How to use macro shooting

Lead: Usually, macro photos are close-up photos of the subject. When using macro photography to enlarge the subject, we will be surprised to find the wonderful textures and details of common objects in daily life. Macro photography will fascinate, surprise and even fear the viewer by photographing the details displayed by the subject. Let's take a look at how to use macro shooting.

First, set the camera for macro shooting.

This is a typical macro photo of ladybug, which was taken with a macro lens of 1 00 mm. Pay attention to the following features in this photo, which is also the * * * feature of almost all macro photos:1) The main body is magnified many times than usual. 2) The depth of field is extremely shallow. 3) Photometry is set to fully expose the subject.

Camera settings for macro shooting usually include:

1, turn the aperture of the lens to the maximum, and select a point to focus.

2. You must also set a high-speed shutter, because the macro subject is very small, and any slight movement of the camera may lead to blurred photos.

3. Consider setting a higher ISO to obtain a high shutter speed.

4. Most cameras have macro preset mode, which can automatically optimize camera settings for macro shooting.

Second, choose and set the theme.

Flowers are popular macro photography subjects all year round, because their complex details can be expressed through macro photography.

Macro photographers often shoot insects, take close-ups of insects and show their strange shapes like aliens, which is difficult.

Almost all interesting shapes or structures are a good abstract macro theme, such as this close-up of Japanese wall decoration with a width of one centimeter.

Almost any small object with interesting texture or appearance can be a good macro subject. But the most common themes are as follows:

Flowers and plants

Flowers and plants are hot topics in macro photography, because they are static, easy to shoot and have various structures and shapes, which are very suitable for macro photography.

Still life with interesting shape or structure

All small objects with interesting shapes or structures are good macro objects. But in order to get the best effect, macro photographers should show the potential details of the shooting theme that can surprise the audience.

insect

Insects may be the most difficult to shoot, but at the same time they can bring people the greatest satisfaction. Shooting insects not only requires patiently sneaking up on them or waiting for them to appear at the right distance and position, but also requires photographers to quickly set up their cameras, focus and shoot before they move again.

Third, manual focusing will be better.

Many macro subjects are small or occupy a small part of the picture, so it may be difficult for the camera lens to focus. In these cases, it is best to set the camera to manual focusing mode and focus manually yourself.

The flower buds of this honeysuckle only occupy a small part in the picture, and the photographer's lens is likely to focus on the background. For macro shooting like this, it is best to mount the camera on a tripod and focus it carefully manually.

It will be very difficult to take this photo of a flying insect by constantly searching for the focus with an autofocus lens, because it will scare it away. In this case, it may be a better method to approach the insect carefully and focus manually.

Fourth, choose

Because the depth of field of macro photography is very shallow, the distance between the subject and the background becomes less important. The harmony between background tone and gradient and the main body is more worthy of attention, as shown in this example.

When shooting these orchids with a very small aperture with an ordinary lens, the dense background elements in the photos are clearly visible, causing interference. (Left)

When retaking with a macro lens, a large aperture is used, and the lens magnification function blurs the background to compensate for the subject. (right)

5. Use flash for macro shooting.

This little lizard must take pictures with a diffusion flash to improve the shutter speed required for correct exposure.

In many macro photos, using flash to supplement some extra light will help to better expose the subject and improve the shutter speed to prevent the photo from blurring. Even in the shade on a sunny day, you still need to use a flash. However, because the macro subject is usually very close to the lens, it may be necessary to reduce the intensity and power of the flash when external flash is needed, or diffuse the flash when using the built-in flash to prevent the subject from overexposure and create more balanced lighting conditions. A simple trick of a diffusion camera's built-in flash is to cover it with a thin paper or two.