Some of the most exotic and fascinating subject material can be found right in your back yard. Close-up photography, or “Macro” photography, opens up a whole new world of subjects – a world most people never notice. Macro photography can also be one of the most challenging and frustrating activities a photographer can face, with a whole new set of rules, guidelines, and unique problems – but it’s well worth the effort.
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A whole world of wonder right under your nose – that’s what macro photography provides. The best part – you don’t need to travel to exotic locales to photograph exotic subjects! What Is Macro Photography?Technically, a macro photograph is one … Read More
Getting Started: If you’re reading this, you’re probably already interested in photography and probably have a camera – or perhaps this has interested you in photography and you’re considering getting a camera – or this has inspired you to get … Read More
Known as “Close-Up Lenses” and “Close-Up Filters” (although they are not filters in that they do not “filter” out any particular light quality), are simple accessory lenses that screw onto the front of an existing lens allowing it to focus … Read More
Understanding Exposure Let’s start with the extreme basics. Photography is about exposing light to a light sensitive material (film or a digital sensor) in a controlled manner. (OK – you’ve got a program mode camera, and you’ve always had good … Read More
Extension – It’s Just Space One great way to get some serious magnification is to put some space between the camera and the lens – the further from the film plane you move any lens, the closer that lens is … Read More
Metering OK, so now we know what ISO media we’re working with, we understand shutter speeds, and we understand apertures – but where do we base our exposure? We accomplish this by taking a measurement, or “metering”, the light falling … Read More
OK – you want to get some extreme magnification – more than close-up diopters of standard extension tubes will supply. What are your options? Well, you have several – all with their own benefits and limitations. Below are a few. … Read More
You understand shutter speeds, apertures and ISO settings, and now you know how a meter works, but how does it all combine to give me full creative control over my photographs? In a word: stops. The more you can think … Read More
By far the most convenient and best performing option for macro photography is a lens built for macro photography – a macro lens. More than just a “close focusing” lens…By definition, a macro lens is a lens that produces a … Read More
What exactly is a camera “mode” and what’s the difference between them? Let’s go back in time a bit… Before the 1960s, just about all cameras were fully manual, but the advancements of electronics generated the first cameras with “Automatic … Read More
Special Considerations Success in macro photography requires precise technique. The slightest camera movement records as huge shakes, depth of field is measured in fractions of an inch instead of feet, and simply composing and positioning the camera is, in itself, … Read More
Buy a good tripod and use it religiously. Too many photographers feel that a tripod isn’t necessary unless shooting in a low light situation or shooting with long lenses. They tend to rely on the old “1 divided by the … Read More
Before we get into the mechanics of composition, let’s talk about why you’re taking the photograph to begin with. Something caught your eye enough to make you want to preserve the scene in a photograph – but are you photographing … Read More
OK – so something has caught your eye, and you’ve identified what that “something” is – now how are you going to compose the shot. Let me start off by saying that all composition “rules” are meant to be broken … Read More
Deciding where to place your subject within the frame is a great place to start, but there are several techniques that will help your photograph invoke the reaction that you want your viewers to experience. Is your image a dynamic … Read More
“Photography” literally translates to “painting with light” – without light, there is no photography. Being aware of the lighting quality of your images, and manipulating it at times, can turn a snapshot into a beautiful photograph. 1: Never Between 10 … Read More
It’s easy to get so involved with your subject that you don’t pay much attention to the background or surrounding space. The background and surrounding space around your subject is every bit as important as the subject, and there are … Read More
One of the nicest things about digital photography is the immediate gratification – you get to see what you’ve shot right away. Most everyone checks their photos right after taking them by viewing them on the camera’s LCD screen – … Read More
You have your digital camera – and you have your pictures that you can view immediately – they’re right there on the camera as JPEGs … or TIFFs … or maybe RAW…? It depends on how you have your image … Read More
It’s that time of year again – cold, snowy, icy – perfect weather to stay inside by the fireplace – OR – you can take advantage of the weather and capture some unique photographs! With a layer of fresh snow, … Read More
They’re part of our families – they need to be part of our family photo albums, but getting them to say “cheese” for the camera can be frustrating. Although not quite as glamorous as an African photo safari, a photo … Read More
Toady’s smart phones are becoming more and more high-end cameras that you can make a phone call with. Here are a few tips to get the most out of it: #1: Clean That Thing: Cell phones get stuck into … Read More
Falling For Fall Well, Fall is here – and soon the trees are going to be popping with color and people everywhere are going to be out with their cameras trying to capture that color. Here are a few tips … Read More
With cooler weather coming, it’s the perfect time to go on safari – at your local zoo! The zoo is a great place to take a camera – and below are a few tips to help you get the best … Read More