There’s a whole new world just waiting to be discovered with your camera – all it requires is a macro lens, or even budget-friendly macro accessories. This will help you get closer to everyday items to transform them into extraordinary photographs. The brilliant thing about macro is that it covers a broad range of subjects, including everything from still-life to inanimate objects or kitchen items, to insects and flowers that you can easily find in your garden, local park or nature reserve – they all make great considerations for close-up photo subjects.
In this feature, we’ll show you how to achieve fantastic macro shots with minimal kit and even the most limited of budgets, plus more advanced gear that will come in handy if you want to venture further down the macro rabbit hole. We will also take you through three easy but effective techniques you can try out around your home or in the garden. Depth of field, also referred to as the zone of sharp focus in your images, becomes extremely limited when you’re focusing so close to your subject – even with higher aperture values such as f/22. To overcome this, we’ll teach you how to stack the focus of your photos together so you can take multiple shots at different focus distances and combine the sharpest bits together in Photoshop to create a broader range of sharpness. So let’s get started!
PART 1
GET THE RIGHT MACRO GEAR
Kit yourself out with the right equipment to take amazing macro imagery
This story is from the August 2022 edition of Digital Camera World.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 2022 edition of Digital Camera World.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Jess McGovern
The multi-award winning photographer will speak twice at The Photography Show this month. Niall Hampton finds out what's in store...
Viltrox AF 27mm F1.2 Pro
A ‘pro’ lens with a consumer price tag
Lumix S100mm f/2.8 Macro
Ticks many boxes but is not a total success
Canon RF 200-800mm F6.3-9 IS USM
Every so often, a new superzoom telephoto lens grabs our attention.
Hasselblad 907X & CFV 100C
Not just a beautiful camera system but versatile, too
Sam Davis
The caving photographer will be shining a light on his passion at The Photography Show. Niall Hampton gets a deep dive into the subject
Explore the Multiply blending mode
Multiply is a versatile mode that can be used for a wide range of effects, either on its own or combined with other modes
Create a fine-art border in Lightroom
Enhance your landscape photos by adding a fine-art border with an even feathered edge
Content Credentials explained
Fight the fakes and prove your own photos are genuine with provenance tools in Photoshop and Lightroom
Scanning ahead...
With ever-higher sensor resolutions, Jon Devo asks whether zoom lenses have had their day