as ASA in film)

– The higher the ISO the less light needed, but ‘noise’ increases

• All of above are out of your control with auto ‘point-n-shoot’

Nikon E4300 compact (5 mp) (outdoor, hand-held) Auto everything (69th sec at f2.8, ISO 100) Daylight (no flash)

Canon PowerShot A710 IS (7.1 mp) (outdoor, hand-held) Auto everything (60th sec at f2.8, ISO ?) Built-in flash (auto)

Compact Cameras • Small sensors allow very intimate focussing and good depth of focus

with large apertures, but not much more, especially on auto.....

SLR cameras – the lenses

• Macro lenses (for SLRs)

– Prime lenses specifically designed to photograph at life-size or greater

– Flat-field design for max sharpness from centre to edge

• Macro zoom lenses – convenient but lower quality

– Beware manufacturer’s claims re. magnification, not flat field

• Close-up lenses (often called close-up filters)

• Extension rings (for SLRs) – increase magnification

• Reversing ring for standard prime lenses

• Telephoto lenses

Normal lens

• Telephoto lenses

Canon EOS 7D DSLR (18 mp APS-C sensor) (outdoor, hand-held, IS on) Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens at 400 mm Auto focusing 1000th sec at f7.1, ISO 400 Daylight

Important considerations for a good macro image

• Composition

• Lighting

• Detail

– Focussing and sharpness

• Patience and persistence !

Composition • Position and placement

– ‘Rule of thirds’

– Prepare to get ‘down-n-dirty’

• Background

• Clutter & distractions

Olympus E-3 DSLR (10.1 mp 4/3 sensor) (outdoor, hand-held , IS on) Zuiko 70-300 mm f4-5.6 ED lens (at 300 mm) Manual focussing 250th sec at f11, ISO 800 Off-camera wireless flash (hand-held)

Composition

Crop of previous image, probably a better composition, but note noise – should have been taken as a separate shot at this magnification

Composition

Olympus E-3 DSLR (10.1 mp 4/3 sensor) (outdoor, hand-held, IS on) Tamron SP 90 mm f2.5 macro lens Manual focussing 125th sec at f5.6, ISO 100 (-0.7 stop bias) Built-in flash

• Consider the “rule of thirds”

Composition

Olympus E-3 DSLR (10.1 mp 4/3 sensor) (outdoor, hand-held, IS on) Tamron SP 90 mm f2.5 macro lens Manual focussing 125th sec at f5.6, ISO 100 (-0.7 stop bias) Built-in flash

• Consider the “rule of thirds”

Composition

Canon EOS 7D DSLR (18 mp APS-C sensor) (outdoor, hand-held , IS on) Canon EF 100 mm f2.8 L macro IS USM lens Manual focusing 200th sec at f11, ISO 200 Off-camera wireless flash with diffuser (hand-held)

• Cropping

Composition

Canon EOS 7D DSLR (18 mp APS-C sensor) (outdoor, hand-held , IS on) Canon EF 100 mm f2.8 L macro IS USM lens Manual focusing 250th sec at f18, ISO 100 Built-in flash

• Use a little water....

Composition

Canon EOS 7D DSLR (18 mp APS-C sensor) (outdoor, tripod , IS off) Canon EF 100 mm f2.8 L macro IS USM lens Manual focusing 200th sec at f22, ISO 100 Ring flash (Metz 15 MS-1 wireless)

• Why not monochrome ? (see next)

Composition

Canon EOS 7D DSLR (18 mp APS-C sensor) (outdoor, tripod , IS off) Canon EF 100 mm f2.8 L macro IS USM lens Manual focusing 200th sec at f22, ISO 100 Ring flash (Metz 15 MS-1 wireless)

• Why not monochrome ?

Composition

Canon EOS 7D DSLR (18 mp APS-C sensor) (outdoor, hand-held , IS on) Canon EF 100 mm f2.8 L macro IS USM lens Manual focusing 250th sec at f11, ISO 200 Ring flash (Metz 15 MS-1 wireless)

• Ultra close-up not always necessary for impact

Remove clutter

Composition

Canon EOS 7D DSLR (18 mp APS-C sensor) (outdoor, hand-held , IS on) Canon EF 100 mm f2.8 L macro IS USM lens Manual focusing 250th sec at f11, ISO 200 Ring flash (Metz 15 MS-1 wireless)

• Ultra close-up not always necessary for impact

Clutter removed

Composition

Canon EOS 7D DSLR (18 mp APS-C sensor) (outdoor, hand-held , IS on) Canon EF 100 mm f2.8 L macro IS USM lens Manual focusing 250th sec at f11, ISO 200 Ring flash (Metz 15 MS-1 wireless)

• Ultra close-up not always necessary for impact

Lighting

• Very important

– Natural – incident light/backlight

– Flash (single or multiple) • Enables hand-held outdoors

– Fill-in flash • Helps reduce or eliminate shadows while

adding contrast (life) to the image

• Often only possible in full manual mode

– Studio lighting

– A little help • Diffusers & reflectors (light tent), snoot

• Backlight

– Need to experiment

Canon EOS 7D DSLR (18 mp APS-C sensor) (Studio, tripod , IS off) Canon EF 100 mm f2.8 L macro IS USM lens Manual focusing 8th sec at f16, ISO 200 Ring flash (Metz 15 MS-1 wireless) 8 images stacked (CombineZP)

Ring flash reflection

Lighting

Olympus E-3 DSLR (10.1 mp 4/3 sensor) (studio, tripod , IS off) Tamron SP 90 mm f2.5 macro lens Manual focussing 1.6th sec at f16, ISO 100 Daylight with diffuser

• Diffuser

Lighting

Canon EOS 7D DSLR (18 mp APS-C sensor) (studio, tripod , IS off) Canon EF 100 mm f2.8 L macro IS USM lens Manual focusing 0.6 sec at f22, ISO 400 backlit by LED desk lamp

• Backlighting

Lighting

Canon EOS 7D DSLR (18 mp APS-C sensor) (outdoors, hand-held, IS on) Canon EF 100 mm f2.8 L macro IS USM lens Manual focusing 30th sec at f8, ISO 800 Daylight (no flash)

• Flash or no flash ?

Canon EOS 7D DSLR (18 mp APS-C sensor) (outdoors, hand-held, IS on) Canon EF 100 mm f2.8 L macro IS USM lens Manual focusing 160th sec at f16, ISO 100 Ring flash (Metz 15 MS-1 wireless)

Lighting

Canon EOS 7D DSLR (18 mp APS-C sensor) (studio, tripod , IS off) Canon EF 100 mm f2.8 L macro IS USM lens Manual focusing 60th sec at f22, ISO 400 remote flash (Nissin Di 622 Mark II

• Flash with reflector

Remote flash on right, no reflector used

Lighting

Canon EOS 7D DSLR (18 mp APS-C sensor) (studio, tripod , IS off) Canon EF 100 mm f2.8 L macro IS USM lens Manual focusing 60th sec at f22, ISO 400 remote flash (Nissin Di 622 Mark II)

• Flash with reflector

Remote flash on right, with reflector on left

Detail

• Focussing – Manual generally better than auto for macro

– If subject has eyes, focus on them

– A viewfinder helps (optical better than digital)

• Sharpness – Reduce vibration (hand-held & studio)

• Shutter speed as fast as possible

• Image stabilisation (not with tripod)

• Tripod or monopod

• Been bag

• Remote/cable release for shutter

• Timer release

• Mirror lock-up (only on DSLRs – automatic with live-view)

• Don’t breath....!

Detail • Understanding depth of field

– Aperture control • Do you want all of the subject in focus ?

Canon EOS 7D DSLR (18 mp APS-C sensor) (studio, tripod , IS off) Canon EF 100 mm f2.8 L macro IS USM lens Manual focusing ISO 400 Daylight (in light tent)

f2.8 1/160th sec

f8 1/25th sec

f22 1/3rd sec

Detail

• Depth of field (focus)

Olympus E-3 DSLR (10.1 mp 4/3 sensor) (outdoor, hand-held , IS on) Tamron SP 90 mm f2.5 macro lens Manual focussing 200th sec at f16, ISO 250 Daylight with diffuser

Detail • Understanding depth of field

– The closer you get the smaller the area in focus

– Try cropping

Canon EOS 7D DSLR (18 mp APS-C sensor) (studio, tripod , IS off) Canon EF 100 mm f2.8 L macro IS USM lens Manual focusing 0.6 sec at f22, ISO 400 backlit by LED desk lamp

Canon EOS 7D DSLR (18 mp APS-C sensor) (studio, tripod , IS off) Canon EF 100 mm f2.8 L macro IS USM lens Manual focusing 60th sec at f22, ISO 400 twin remote flash (Nissin Di 622 Mark II)

Cropped image

Original image (edges cropped away)

Original image

Detail • Sharpness

Olympus E-3 DSLR (10.1 mp 4/3 sensor) (studio, tripod , IS off) Tamron SP 90 mm f2.5 macro lens Manual focussing 30th sec at f22, ISO 200 Daylight (centre-weighted average)

Detail • Bokeh

Canon EOS 7D DSLR (18 mp APS-C sensor) (outdoor, tripod, IS off) Canon EF 100 mm f2.8 L macro IS USM lens Manual focusing 100th sec at f8, ISO 200 Daylight (no flash)

• Sharpness & depth of field

– Focus Stacking • Multiple images of different focus

points stacked by software

Detail

Canon EOS 7D DSLR (18 mp APS-C sensor) (studio, tripod , IS off) Canon MP-E 65 mm f2.8 macro lens Manual focusing 60th sec at f5.6, ISO 400 Incident tungsten x2 11 images stacked (CombineZP)

• Action – 1st attempt

Composition/Lighting/Detail

Canon EOS 7D DSLR (18 mp APS-C sensor) (studio, tripod , IS off) Canon EF 100 mm f2.8 L macro IS USM lens Manual focusing 250th sec at f8, ISO 400 On-board flash (Nissin Di 622 Mark II)

On-camera flash only – result not very exciting

• Action – 2nd attempt

Composition/Lighting/Detail

Canon EOS 7D DSLR (18 mp APS-C sensor) (studio, tripod , IS off) Canon EF 100 mm f2.8 L macro IS USM lens Manual focusing 250th sec at f16, ISO 200 Remote wireless flash (Nissin Di 622 Mark II) Backlit from below with overhead reflector

Backlit from below with remote flash, plus reflector held overhead and to the front – a much better result

Summary - top tips • Compose your shots carefully

– Position the subject (Rule of thirds)

– Consider background and clutter

• Where’s the light coming from ?

• Use a diffuser or reflector to soften and spread the light

• Flash – avoid direct or ring flash on shiny subjects

• Reduce blur – use tripod, fast shutter speed (needs lots of light), image stabilisation (not with tripod)

• Use a small aperture for greatest depth of focus (may need flash)

• Focus on eyes

• For a shoot – decide on your topic/subject and stick with it

• For insects outdoors early morning is best – Cooler, so activity slower

– Might have some condensation droplets to enhance the image