What are the techniques for macro photography?

Macro shooting is a very interesting shooting mode in photography. It can truly reflect the clarity of the camera and the truest aspect of the things being photographed. Often using macro, we can make some seemingly ordinary flowers, plants, and even various creatures come alive. Below I will tell you about the shooting techniques of macro photography.

Learn to use your eyes as lenses

When we pick up the camera and prepare to take pictures, we must not just use the viewfinder as a tool to observe things, we must learn to use our own eyes Train to have a sense of the lens. Only in this way can we accurately grasp what we want to shoot. Before taking macro photography, the first thing we must learn is to observe various things carefully and attentively, and do not rush to press the shutter. The so-called macro, to put it bluntly, is to capture a picture from a very close distance. Obviously, the picture captured must be a certain detail of a certain object. So, as long as we feel that there are parts that can be expressed with close-up shots, don’t give up. In fact, it is not difficult to find such a thing. As long as a certain part of it has a certain characteristic, there will be no problem. This feature can be shape, color, expression, state, etc., so not only flowers and plants can be represented by macro, but everything can be represented.

Equipment requirements

1. The camera or lens must have a macro function. Generally speaking, the lens of a digital camera cannot be replaced, except for a few more professional digital cameras. Then, for a digital camera that cannot change the lens, it is required that the body has a macro shooting function, which is generally represented by the English letters micro and a small flower graphic. For digital cameras with interchangeable lenses, it is generally required that the lens itself has the function of macro shooting.

2. It is best to have a spot side light mode or a center-weighted side light. This is because the subject to be photographed is small and requires accurate metering for accurate exposure.

3. The camera itself is relatively lightweight or equipped with a tripod. Since it is most easy to blur the picture due to manual operation when taking macro shots, in order to ensure the clarity of the picture, it is best to use a lightweight digital camera or a stable tripod.

4. Focal length and magnification. The choice of focal length is a very serious issue, and it is also the first problem that needs to be solved in macro photography. The choice of focal length should be considered together with the magnification:

Flowers, grass, still life: around 50-100mm is more suitable , the magnification ratio is 1/8 to 1/4;

Insects and small animals: about 100-200mm is more suitable, the magnification ratio is 1/4 to 1/2, 1/1 is better.

For macro lenses, the most important thing is the actual working distance and magnification.

5. The aperture does not have to be very large. Don't think that enlarging the aperture will result in obvious depth of field. In macro photography, a very distinct depth of field effect will be produced, and a large aperture is not necessarily required.

Several important details during the shooting process

1. Push the zoom to the wide-angle end before shooting. This is for digital cameras that cannot change lenses. Contrary to traditional cameras that must use the telephoto end to shoot macro, digital cameras need to adjust the zoom to wide-angle, then select the macro shooting mode and shoot close to the object. Only in this way can it be more accurate and faster.

2. Pay attention to the light when shooting. Let’s mainly talk about the usage of light position:

(1) Backlighting. Also called backlight, the light is opposite to the shooting direction and can outline the brightness outline of the subject, also called contour light. The scenery under backlight has clear layers, prominent lines, and vivid pictures. The photos taken have a strong sense of three-dimensionality and space. Therefore, backlighting is most suitable for expressing dark scenes against dark backgrounds, and is a more ideal light. We often use it to capture silhouettes, and it works well.

(2) Smooth light. Also called "front light", it refers to the light whose projection direction is the same as the shooting direction. Under such light, the subject is evenly illuminated, the scene has no shadows, the color is saturated, and rich color effects can be expressed. However, the scenery lacks contrast between light and dark, and there is no sense of hierarchy or three-dimensionality. I personally don't like using this kind of light. The photos seem flat and not vivid.

(3) Side light. It refers to the light whose projection direction is at an angle greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees to the shooting direction. Objects under side light have good contrast between light and dark, have a three-dimensional sense, good color reproduction, and rich shadow patterns. Among them, the 45-degree side angle Light is the best because it conforms to people's visual habits and is the most commonly used light position.

(4) Top light. This means that the light comes from above the subject. Under top light, the horizontal illumination of the scene is greater than the vertical illumination, and there is a lack of intermediate levels. When shooting scenes and people, they appear lifeless, which is a less than ideal light. However, the darkened eye sockets, protruding cheekbones, and knife-cut wrinkles of special characters such as old men and old peasant women are very expressive.

(5) Low light. It refers to the sun's rays that have just risen or are about to set from the ground level, mainly from morning and dusk. The scenery photographed under low light is very vivid and energetic, and this kind of light has a low color temperature, a warm red tone, and a special color effect, making it an ideal light.

(6) Scattered light. Also called false cloudy light, the illumination is average, the light is soft, the light ratio is small, the color difference is small, and there is no obvious projection on the subject. This kind of light should express a quiet and beautiful life, innocent girls and innocent children.

3. Pay attention to the shooting angle. First of all, the photography direction refers to the relative position of the camera and the subject on the camera level, which is what we usually call front, back, left, right, or front, back, or side. When we want to start taking pictures, we always first choose the shooting point, that is, choose the shooting direction. After determining the direction, determine the angle of photography. The direction of photography has changed, and the image characteristics and artistic conception of the picture will also change accordingly.

Shooting in an oblique direction

This is what we usually call the left front, right front, left rear, and right rear. The characteristic of shooting in this direction is that the horizontal lines of the subject change into oblique lines on the screen, causing obvious changes in the shape and perspective of the object. At the same time, it can expand the capacity of the screen and make the screen lively

Frontal Shooting:

Shooting from the front is helpful to express the front features of the subject, and can fully display the horizontal lines on the screen. This kind of frontal shooting can easily show the solemn and quiet atmosphere as well as the symmetrical structure of the object. When taking portraits, you can also see the complete facial features and expressions of the characters, giving them a sense of intimacy. When shooting from the front, the horizontal lines of the subject tend to be parallel to the horizontal border of the viewfinder. At the same time, if the subject area is large, it is easily blocked by the horizontal lines of the subject, making it impossible for our line of sight to extend in depth. Such a composition will appear dull and lack a sense of three-dimensionality and space.

Back shooting:

Back shooting is when the camera is directly behind the subject. This kind of direction shooting is often used for pictures of the main character, which can blend the main character and the background into one. The things in the background are what the main character focuses on. When shooting from behind, we don’t pay much attention to the expressions of the characters, but we pay great attention to the characters’ postures to express their inner feelings, mainly through image language.

Shooting from the front and side

This refers to the front left or right. This direction is suitable for expressing characters or subjects that are unique. First, it helps to highlight the front and side contours and lines of the character. When photographing the emotional exchange between the subject characters, the actions and expressions of the two people can be vividly expressed.