Going Macro
Who doesn’t like macro shots? Well, I’m a lover of them. One thing is loving them and another thing is trying to get them.
You often try to shot macro, but the more the you try, you finish asking yourself: why can’t my shots look more closer and with more detail?
The answer is quite simple: you don’t the correct equipment.
For macro shot and for better photography, I always recommend a DSLR camera.
Next, get some macro extender tubes. Don’t forget the flash, in my case, I’ll go with the Canon Speedlite 580 EX II.
Why not use the twin flash? Well the 580 EX II is quite cheaper and rather more useful than a twin flash.
What about the lenses? I recommend you use a prime lens. In my case, I’ll use a 50mm. It’s lightweight, focuses super fast and it’s not expensive.
What about the extender tubes? I decided to get the combo that brings the 12mm, the 20mm and the 36mm tubes.
Now that all the equipment is ready, the time is now, to set your camera.
Shooting in manual mode, establish the white balance for the occasion.
Some moments will require the sunlight setting and some others, the auto white balance.
I rather go with the sunlight setting. The apertures will be set between f/9.0 to f/11.
The speed must be set at 1/250. Make sure you shoot in RAW format, JPEG format won’t work for macro shots.
So now comes a very interesting question: what can I shoot macro?
That’s a question you are going to have to answer yourself.
I’m an wildlife animal lover, so you can always start in your backyard. We can start by insects on plants, we can continue with lizards and try to end this assignment safe and sound, try to shoot a wasp without getting stung.
When shooting animals (or people), we always focus the eyes. Many DSLR have the area-of-interest focus points.
Only the points selected of the chosen area will be more in focus and the rest can create a nice and interesting bokeh.
Lots of planning will be needed but, be very careful and very observant. For some shots, that are not so close, the 12mm tube works. If you simply want to get closer, use the 20mm or the 36mm. Or simply combine them.
When using the extender tubes, you gotta get much closer. Sometimes it’ll happen, that the animals may get scared and simply run away. Don’t get frustrated, it’s a matter of time.
If you would like to read the rest of this article, please click here: How to improve your macro photography.
Going Macro
