11 Tips to improve your macro shot

Shooting small objects such as insects can be fun and fascinating as you are curious by how they look like. You would like to share the pictures that you have taken to your friends and get them interested in the world of small things. Shooting small things has its challenges too. For example, you only want your viewers to be interested in the subject and not the background. Sharpness is important as you want to bring out as much detail as possible. The important thing you want to achieve in the end is a clean, neat and sharp pictures to tell the viewers how the object looks like. This article will introduce some tips to help you improve your macro shot.

1. Aperture
Control your depth of field using aperture. This is done by selecting a large aperture value such as f/8 and above to gain image sharpness. Setting a large aperture value will require you to have a longer exposure time. So use flash to help you freeze the subject. Do not get afraid to increase depth of field.

2. Focusing
Focusing is another important aspect in macro photography. You want to let your viewers to see the interesting aspect of your subject such as the insect’s eyes and not the surrounding background. If your camera has the ability to do a manual focus, use it!! Doing so will allow you to select the point of interest which will add punch to the overall image.

3. Fill up the frame
This is one of the rules of composition in photography. Filling up the frame with subject minimize any distracting background and guide your viewers to the interesting part of your subject. If you find that there is a distracting element in the background, determine if you can take them out of the background or you can shift yourself.

Image by Glenn Scott

4. Flash
There are times whereby nature does not provide you with enough sunlight. This depends on the time of day and the condition of the weather. When you do insect photography, you can use flash to provide you with extra light but mount a diffuser on top to diffuse part of light to prevent overblown picture. For other types of macro work such as product, using a flash is a must as you will need to get a well exposed picture.

5. Tripod
The need of using a tripod is important as you will need to consider subject movement. Macro photography magnifies the subject and this gives it a high chance of getting a blur image. If you have a tripod in your hand, you can mount your camera to stabilize your camera.

6. If no tripod available… …
If you are the type who do not like to use tripod, then you can use other settings to pump up your shutter speed. Use manual mode which offers you the control of both shutter speed and aperture. If your flash offers you the ability to control its power, adjust its power accordingly to get a well exposed picture. Experiment with different variable to see what works.

Image by Greg 50

7. Get a dedicated macro len
If you are a serious macro shooter, invest in a good macro len. There are many macro lens available in the market such as Tamron, Sigma, Tokina or first party lens. Depending on what type of macro work you are interested in, there is a range of different focal length for macro len. If you are shooting insect photography, it will be wise to invest in more than 100mm macro lens as this gives you a longer focusing distance. If you are doing a product shoot such as jewellery, you may want to get a shorter focal length len.

8. Experiment with other macro equipment
There are many different equipment to shoot macro. You can use a telephoto len mounted with close up filter, a len attached with extension tube or a reverse macro ring to help magnify the subject. Take note that these three approaches have its cons. You may not be able to get a good quality images when you are using close up filter and you will need to put them on and off when you want to shoot normally. For an extension tube, the length of the tube is important as the longer it is, there is a high risk of light loss thus the need for using large aperture. Lastly you can choose to use reverse macro ring method. The downside of using that is your rear end of your len will be exposed to dust and you will need to clean it immediately after you finished using it. Experiment with what works and you will be on your way to shooting macro.

9. Be patient
When you take photograph of small insects and bugs, you have to be patient! Approach them slowly and try not to alert them. You do not want them to fly off as a result of making unnecessary movement. If they fly off, wait for a while to see if they return before moving off to the next location.

Image by Spendruleziya

10. Eliminate Distracting Backgrounds
Background is another important aspect in macro photography. You do not want your viewers to be distracted by what is in the background but rather the main point of interest. If you are doing insect photography, you can try to add some colour card behind your subject if you find the background is distracting or you can shift your position such that you can find a clean background.

11. Use self timer or cable release to control your camera
If your camera has a self timer or you happen to have a cable release, use it. You use them is because you want to minimize camera shake. As mentioned earlier on, macro photography magnifies subject and hence, increasing the risk of image blur if there is a slight movement.

I have listed so many tips on how to improve your macro shoot. If you have any tips that you want to add on, feel free to comment on it.