Macro Photography –
Tips for advanced users
In this blog I would like to give you a number of macro photography tips. Macro photography has always been a passion since I started photographing and over the years I have given many workshops and master classes in this. Through a recent collaboration with Photofacts Academy an online masterclass has been added. In this masterclass I will go deeper into macro photography.
This way you discover, among other things, what your point of view does, what the influence of aperture is, and especially how to create a certain one in your photo. Special techniques such as high-key and low-key are also discussed, and you learn all about the tools you can use to achieve the best results.
I guarantee you; after following this master class you will see the often hidden world of macro photography in a different way.
To make this collaboration even more festive, I would like to share some of my tips in this blog post. No technical story, but above all a number of tips and techniques that help you to make a varied portfolio! In the macro photography masterclass at Photofacts Academy I will of course go deeper into the technical side, but you will probably understand that two hours of footage cannot be summarized in a blog post 😉
Macro photography tip 1 : use a conversion lens
Even without a special macro lens, you can display your subject large on your sensor if you use a so-called conversion lens. This lens ensures that your focus distance is reduced so that you can get closer to your subject and it therefore appears larger on your sensor. I use one myself NiSi 77mm close up lens on my 70-200mm or on a 300mm. With an open aperture (small number), the background blurs very nicely and from F8 the sharpness is optimal. So with a minimal investment you could take your first steps in the world of macro photography.
Macro Photography Tip 2: Get to eye level
Images with eye contact have more impact. So I always choose to always approach the subject at eye level. This has an additional advantage; because we have no ground, twigs and disturbing elements in the background, we also get that beautiful bokeh that we often look for.
It goes without saying that the eyes must also be sharp!
Macro photography Tip 3: Use flash units
Using flashes in macro photography can freeze movement, but you can also use them creatively. The photo above was taken in the middle of the day with bright sunlight in the background. Yet it looks like I took it at night….
By underexposing so far that the photo is completely dark, I created my base. I then use two flashes to illuminate my subject in this dark image. 1 flash in the background for the so-called rim-light, the other from the front to illuminate the spider itself.
Macro photography Tip 4: try using a vintage lens
As a macro photographer, we are often looking for a certain uniqueness in our image, we want to do more than just register. By using so-called vintage lenses, we can give our image our own twist. Consider, for example, lenses such as the Meyer Optik Gorlitz 135mm for its beautiful bokeh circles. In this case I used a Helios lens of which I also turned the front lens element. There's no arguing about taste, but it sure is surprising!
Macro photography Tip 5: Go for maximum magnification
Our regular macro lenses with maximum magnifications of 1 to 1 are not suitable for displaying smaller subjects. This miniscule sea flea would still be shown too small. Now there are special macro lenses with which we can enlarge up to 5x, but fortunately there are also other solutions. Extension rings and bellows devices increase the distance from your lens to the sensor, giving you greater magnification on your sensor. In this way you do not create a search image, but an image with impact.
But macro photography tips? Then read on, we're halfway there!
Macro photography Tip 6: Try using a slower shutter speed
Although we often use short shutter speeds to ensure that our image is displayed as sharply as possible, a slower shutter speed also offers opportunities! For example, in this example I use a shutter speed of 1/50s to represent the dynamics of the fluttering butterfly.
Macro Photography Tip 7: High – Key
Gray skies or white backgrounds? Ingredients where I always have the option of a High-Key in mind. Here you ensure that your image is considerably overexposed, so that the gray sky in the background is overexposed and therefore white. Your subject is preferably in the shade so that it gets a normal exposure by overexposing your entire image.
Macro photography Tip 8: Multiple exposure
You can surprise the viewer by applying multiple exposures in macro photography. For example, I made this image in the camera by capturing the same dragonfly twice. The first time in his rest position, the second time I waited for him to take a different position.
In this way we suddenly turn 1 subject into two subjects in one image. The possibilities of multiple exposure are almost limitless, experiment with it!
Macro photography Tip 9: Experiment with LED light
With my background as a light painter and a preference for working with artificial light, I also like to apply this technique in my macro photography. In this case, I'm experimenting with one Nanlite Pavotube 6C and my white balance to create a glow-in-the-dark effect. Bringing your own light ensures that you are no longer dependent on the beautiful sunrise or sunset because you are the one who determines the light!
Macro photography Tip 10: go for the soft-focus look
Soft focus and flowers, a combination that always works! You can photograph through vegetation for this, but sometimes it is not in a suitable place. A little vaseline on your (old) UV filter works wonders in such a case. Don't you like that oiliness? Then a soft-focus lens offers a solution. The Lens Baby products naturally have solutions for this, I myself have a somewhat classic attitude; for the image here crooks I use a 135mm soft-focus lens on my Pentax 645Z. The degree to which my aperture is more or less open determines the degree of blur.
Macro photography Tip 11: Look at the background!
I save the most important macro photography tips for last. Always look at your background because it is so incredibly decisive for your image. you don't want any unrest or disturbing elements (or colors) in this. The background should support your subject, not get in the way.
With these macro photography tips I have only lifted a corner of the veil and I hope that I have been able to give you some ideas that you can get started with. Would you like to practice these techniques with me in the field? Then join one of my macro photography workshops or learn all the ins and outs from your lazy chair with the online course at Photofacts Academy! if you already have a question, leave a comment on this blog post!
