MACRO AND CLOSE-UP
PHOTOGRAPHY
Roy Killen, EFIAP, GMPSA, GMAPS, APSEM
May 2016
(c) Roy Killen 2016
CONTENTS
Macrodefinitions
1
Techniquesforclose-upphotography
2
Standardlenses
2
Auxiliaryclose-uplenses
3
Extensiontubes
4
Bellows
5
Reversingthelens
6
Macrosettingonazoomlens
7
‘True’macrolenses
7
Specialisedmacrolenses
Thedepthoffieldproblem
11
12
Effectofapertureondepthoffield
12
Effectofworkingdistanceondepthoffield
14
Effectoffocallengthondepthoffield
15
Achievingsatisfactorydepthoffield
15
Cameraposition
15
Aperture
16
Multipleexposuresandfocusstacking
17
Tilt-ShiftLenses
19
Lightingformacrophotography
21
Electronicflash
21
Continuouslightsources
25
Macrophotographyinnaturallight
27
Croppingandenlarging
28
Conclusion
30
(c) Roy Killen 2016
Macro definitions
ThetraditionaldeQinitionofmacrophotographywasthatthesizeoftheimageonthe
Qilmwasthesameasthesizeoftheobjectbeingphotography.Thiswasreferredtoas
1:1reproduction.WhentheimageontheQilmwashalfthesizeoftherealobjectthis
wasreferredtoasamagniQicationratioof1:2.
ThiswasasensibledeQinitionbecausethesizeoftheimageontheQilmwas
independentofthetypeofQilm(colour,mono,slide)andtheformatoftheQilm.The
imagesizedid,ofcourse,dependonthecameraandlensthatproducedit.Thesizeof
theimagewhenitwasprinteddependedonhowmuchitwasenlargedandthebasic
pointofmacrophotographywastoproduceprints(orimagesprojectedfromslides)
thatshowedobjects‘largerthanlife’sothatitwaseasytoseedetailsthatcouldnotbe
seenbythenakedeye.
Withdigitalphotographythesituationhaschangedsomewhat.Amacrolensisstill
deQinedasonethatwillproduceanimageonthecamerasensorthatisthesamesizeas
theobjectbeingphotographed.However,notallsensorsarethesamesizesoasubject
ofacertainsize(say1cmlong)willtakeupdifferentproportionsoftheframeon
differentsensors.Thisisillustratedinthefollowingtable:
Sensor name
Sensor size
1cm as % of
sensor width
Full frame
35.9 x 24 mm
28%
APS-C
23.6 x 15.6 mm
42%
Micro Four Thirds
17.3 x 13 mm
58%
One inch
12.8 x 9.6 mm
78%
1/1.7”
7.6 x 5.7 mm
132%
1/3.2”
4.54 x 3.43 mm
220%
Ifthecamera/lenscombinationiscapableofachieving1:1reproduction,asmaller
sensorwillappeartogivegreatermagniQicationoftheimagebecausethesamesize
imageiscoveringagreaterproportionofthesensorandhencemoreoftheimage
frame.
Inaddition,animageofaparticularsizeonthesensorcancovervastlydifferent
numbersofpixelondifferentsensors.Forexample,animage1cmlongona42MPfullframesensorwillcover2215pixels.Animage1cmlongona15MPfull-framesensor
willcover1337pixels.Thismattersbecausethepixeldimensionsofanimage
determinehowlargeitwillappearat100%sizeonacomputermonitor.
Whenanimageisprinteditssizedependsonthenumberofpixelsintheimageand
theresolutionoftheimage(howmanypixelsperinchareprinted).Sousingthe
exampleabove,the1cmimageonthesensorofthe42MPcamerawouldbeabout
19cmlongwhenprintedat300ppi.The1cmimageonthesensorofthe15MPcamera
wouldbeonly11cmlongwhenprintedat300ppi.
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Thismightallsoundabitconfusing,soit’ssimplesttothinkofitthisway:what
mattersintheendistheappearanceoftheQinalimage-onacomputerscreen,or
projectedontoascreen,orprinted.If,inthetraditionalsenseofmacrophotography,
wearetryingtoshowdetails‘largerthanlife’thenwhatweneedintheQinalimageis
detailsthatcannotbeseenbythenakedeye.Whetherornottheimageformedonthe
camerasensorwasthesamesizeastherealobjectisunimportant.Whatreallymatters
ishowlargewecanreproducetheimageonscreenorprintwithsufQicientdetailto
showwhatwewanttoshow.
Toavoidthetechnicalitieswecansimplyusetheterm‘close-upphotography’rather
thanmacrophotography.Mostpeopleusethesetermsinterchangeably.
Techniques for close-up photography
Therearetwobasicprinciplestorememberinclose-upphotography:
• Maximumimagesize(onthesensor)isachievedattheminimumfocusdistanceof
thelens.Lensesthataredesignedtogive1:1reproductionattheirminimumfocus
distancearereferredtoas‘true’macrolenses.
• Theminimumfocusdistanceofalensisafunctionofhowfaritsopticalcentreis
fromthesensor.Therearevariouswaystoalterthisphysicaldistanceandachieve
differentreproductionratiosfromaparticularlens.
Standard lenses
Astandardlensisonethathasafocallengthroughlyequivalenttothediagonalofthe
Qilmorimagesensor.Fora35mmQilmcameraorafull-framedigitalcamerathatfocal
lengthisabout43mm.Intraditional35mmphotography,aprimelenswasreferredto
asa‘standard’lensora‘normal’focallengthlensifithadanangleofviewsimilarto
thatofthehumaneye(around50-55degrees).Suchlensesenabledthecaptureof
imageswithanatural-lookingperspective.Althoughsomemanufactureshavemade
43mmlenses,itismorecommontoQind35mmand50mmlenseswhich,formost
practicalpurposesgivea‘standard’or‘normal’perspective.
Usedwithoutanyadaptations,a50mmlensisverylimitedforclose-upphotographyas
illustratedinthefollowingexample.
Lens:Nikon50mmf/1.4
Minimumfocusdistance:45cm
ToQilltheframeonafull-framesensortheobjectbeingphotographedwould
needtobeapproximately24cmlong.
However,therearevariouswaysinwhicha50mmlenscanbeadaptedforclose-up
photographyandseveralofthesearedescribedonthefollowingpages.Dependingon
thetypeofclose-upphotographyyouwanttodo,oneormoreofthesetechniquescan
beagoodwaytostartexploringthisQield.Goodquality50mmprimelensesare
relativelycheapwhencomparedwith‘true’macrolensesandsincetheycanalsobe
usedforgeneralphotographysuchalenscouldbeworthconsidering.
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Auxiliary close-up lenses
Thesearealsoknownassupplementarylensesorclose-upQilters.Theyareusuallya
singlelensthatismountedinfrontofanormallens(screwingonlikeaQilter).They
canbepurchasedinvariousmagnifyingpowers(measuredindiopters)andcanbe
stackedontopofoneanothertogivegreatermagniQication.Someoftheselensesare
designwithtwolenselements(andacalled‘doublets’)andtheytendtogivebetter
resultsthatthesingle-elementlenses.
Someoftheadvantagesofthisapproachtoclose-upphotographyare:
• Thelensesarerelativelycheap.
• Thelensesaresmallandlight.
• Thelensescanbeattachedwithoutremovingthemainlensfromthecameraand
theycanbeusedonQixedlenscameras.
Someofthelimitationsofthisapproachtoclose-upphotographyare:
• Unlessthelensesareofveryhighqualitytheywillnotgiveimagequality
equivalenttothatofthelensonwhichtheyaremounted.
• ThelensescanonlybeusedonalenswithasuitableQilterthreadsize.
• ThecombinationwillproduceimageswithaverynarrowdepthofQield.
Close-uplensescanworkwellwithtelephotolensesbutthedownsideisthattheycan
beexpensiveinthelargerQiltersizestypicallyrequiredforlongerfocallengthlenses.
Example:
50mm lens
50mm lens plus close-up lens
Both at closest focus distance.
Intheaboveexample,threeclose-uplenseswerestacked.
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Extension tubes
Thesearehollowcylinders(noglass)thatareplacedbetweenacameralensandthe
camerabodytomovethefocalpointofthelensawayfromthesensor.Thisenablesthe
lenstofocusatashorterdistancefromthesubject-hencethereproductionratio
increases.
Therearetwotypesofextensiontube,thosethatmaintaintheelectricalconnection
betweenthelensandcamerabodyandthosethatdonot.Ifthereisnoelectrical
contactbetweenthecameraandlenstheaperturehastobeadjustedmanuallybutthe
auto-exposurewillstilloperate.Ifthelenshasamanualapertureringyoucanstop
downmanuallybutyouwillprobablyneedtofocusQirstastheviewQinderwillget
darkerasyoureducetheaperture.
Thesecond(moreexpensive)typeofextensiontubemaintainselectricalcontact
betweenthelensandcamerabodysothecameracanstillcontroltheaperturesettings.
ExtensiontubesincreaselensmagniQicationbyanamountequaltotheextension
distancedividedbythefocallengthofthelens.Hencetheyaremoreeffectiveonshort
focallengthlenses.Forexample,a25mmextensiontubeona50mmlenswillincrease
itsmagniQicationrationfrom0.15Xto0.65X.
Someoftheadvantagesofthisapproachtoclose-upphotographyare:
• Theextensiontubesarerelativelycheap.
• Becausethereisnoglassinthetubethereisnolossofimagequality.
• Thetubesaresmallandlight.
• Extensiontubescanbeusedwithavarietyoflenses(includingmacrolenses).
• Ifyoubuyaset,youcanjointwoextensiontubestogethertogiveevenmore
magniQication.
Someofthelimitationsofthisapproachtoclose-upphotographyare:
• Therewillbesomelossoflightsowideraperturesmightbeneeded.
• ThelenswillnolongerfocusoninQinity(whichisusuallynotaproblem).
• Thelenshastoeremovedfromthecameraifyouwanttochangetheamountof
extension.
50mm lens
50mm lens plus 27.5mm extension tube
Both images taken at the closest possible focus distance to give maximum image size.
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Bellows
BellowsarelikeQlexibleextensiontubes.Theyareplacedbetweenthelensandthe
camerabodytoallowyoutovarythedistancebetweenthelensandthesensor.
Someoftheadvantagesofthisapproachtoclose-upphotographyare:
• Becausethereisnoglassinthebellowsthereisnolossofimagequality.
• Bellowscanbeusedwithanyofyourlenses.
• Thelargedistancesthatyoucanmovethelensfromthecamerapermitextreme
levelsofmagniQication.
Someofthelimitationsofthisapproachtoclose-upphotographyare:
• Bellowsareexpensive.
• Therewillbealotoflightlossasthebellowsareextended.
• Bellowscanbeveryawkwardtouseoutdoors.
• Theextendingpartofbellowsiseasilydamaged.
• WithhighlevelsofmagniQicationthedepthofQieldwillbeverynarrow.
Witha50mmlensQittedtobellowsextendedto100mm,afullframecanbeQilledwith
anobjectjust1.7cmlong.Ifthebellowsareextendedto200mmtheframecanbeQilled
withanobject90mmlong.
50mmlenson27.5mm
extensiontube
50mmlenson210mmbellows
givenamagniQicationfactorof
4.35X.
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Reversing the lens
Inthistechniquealenssuchasa50mmprimelensisreversedandattachedtothe
camerabodyviaanadapter.Onesideoftheadapterattachestothelensmountonthe
camerabodyandtheothersideattachestotheQilterthreadonthelens.Itworksbest
withalensthathasamanualaperturering.
Someoftheadvantagesofthisapproachtoclose-upphotographyare:
• Theimagequalityisthesameaswhenthelensisusednormally.
• Itisacheapoption.
• LargemagniQicationscanbeobtained.
Someofthelimitationsofthisapproachtoclose-upphotographyare:
• Itexposestherearendofyourlenstopossibledamage.(Youcanprotectthelens
byattachingashortextensiontunetotheexposedend.)
• DepthofQieldwillbenarrow.
A50mmlensreversedwillgiveapproximately1:1reproduction.
50mmlenson27.5mm
extensionrube
50mmlensreversed
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Itispossibletousethereversedlensinconjunctionwithextensiontubestogaineven
greatermagniQication.
Avariationtothisapproachistoreverseashortfocallengthlensandattachittothe
frontofalongfocallengthlenswithanadapterthatmatchestheQilterthreadsofthe
twolenses.Thiscombinationbecomesratherimpracticalforoutdooruse.
Macro setting on a zoom lens
Somezoomlenseshavea‘macro’setting,usuallyonthefocusring.Thiscanbeavery
convenientoptionforclose-upphotographybutsuchlensesrarelyachievea1:1
reproductionratio.
‘True’ macro lenses
LensesdesignedspeciQicallytoachievea1:1reproductionratioarereferredtoas‘true’
macrolenses.Theyareprimelensesdesignedtofocusatveryshortworkingdistances.
Themajormanufacturersproduceversionsoftheselensesthattypicalhavefocal
lengthsintherangesof50-60mm,80-110mmand180-200mm.
Oneoftheimportantconsiderationswithamacrolensisminimumfocusdistance
becausethisisthedistancefromthesubjecttothecamerasensoratwhich1:1
reproductionisobtained.Evenmoreimportantistheminimumworkingdistance
whichisthedistancefromthefrontofthelenstothesubjectwhenthecameraisatthe
minimumfocusdistance.
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Longerfocallengthlensescanachieve1:1reproductionatgreaterdistancesfromthe
subjectthanshorterfocallengthlenses,andthiscanbeveryconvenientwhen
photographinglivesubjects.
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Someoftheadvantagesofusingatruemacrolensare:
• Theimagequalitycanbeexcellentbecausetheselensesaredesignedtobeused
‘close-up’.
• Thelensesareconvenienttouseandcanbeusedas‘generalpurpose’lensesas
illustratedonthefollowingpages(allimagestakenwitha105mmmacrolens).
TheonlysigniQicantlimitationofthisapproachtoclose-upphotographyisthecostof
themacrolenses.
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Specialised macro lenses
VariousmanufacturersproducedmacrolensesforspeciQicpurposes.Forexamplethe
Goko‘MacroMax’lensisaQixedaperturelensthatisadjustabletoproducetwoQixed
focallengths.Ithastwoarmsatthefrontthatareplacedintheplaneoftheobject
beingphotographedandtheobjectwillbeinfocusatthatdistance.Itisavery
convenientwaytophotography‘Qlat’objects,asshownintheQlowinguncropped
example.
Canonmakesaveryspecialisedmacrolens(theMP-E65)thatcangiveareproduction
rationof5:1(5timeslifesize).Thislensthathasnofocusadjustment-youfocusby
movingthelensclosertothesubject.ThemagniQicationzoomsfrom1xto5x.
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The depth of field problem
DepthofQield(D0F)isthedistancebetweentheclosestandfurtherestpointsfromthe
camerathatareacceptablysharpinthecapturedimage.
Inallmacroandclose-upphotographythedepthofQieldwillbeverylimitedandthe
followinggeneralprinciplesapply:
• Foragivenlens,depthofQielddecreaseastheapertureisenlarged.
• Foragivenlens,depthofQielddecreasesasthedistancebetweenthesubjectand
focalplaneofthecameradecreases.SoDoFisleastatthemaximum
reproductionratio.
• Foragivenimagesizeonthesensor,depthofQielddecreasesasthefocallength
ofthelensincreases.
Effect of aperture on depth of field
BecausedepthofQieldisleastatthewidestapertureofagivenlens,youwillgenerally
wanttousethesmallestpracticalaperture,asinthisexample:
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However,therearetwootherissuestoconsider.First,asyoudecreasetheaperturethe
clarityoftheimagemaydecreasebecauseofdiffractionoflightattheedgesofthe
apertureblades.Thisisthereasonthattheminimumapertureavailableonsome
macrolenses(perhapsassmallasf/45)maynotbeusable.Thesecondproblemisthat
asyouincreasethedepthofQieldyoumaystarttogetunwanteddistractionsinthe
background.Thatwasnotaprobleminthepreviousexamplebecausethebackground
wasdark,butitmaybeaprobleminanimagesuchasthefollowing:
105mm macro lens f/4
105mm macro lens f/32
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Inthepreviousexample,theapertureoff/32gaveasuitabledepthofQieldbutto
removetheunwantedbackgrounddistractionsitwasnecessarytoselectivelyblurthe
background.ThelayercontainingtheQlowerswasduplicated,theQlowerswere
selectedwiththeSelect>FocusAreacommandinPhotoshopandthatselectionwas
usedtocreatealayermaskontheduplicatelayerbeforeagaussianblurwasappliedto
theduplicatelayertogive:
Effect of working distance on depth of field
Foragivenlensatagivenaperture,youcanincreasethedepthofQieldbymoving
furtherawayfromthesubject.However,theimagethenbecomessmalleronthesensor
andyouwillneedtocroptomaintainthesizeoftheimportantpartoftheimage,as
illustratedinthisexample:
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Effect of focal length on depth of field
Asageneralprinciple,depthofQielddecreasesasyouincreasethefocallengthofthe
lens.Ifyouusetwolensesofdifferentfocallengthstoproduceimagesofthesamesize
onthesensor,thenthelongerlenswillproduceanarrowerdepthofQield,asshownin
thisexample:
Achieving satisfactory depth of field
Takingalltheabovefactorsintoaccount,herearesomesuggestionsforachievingthe
depthofQieldyouwant/needinyourclose-upimages.
Camera position
Thebasicprincipleistoplacethesensorplaneparalleltothepredominantplaneofthe
subject,asinthisexample:
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ObviouslythiswillworkbestforsubjectsthatarereasonablyQlatandinsituations
whereyoucangetthecameraintoasuitableposition.Theapproachhaslimitedeffect
inimagessuchasthefollowing:
Aperture
Usingasmallaperture,suchasf/22willhelptoextendthedepthofQield,butithas
threelimitations:
• Thebackgroundmaybecomedistracting.
• Youmayneedtouseauxiliarylightingtoavoidlongexposuretimes(thatcanbea
problemwithmovingsubjects).
• Youmaygetsomesofteningoftheimageduetodiffraction.
f/3.2
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Multiple exposures and focus stacking
Thisisacombinationofcapturetechniqueandprocessingtechniquethatcanbeuseful
inmanysituations(notjustmacrophotography).Itworksbestwithstationary
subjectsandrequiresthreesteps:
1. Putyourcameraonmanualfocusandfocusonthepartofthesubjectthatis
closesttothecameraandcaptureanimage.Refocusslightlybehindthepointof
originalfocusandcaptureanotherimage.Refocusslightlybehindtheprevious
focuspointandcaptureanotherimage.Repeatthisprocessforasmanytimesas
necessaryuntilyouhaveQinallycapturedanimageofthepartofthesubjectthat
isfurtherestfromthecamera.
2. Importalltheimagesintoaprogramthatcandofocusstacking-suchas
PhotoshoporHeliconFocus.
3. Runthefocusstackingprogram.ThiswillQirstalignalltheimagesandthen
createacompositeimagethatismadeupofthein-focuspartsofeachofthe
separateimages.
Example:
1imagewithfocusneatthetipof
theQlower.
8imagesfocusstackedwith
HeliconFocus.
Allimagestakenatf/8.
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Whencapturingtheimages,youhavetoconsidertwocriticalfactors-howmany
imagesyouneedtocaptureandhowyouwillcaptureimagesthatareascloselyaligned
aspossible.Thesecondissueistheeasiesttodealwith-putyourcameraonatripodif
atallpossible.Itmayalsohelptouseafocusingrailsothatyoucanmovethecamera
insmallincrementsratherthanalteringfocuswiththefocusring.
Thenumberofimagesyouneedtocapturewilldependonthedepthofthesubjectand
howmuchdepthofQieldyoucanachievewiththeindividualimages.Youneedtheinfocusareasofeachimagetooverlapslightly.Youmaybeabletoachievethiswith2or
3imageswhenphotographingasmallsubjectwithareasonablysmallaperture
althoughitisusuallybesttouseanapertureoff/11orf/16toavoidanychanceof
softeningbecauseofdiffraction.Youmayneedtocapture10ormoreimagesifthe
subjectislargeoryouneedtouseawideraperture.Howevermanyimagesyou
capture,trytokeepthedistancebetweeneachofyourfocuspointsreasonably
consistent.Itmayhelptohaveyourcamerain‘liveview’mode.
1imagewithfocusnear
tipofstamen.
5imagesfocusstackedin
HeliconFocus.
Allimagestakenatf/8.
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Tilt-Shift Lenses
Theaxisofaconventionallensisalignedwithandperpendiculartothecentreofthe
imagesensor.TheyaredesignedtofocusinoneQlatplanethatisparalleltothesensor.
Tilt-shiftlenseshavemoveablepartsthatallowboththeaxisofthelensandtheplane
offocustobemoved.
Thetiltadjustmentrotatestheaxisofthelensandthisrotatestheplaneoffocus
relativetothesensorasshowninthediagrambelow.Thiscontrolstheareaofthe
imagethatisinfocus.
Theshiftadjustmentmovesthelensparalleltotheimageplane.Thisallowsthe
positionofthesubjectintheframetobechangedwithouthavingtomovethecamera,
asshowninthisexample:
Illustrating how much the subject can be moved in the frame (with the lens shift adjustment)
without moving the camera. (85mmm lens)
Forclose-upphotographywearemostinterestedinthetiltfunction.Whenalensis
tiltedtheplaneofsharpestfocusisalsotilted(byamuchgreateranglethattheangle
oftiltofthelens).ThedepthofQieldperpendiculartotheplaneofsharpestfocusisnot
actuallyincreasing,butmanipulatingtheplaneofthein-focusareagivesthe
impressionthatdepthofQieldhasincreased.Foradetailedexplanationofhowthisis
achievedvisithttp://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/tilt-shift-lenses1.htm.
ItcanbequitedifQiculttovisualisehowadjustmentsofatiltshiftlenswillaltertheinfocusareaofanimagebutthefollowingexamplewillgiveyousomeideaofthe
possibilities.Fortheseimages,arulerwasplacedQlatonadeskandthecamerawas
positionedsothattheaxisofthelenswasatanangleofabout45degreestotheruler.
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The85mmlenswasfocusedonthelargered‘O’.FortheQirstimagetherewasnotilt
adjustment.Forthesecondimagethelenswastiltedbyabout8degrees(without
movingthecamerabody)togiveanapparentincreaseindepthofQield.
Obviously,youwillgetthebestresultswithstationaryobjects.
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Lighting for macro photography
Illuminatingyoursubjectappropriatelycanbeachallengeinmacrophotography,but
fortunatelytherearemanyoptionsavailable.TheQirstpointtoconsideristhat
unintendedareasofdeepshadoworover-exposedhighlightscanbeasigniQicant
distractioninclose-upimages.Soevenwhenphotographingingoodnaturallightitis
worthconsideringsomeformofsupplementarylighting.
Electronic flash
Tobeginwith,youhavetoforgetabouttryingtousenormalon-cameraQlash
(particularlybuiltinQlash).Oneproblemisthatbecauseyouwillbeworkingcloseto
thesubject,thelensmayblockthelightfromtheQlash.Theotherissueisthatthelight
willbedirectlyontothefrontofthesubject.
Youmayhavesomesuccesswithhot-shoemountedQlashifyouareabletobouncethe
QlashfromasuitablereQlectortominimisethetwoproblemsmentionedabove.
Abetterapproachistouseoff-cameraQlash.Asabasicstartingpointyoucanusea
singleQlashunitconnectedtothehot-shoewithacable.Youmaythenpositionthe
QlashatasuitableangleandaimitatthesubjectbouncetheQlashoffareQlector.
Thenextstepwouldbetotrymultipleoff-cameraQlashunits.Forthisyouwillneedan
appropriatecontrolunittotriggertheQlashesandpossiblytocontrolthestrengthof
theiroutput.Again,youshouldalsoconsiderusingreQlectors.
Anyformofoff-cameraQlashwillprobablyrequiretimetosetupanditwillbeof
limiteduseifyouaretryingtophotographmovingsubjects(frogs,insects,etc).For
thesesubjectsyoumightwanttotryQlashunitsthatareattacheddirectlytothefront
ofthelens(ratherthantothecamerabody).Thesimplestapproachisaring/lash
withacontrolunitthatmountsonthehotshoeofthecamera.Thelightmaybe
producedfromtraditionalQlash‘tubes’orfromLEDsasshowninthisexample.
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TheadvantageoftheLEDvarietyisthatitwillprobablygiveyoutheoptionofusing
continuouslightorQlash.Thiscanproducequitedifferentresultsasshowninthenext
example:
LED ring flash
Continuous LED ring light
Same camera settings for both images but auto-exposure gave different results.
OnelimitationofaringQlash(orcontinuouslight)isthatitgivesauniformstraight-on
lightthatcanresultinaQlatimage.AnotherissuecanbethattheringQlashproducesa
circularhighlightintheeyeofsubjects.Bothiftheseproblemsexistinthisexample:
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Amoreversatileapproachthatcanovercomethesetwoproblemsuseslens-mounted
mini-QlashunitssuchasthisNikonR1C1WirelessClose-upSpeedlightsystem.
ThetwosmallQlashunitscanbeplacedatanypositiononthemountingringandthe
anglebetweeneachQlashandthesubjectcanbechanged.Itisalsopossibleto
independentlycontroltheQlashoutputfromeachunit.Thisgivesalotofcontrolover
thewayinwhichthesubjectisilluminated,asshowninthisexample:
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Theeffectofusingon-lensQlashunitstosupplementnaturallightingisshowninthe
followingimages:
Naturallight.
NaturallightplusonlensQlash.
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Continuous light sources
Almostanyportablelightsourceispotentiallyusefulformacrophotography-eitheras
thesolesourceoflightorasasupplementtonaturallight.Thefollowingimages
illustratesomeofthepossibilities:
Imagetakenindirectsunlight.
ImagetakenindirectsunlightandLEDtorchusedtoilluminatejaws.
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Somelightsourcesmayproduceundesirablecolourifyouleavethecameraonauto
whitebalance,asinthisexample:
Daylight(cloudy).
Asabovebutwith
supplementarylighting
from“Cubie”LEDlight.
Asabovebutwith
whitebalance
corrected.Notehow
thesupplementary
lightingimprovesthe
shadowareasonthe
Qlower.
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Macro photography in natural light
Dependingonthesubject,thestyleofimageyouwanttoproduceandtheavailable
light,youmaynotneedtouseanysupplementarylighting.However,evenonacloudy
daywhentheshadowswillnotbereallystrongyouwillprobablyQindthatsome
supplementarylightingwillhelp(asillustratedinthepreviousexamplethatused
smallLEDlightstoremovetheshadows.)
Thesimplestwaytoprovidesupplementarylightingonabrightdayistousea
reQlector.ThiscouldbeaprofessionallymadereQlectororsomethingassimpleasa
pieceofwhitecardboard,asmallmirror,orsomealuminiumfoilwithacardboard
backing.Ofcourse,manipulatingreQlectorsintoasuitablepositioncanbeachallengeif
youhavenohelp,particularlywhenthesubjectisinanawkwardposition.
Ifyouaredoingclose-upphotographingoutdoors,theremaybeaproblemoftoomuch
directsunlight.Thiscangiveblown-outhighlightsorunwantedshadows.Asimpleway
tominimisethisproblemistoshadethesubjectwithatranslucentwhiteumbrella.
Thiswillsoftenthelight,makeitmoreuniform,andreducethedynamicrangeinthe
scenebeingphotographed,asillustratedintheseexamples:
Directsunlight
Sunlight blocked with white umbrella.
(c) Roy Killen 2016
Macro and Close-up
Page 27
Cropping and enlarging
Sometimesyoucanproduceimagesthatgivetheimpressionyou‘Qilledtheframe’with
relativelysmallsubjectseventhoughyouwerenotusinganyoftheclose-up
photographytechniquesdescribedsofar.Thesecretistogetasclosetothesubjectas
youcanandphotographitwithwhateverlensyouhaveavailable-thencroptheimage.
ThiscanbeasimplesolutioniftheQinalimageyouwanttoproducedoesnotneedto
containalotofpixels,whichistypicallythecasewhenyouareproducingimagesfor
EDI(ElectronicallyDisplayedImage)competitionswheretherequiredimagesize
mightbeassmallas1024x768pixels,or1920x1200pixelsforBelmontclub
competitions.
Ifyouhave,forexample,a16MPcameraandyoucropyourimageto1920x1200pixels
youwillbeutilisinglessthan15%oftheimageyoucaptured.Thatisillustratedinthe
followingexample.
Original image
4928x3280 pixels
Image cropped to
1920x1200 pixels
(c) Roy Killen 2016
Macro and Close-up
Page 28
However,awordofcaution-ifyouwanttoprintyourimagesyouneedasmanypixels
aspossible.Forexample,ifyouprinteda4928x3280pixelimageataresolutionof300
pixelsperinchitwouldbe41.7x27.3cm(16.4x10.9inches).However,ifyouprinted
the1920x1200pixelimageat300ppiitwouldbejust16.3x10.2cm(6.4x4inches).If
youcropanimageandthenwishtomakealargeprintofityouwillhavetoeither
enlargetheimageorprintitatlowresolution.
Sincethemainpurposeofclose-upphotographyistoshowQinedetails,itisgenerally
notagoodideatoprintatlowresolution(lessthan300ppi)becausetheimagewill
starttolooksoftandthedetailswillbelost.
TheoptionofenlargingtheimagetogivesufQicientpixelsforahighresolutionprintis
worthconsideringifthecroppedimagehasgooddetailinit.Youmainchoicesareto
enlargetheimageinPhotoshopofuseadedicatedenlargingprogramsuchasOn1
Resize10.(Refertomytutorialonimageresizingformoredetails.)However,awordof
caution:ifyouenlargeanimagetoomuchyouwillstarttoloosetheQinedetailandthat
defeatsthemainpurposeofdoingclose-upphotography.Buthereisanexampleof
whatcanbedone:
Original image 4928 x 3280 pixels
with 85mm lens.
Image cropped to 790 x 790 pixels and
then enlarged to 4724 x 4724 pixels
using On 1 Resize 10.
(c) Roy Killen 2016
Macro and Close-up
Page 29
Conclusion
Theprimepurposeofmacrophotographyistoproduceimagesthatcontaindetails
thatwouldnototherwisebeseen,andthatisillustratedinthefollowingimages.
Broken fang.
Dragonflies mating
(c) Roy Killen 2016
Macro and Close-up
Page 30
Analternativereasonformacrophotographyistoexplorethecreativepossibilities
hiddeninsmallsubjects,andthatisillustratedinthisimage:
Oil droplets on water.
However,themainreasonformacrophotographyisenjoyment-sogooutandexplore
thepossibilities.
IfyouQindanyerrorsinthesenotesoryouwouldliketomakesuggestionsfor
improvingthempleaseemailme.
RoyKillen
[email protected]
24thMay,2016.
(c) Roy Killen 2016
Macro and Close-up
Page 31