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MACRO PHOTOGRAPHYPHOTO WORKSHOP

Haje Jan Kamps

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Macro Photography Photo Workshop

Published byWiley Publishing, Inc.111 River StreetHoboken, NJ 07030-5774www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2007 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

ISBN: 978-0-470-11876-4Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, withouteither the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright ClearanceCenter, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 750-4744. Requests to the Publisher for permission should beaddressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax 201-748-6008, oronline at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS ORWARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFI-CALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULARPURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE ANDSTRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE UNDER-STANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONALSERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULDBE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. THE FACTTHAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEB SITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OFFURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THEORGANIZATION OR WEB SITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BEAWARE THAT INTERNET WEB SITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THISWORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ.

For general information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department withinthe U.S. at (800) 762-2974, outside the U.S. at (317) 572-3993 or fax (317) 572-4002.

Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2007925986

Trademarks: Wiley and the Wiley Publishing logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley and Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates. Canonis a registered trademark of Canon USA. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc. is not associatedwith any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

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About the Author

Haje Jan Kamps graduated with a degree in International Journalismfrom Liverpool John Moores University, and resolutely decreed hewould never work in journalism again. Instead, he started working as a freelance photographer and writer. As part of his company, Hajefounded www.photocritic.org. The Web site became one of the most-visited photography blogs when one of his creations — a macro exten-sion tube made out of a Pringles can — spread rapidly over the Internetvia blogs and news Web sites.

A couple of years later, Haje decided that he preferred keeping photography as a hobby. Naturally, he started a career in journalism.Haje currently works as an editor for an automotive magazine andlives in Bristol, England. When he is not working, writing, or takingphotos, Haje sleeps because there isn’t a lot of time left in the day.

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CreditsAcquisitions Editor

Kim Spilker

Senior Project Editor

Cricket Krengel

Project Editor

Linda A. Harrison

Technical Editor

Michael D. Sullivan

Copy Editor

Liz Lamoreux

Editorial Manager

Robyn Siesky

Vice President & Group Executive Publisher

Richard Swadley

Vice President & Publisher

Barry Pruett

Business Manager

Amy Knies

Book Designers

LeAndra HosierTina Hovanessian

Project Coordinator

Adrienne Martinez

Graphics and Production Specialists

Jonelle BurnsJennifer MayberryBarbara MooreShelley NorrisAmanda Spagnuolo

Quality Control Technician

Cynthia Fields

Cover Design

Daniela RichardsonLarry Vigon

Proofreading and Indexing

Shannon RamseyBroccoli Information Management

Bicentennial Logo

Richard J. Pacifico

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Acknowledgments

This book might never have existed without the help from several people. First and foremost, thepriceless input and contributions from the photographers who became involved with the project:Hilary Quinn, Amy Lane, Miha Grobovsek, Chris Nering, Katharina Butz, Matthieu Collomp, andJasmin Junger. The encouraging words and kind cooperation from Allan Teger were invaluable. AnnaBadley suffered through many of the chapters in their early guises, and without her contributions andinsights, this book would have been a lot less helpful. Also, a special thanks to Daniela Bowker forhelp, encouragement, proofreading, and the best lasagna known to man.

Hielke, Lizeth, Chris, Ashley, Matt, Elena, and the whole FC team: Thank you for your patience andfor offering distractions when they were needed the most.

A big thank you to Linda Harrison, Liz Lamoreux, and Michael D. Sullivan for your work in develop-ing, copy editing, and tech editing: The book is much better for your input.

Finally, Kim, Cricket, and Laura: I couldn’t have handpicked a better team to support me throughoutthe process of writing my first book if I had tried. It’s been a privilege working with you. Thank you.

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For Shuu-shuu.

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Contents

About the Author iii

Credits iv

Acknowledgments v

Foreword vii

Introduction 1

CHAPTER 1 First Steps Into a Macro World 3

What is Macro Photography? 4

The Challenge of Macro Photography 6Focus and depth of field 8Lighting 9Other challenges 10

Can I Afford to be a Macro Photographer? 10

Why Anyone Can Take Great Macro Photographs 12

Try It Now 14Compact digital cameras 14dSLR cameras 15

CHAPTER 2 Equipment 19

Macro on a Digital Compact Camera 20Close-up filters 20Adding lenses to a compact camera 23

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X

CONTENTS

Macro with a dSLR Camera 26Macro without buying additional equipment 27Close-up filters 27Dedicated macro lenses 27Tele converters 30Extension tubes 32Reversing rings 34Stacking lenses 35Bellows 37

Flash and Lighting 39External flash units 39Macro flash units 40Reflectors and diffusers 41

Tripods 43Tripod heads 44Focusing rails 44Special tripods 45

CHAPTER 3 Lighting in Macro Photography 49

Why Do You Need Good Lighting? 50Long shutter times 50Vibrations and movement 51Solution: Light — and lots of it! 52

Making the Most of Natural Light 54Shade versus direct sunlight 54Managing natural light 57Blocking light 58Reflectors 60Diffusers 61

Minimizing Vibrations 61Quieting your subjects 61Securing your camera 63Quelling movement from the camera 66

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XI

CONTENTS

Artificial Lighting 66Continuous lighting 67Instantaneous lighting 69

Using Light to Set the Mood 71Light direction 71Colored light 72Lighting the background 72

White Balance 74

CHAPTER 4 The Macro in Everyday Objects 77

A Different Way of Looking at the World 79There are macro opportunities everywhere 80Exploring the world around you 81

Action Macro Photography 85Falling droplets 85Burning matches 89

Photographing Shiny Objects 93Lighting 93Reflections 94

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XII

CONTENTS

CHAPTER 5 Flowers 99

Challenges when Photographing Outdoors 101Lighting 101Wind and weather 102Choosing a background 103Composition 103

Selecting Flowers to Photograph 104Wildflowers 105Buying flowers 107Flower shows 107

Working with Depth of Field 110What is depth of field? 110Working with shallow DOF 112Paralleling your subjects 114

Lighting Techniques 115Natural light 115Reflectors 116Flash 117Fill flash 118Backlighting 118Polarizer filters 118

CHAPTER 6 Textures 121

What are Textures? 123

Putting Textures into Context 125

Photographing Textures 127

Lighting Considerations 129

Compostition 130

Ideas for Textures Worth Trying 131

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XIII

CHAPTER 7 Insects 137

Photographing Insects 139

Approaching Insects 142

Working with Insects in Their Environment 144Herding insects 144Build an insect studio 147

Moving Subjects and Shallow Depth of Field 149

Photographing Insects in Flight 151

CHAPTER 8 Abstracts 157

Exploring Colors 159

Using Selective Focus for Artistic Expression 160

Introducing Grain 162

Painting with Light 164

Emphasizing Obscure Details 166

Taking a Closer Look at Magazines 167

CONTENTS

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XIV

CONTENTS

CHAPTER 9 People 173

Taking a Closer Look at Eyes 174Taking photos of eyes 175Red-eye effect 177

Macro-Inspired Portraiture 179Macro-photographing yourself 180Up close and personal with your models 182Add some humor 184

CHAPTER 10 The Digital Darkroom 188

Building a Digital Darkroom 191Your computer 191Your software 192

Understanding What All the Buttons Do 193Basic tools 194Selection tools 194Adding and removing stuff 196

Fixing Common Issues in Macro Photos 198Exposure 199Contrast 201

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XV

White balance and color tints 204Shallow depth of field 208Retouching images 211

Photographing in RAW Format 213

High-Level Digital Editing Techniques 214

Appendix A: Internet Resources 219

Appendix B: Contributing Photographers 225

Glossary 235

Index 243

CONTENTS

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Introduction

The fascination photographers have for macro photography is similar to the obsession astrologers havewith the sky above: There is a vast unknown to be discovered. You don’t necessarily need the mostexpensive equipment, but you do have to go looking for it.

Look around you. Can you see anything worth having a closer look at? If your answer is no, you mightnot be looking hard enough. Don’t worry, that is one of the things this book will help you with. Inaddition to giving you the tools, the theory, and the skills you need to be able to take good up-closephotos, I hope the photos in this book inspire you to the point that your shutter-finger twitches likethat of a gunslinger outside a saloon at high noon.

Throughout this book, I touch on all the aspects of macro photography. After a brief introduction, Ijump straight into the equipment you need to work on macro photography. I talk about lighting for awhile before getting into the proper photography stuff. Everyday objects, flowers, and insects are popu-lar topics in macro photography, so I’ve given them a chapter each to really get your creative juicesflowing. My personal favorites are photographing textures and abstract objects, so there are chapters onthose topics as well, along with an interesting section about how you can use macro photography tocapture the human body!

Finally, I show you how you can use digital image-editing techniques to fix small problems with yourphotos, and there are lots of tips on how to make your photos stand out more. If you still haven’t hadenough of macro photography (and why would you—it’s a fantastic field well worth exploring), I’vecreated a list of other resources you might want to look at in Appendix A.

Throughout this book, I might use somephotography slang and jargon. If you findyourself struggling at any point, leaf to theback of the book, where I’ve compiled aglossary with words you might have trou-ble with. Learn them all by heart, and youcan impress everyone at your local photog-raphy club with random technical terms!

Use this book as a technical guide andsource of ideas and inspiration. However,don’t ever let it tell you what to do.Amazing photography springs from pho-tographers who know all the rules, butbreak them for good reason.

Grab a camera and some macro tools,then get out there and break some rules.

ABOUT THIS PHOTOThis photo of a match-head was takenwith an extension tube I made myself out of an empty Pringles can.It was the birth of an obsession: macro photography.

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FIRS

T S

TE

PS

INTO

A M

AC

RO

WO

RLD

WHAT IS MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY?

THE CHALLENGE OF MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY

CAN I AFFORD TO BE A MACRO PHOTOGRAPHER?

WHY ANYONE CAN TAKE GREAT MACRO

PHOTOGRAPHS

TRY IT NOW

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You have purchased a camera, and you are readyto explore the world of tiny subjects, details, andsmall things. There is a whole new world outthere to be explored, with a vast number of excit-ing opportunities. Everywhere around you thereare fascinating patterns, shapes, and items thatlook amazing if you get close enough.

By the end of this chapter, you will have your firsttastes of macro photography, you will understandsome of the theory behind it, and you will seesome astounding photos that give you somethingto aim for as you start honing your macro photog-raphy skills.

WHAT IS MACROPHOTOGRAPHY?Macro photography is the art of taking picturesof subjects up close. Some photos might be of rel-atively large things — such as a hummingbird ora large flower — and others might be of minus-cule objects, such as the compound eye of a fly.However, macro photography isn’t just abouttaking pictures of small things; it can also bedetail shots of bigger subjects. In fact, some ofthe photos in this book are detail photos ofskyscrapers!

To many macro photographers, taking pictures isabout capturing phenomena, items, and eventsthat cannot easily be seen with the naked eye. Adroplet falling onto a plate (see 1-1), a humming-bird in flight (see 1-2), or bubbles rising up in aglass of champagne can be seen every day; but,unless you freeze their motion, it is impossible tofully appreciate their beauty or study them indetail. The delicate structure of a bubble or theintricate detail of an orchid might remain forevermysterious to us.

4

If you are curious about the technical definitionof a macro photograph, that is a grayer area.Historically, the definition was that the imagehad to be on the scale of 1:1 on the negative.This means that if you took a picture of a coin,you could put the coin on the developed nega-tive, and the picture of the coin was exactly thesame size as the coin.

Some sources claim that to be considered amacro photograph, the subject has to be the samesize as — or larger than — its reproduction inprint, as illustrated in 1-3. In other words, whenyou have your images printed, the prints youreceive have to be a 1:1 reproduction of the coin.To me, this seems a bit impractical, becausealmost any photo you take can be a macro photo:You just need to enlarge the negative.

Capturing a droplet as it hits a sur-face is one of the extremely special-

ized branches of macro photography. It isn’t easy, butit’s worth a try; you will be amazed at what you can cap-ture. Learn more about photographing everydayobjects — including falling droplets — in Chapter 4.

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1-1

ABOUT THIS PHOTO This photo of milk falling into a saucerwas lit with 2x500W floodlights. Taken with a Canon 135mm f/2.8 SoftFocus prime lens. 1/4000 sec., f/3.5 at ISO 100.

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Ultimately, the definition of macro photographyhas changed over time — and digital technologyhas changed it even more. Macro photographyhas morphed into the act of taking pictures ofsmall areas of a larger subject or of small subjects.That is as good a definition as any. I’m not hereto split hairs; I’m in the business of taking pic-tures of them.

It is important to remember that anything canbecome a macro subject. Although two of themost eye-catching areas of macro photographyare insects and flowers, you can explore manyother subject options up close. The textures andshapes of foodstuffs, for example, might make aninteresting theme for a macro photography proj-ect. Different fabrics, types of paper, animal furs,

MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO WORKSHOP / First Steps into a Macro World

1-2

ABOUT THIS PHOTO Hunting hummingbirds wins two prizes:Most rewarding and most frustrating photograph ever. It isn’t impossi-ble; it just takes a lot of patience and practice. Taken with a Canon50mm f/1.8 mkII prime lens. 1/500 sec., f/6.3 at ISO 200.

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mechanical objects, and even the human bodycan make for exciting exploration.

Have you ever flown in an airplane over yourown house and looked down, only to realize howdifferent everything looks from a distance? Youhave that same kind of perspective when you getinto macro photography — the world can beobserved from an entirely different perspective,and the rules of how you see things drasticallychange. The wristwatch you have worn for fiveyears, and look at every day, might be a patch-work of fascinating, fine scratches, beautifulmaterials, and intricate reflections — and that’sjust on the outside. The inside harbors a widearray of small cogs, levers, and springs, or a col-lection of exciting electronic components.

Teaching yourself to see macro photographyopportunities everywhere you look is half the

6

battle in finding the most rewarding photos.It is quite satisfying to have friends look longand hard at a photo on your wall, say they lovethe look of it, but admit they don’t know whatit is. The stunned look on their faces after youexplain what they are looking at is priceless.

THE CHALLENGE OF MACROPHOTOGRAPHYTaking photos of small areas of larger subjects, oftiny subjects, or of small items is a rather refresh-ing approach to photography. Landscapes andportraits are great, of course, but you can seeplenty of people nearly everywhere you go, and ifyou want landscapes, you can go for a walk in thecountryside. In addition, you can choose to re-interpret these classic themes as macro photos.

1-3

ABOUT THIS PHOTO Macro photography allows you to getextremely close to your subjects, such as this feather. Taken with a Canon55mm macro lens, 1/60 sec., f/5.6 at ISO 400. Photo by Hillary Quinn.

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You can’t express the grandeur of a landscapeas a macro photograph, but you can pick outdetails representative of where you are, as illus-trated in 1-4. Portraiture can be done with an upclose twist on things, too, commonly by photo-graphing someone’s eye (see 1-5), but as withother photography, only your imagination limitsyour ideas.

Macro photography is challenging because manyof the rules that apply to other branches of pho-tography are meaningless when you start gettingclose enough for the results you want. If you wantto partake in extreme macro photography, youend up very close to your subjects. In many cases,such as when photographing insects, you mightfind that your lens practically touches what youare trying to photograph, which creates a varietyof challenges that do not occur in other types ofphotography.

MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO WORKSHOP / First Steps into a Macro World

1-4

ABOUT THESE PHOTOS Figure 1-4 is an example of a land-scape in macro form. The connotations of barbed wire give it a sinisterfeel. Taken with a Canon 28-135mm f/3.5 macro lens. 1/350 sec., f/3.5at ISO 100. In figure 1-5, the dramatic circular shapes make a strikingphotograph. Taken with a Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 macro lens and a MT-24EX macro Twin Lite flash. 1/125 sec., f/16 at ISO 100. Photo byDaniela Bowker.

1-5

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8

A high DOF means that a lot more of your pho-tograph is in focus. For macro purposes, limitedDOF means that the amount of your subject thatis in focus is drastically lower than if you were totake portrait photos, for example.

1-6

FOCUS AND DEPTH OF FIELD

Focusing is one of the biggest challenges youencounter in macro photography. To get sharpphotos, your focusing has to be accurate, becausethe closer you are to your subjects, the lower yourdepth of field (DOF). A low DOF means that onlya limited depth of your image is in focus. See 1-6for an example of a photo that demonstrates thelimited DOF you have in macro photography.

ABOUT THIS PHOTO A brushed metal surface shows how rap-idly an image falls out of focus. The area in focus is less than a millime-ter wide. Taken with a Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 macro lens and aMT-24EX macro Twin Lite flash. 1/125 sec., f/5.6 at ISO 100.

Find out everything you need toknow about macro photographyequipment in Chapter 2.

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In addition to a limited DOF, most methods oftaking macro photographs render the focusingring on your lenses useless. With few exceptions,if you’re going in close enough, you have to focusby moving your whole camera closer to — or far-ther away from — your subject. This does take abit of practice, but it isn’t nearly as difficult as itsounds. There are a few things that help youfocus better. For example, a sturdy tripod with amacro focusing rail makes the process infinitelyeasier because you can make minute changes toyour focus, evaluating as you go.

LIGHTING

When working with macro photography, lightingis a serious challenge. Getting in close to yoursubject is easy if you use the right combinationsof equipment, but generally, you lose a lot of lightin the process. This means that you must uselonger shutter times. When you consider howsensitive macro photography is to focusing andmovement of the camera, the subject, or both,these longer shutter times can present a problem.One solution is to use artificial lighting, as wasdone in 1-7.

When your camera is very close to what you arephotographing, much of the light you need isblocked out, just when you need it the most. Youcan help this by making the best of availablelight. Using reflectors to guide the light where youwant it, using diffusers to make the light moreomni-directional, and reducing shadows and fill-flash can help you get extra light where you wantit. Finally, it is possible to do macro photographyin a studio where you have full control over allthe light, for maximum flexibility.

MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO WORKSHOP / First Steps into a Macro World

In Chapter 3, I walk you through thepossibilities and challenges of the

light surrounding your photos. I also provide you withtips on how you can corral both the ambient light andartificial light to your advantage for the best resultswith your macro photos.

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ABOUT THIS PHOTO By photographing in a studio with care-fully controlled lights, you can create stunning images. Taken with aCanon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 macro lens and two external flashes. 1/200 sec.,f/7.1 at ISO 100. Photo by Matthieu Collomp.

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OTHER CHALLENGES

There are dozens of little obstacles you are likelyto come across as you become more active andproficient at macro photography. Lens choice,filter use, which tripods are most suitable, choiceof ISO, how to capture moving insects, use ofreflectors, and the best way to enhance your pho-tos digitally after they are captured are all exam-ined in this book, either in Chapter 2, whichdeals with equipment, or in the chapter relevantto what you are photographing: flowers inChapter 5, insects in Chapter 7, and so on.

The people around you might think you arebecoming a bit loony because you are constantlyexploring seemingly normal objects and gettingterribly excited about things that your friends failto understand — until they see the results of yourendeavors, of course. See 1-8 for an inspiringexample of making all the right choices.

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CAN I AFFORD TO BE AMACRO PHOTOGRAPHER?There is no doubt that photography can becostly — it seems that there is no end to thegadgets you can purchase for your camera.However, macro photography doesn’t have tocost you a week’s wages; it can be as affordableor expensive as you want it to be. It is perfectlypossible to take stunning photographs — like1-9 — without incurring any cost at all! Thisphoto was taken by reversing a lens: holding itback-to-front against the camera body.

If you have a compact digital camera, you alreadyhave everything you need to get started. Mostcompact digital cameras have a macro mode,which allows you to get in close without anyadditional equipment.

If you have digital single lens reflex (dSLR) camerabody, you have more options when taking macroshots. You can start taking macro photos rightnow without investing more money. In addition,only your imagination and your budget limit howclose you can get to your subjects.

Assuming you already have a digital camera ofsome description, you don’t have to invest a lotof money to be able to enjoy macro photography;at least until you decide if you want to specializefurther in this photography genre.

1-8

ABOUT THIS PHOTO The dried out texture of old paint was litby sunlight from one side. Using a reflector on the right side signifi-cantly lifted the shadows. Taken with a Canon 28-135 f/3.5 IS macro lens.1/200 sec., f/8 at ISO 100.

Find out how and why holding alens back-to-front against the cam-era body is a cheap way of tryingmacro photography in Chapter 2!

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Generally, the more you want to magnify a sub-ject, the more it costs you. You should be able toget 1:2 reproductions (meaning half life size)without spending any money. It might not soundlike much, but even at this magnification, youcan take stunning photos of most things, includ-ing flowers and insects (see 1-10).

If you want to get in closer than 1:2, you startto look at spending some money, but getting to1:1 and even 2:1 (life size and twice life size) isrelatively easy and doesn’t have to break the pig-gybank. Getting beyond twice life size is where

real costs start occurring, but there are also waysaround many of the costs, including using someinexpensive techniques, making some of theequipment yourself, and minimizing the cost ofthe equipment you select.

Although there are ways to get up close with acompact digital camera, if you are serious aboutmacro photography, you should consider invest-ing in a dSLR. The design of a dSLR systemmakes attaching, modifying, and experimentingwith different lenses, attachments, and acces-sories easier.

MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO WORKSHOP / First Steps into a Macro World

1-9

ABOUT THIS PHOTO Getting this close doesn’t have to costyou anything. This photo was taken by holding a Canon 50mm f/1.8 lensfront-first against the camera body. 1/500 sec.,f/1.8 ISO 250. Photo byHillary Quinn.

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