Our body size is undoubtedly one of the factors influencing our perception of the surrounding environment. When the microscope was invented, it was a revolutionary event because it allowed studying things that were too small for us to detect them. Macro lenses do more or less the same thing, they make possible to visualise something that from a distance we can understand only roughly. Unsurprisingly, macro photography is a fascinating world, and virtually every photographic contest has a specific category for it. Indeed, imagine you were a bee flying in your garden, how many unnoticed details you could suddenly catch!
In this post, I will share some tips for macro photography, which interested me very much since I was studying entomology during my BSc years. For all the photos you are going to see in this post, I used a Nikkor 105mm that I bought around 10 years ago and it has cost me ~700 euro. The focal distance (105) is fixed, which means you cannot zoom. I haven't used the tripod for any of these photos. You are going to shoot in manual mode, which means that you have to set at least a few parameters on your own: ISO, aperture, and shutter speed (I wouldn't recommend that you mess with the white balance...).
The first thing you should do is to select a subject. Insects and flowers are particularly good candidates because of their sizes. Flowers are especially good for beginners because they are often colourful, small, and don't move much (except if it's a windy day). However, you can use your macro lens for subjects that are not necessarily that small. For instance, the photo of the beautiful hyacinth macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) above was taken with my macro lens (in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil). Macro lens can be used to photograph animals that are a bit distant from us; telelenses are more appropriate tough.
When I visited Gibraltar, the only country in Europe with monkeys roaming free, I only had a macro lens with me. Fortunately, monkeys in Gibraltar are not shy and enjoy coming close to you (perhaps a bit too much...so take care of your bags when you go there).
Nikon D3100, Nikkor 105mm, f/3.5, shutter 1/640.
The ISO value depends on the luminosity of the subject (the light available that day). Higher values give you brightening images at the price of some noise (large pixel grains). Ideally, you would like to keep the ISO value as low as possible (i.e., 100 in most cameras), but not every day is a sunny day. In my newest camera (Nikon D7200) the highest ISO value is 25,600. In general, I don't set values over 5000 because I don't like the result. If I want to take a photo when it is already dark I rather bring a torch with me, which is what I did when I wanted to photograph the Arabian horned viper (Cerastes gasperettii) in Israel.
Nikon D7200, Nikkor 105mm, f/5.6, shutter 1/160.
As I said, there is no need to get too close...
Nikon D7200, Nikkor 105mm, f/13, shutter 1/160.
Personally, I like when the subject is clear and the background is blurred, which is the effect you get when you use a very open aperture (low f-number). Of course, you can take beautiful photos where the background is also visible, but low f-numbers give you a sharp vision of the details and put the subject in great prominence.
The colour of the subject might play also a role in the decision of which ISO and aperture value use. In the two photos below, the settings I used fit better for the second photo than for the first one, in my opinion. The third one looks about OK for my taste - pink is a clear colour and several flowers look almost white in the photo, which is not optimal.
Nikon D7200, Nikkor 105mm, f/4.5, shutter 1/250.
Nikon D7200, Nikkor 105mm, f/4.5, shutter 1/250.
Nikon D7200, Nikkor 105mm, f/4.5, shutter 1/200.
The contrast with the background colour plays a very important role as well, even if you are going to make it blurred with a low f-number. I like how the green background emphasises the violet of this orchid (Himantoglossum robertianum) and the shape of these flies (Sarcophaga sp.).
Nikon D3100, Nikkor 105mm, f/4, shutter 1/160.
Nikon D3100, Nikkor 105mm, f/13, shutter 1/25.
You might have noticed that I used a relatively large f-number for this last photo. Indeed, when the subject is small, using an excessively low f-number will focus on a point gaining field of depth at the price of the surrounding. With insects, most often you want to have the entire animal sharp (f/13-f/16 is also what I usually choose to photograph micro-moths).
Finally, I regulated the shutter speed based on the ISO and aperture value I have chosen. I am not particularly interested in this parameter on its own, as when I shoot macro I like the subject to be "frozen". With larger and slower animals (birds, mammals) you can play with the shutter to give dynamism to the photo, but with insects this is challenging and with plants pointless. Basically, what the shutter value has to do is to guarantee that photo is neither under- nor overexposed. Most cameras provide you with a meter in the display (viewfinder) that indicates when shutter speed and aperture are balanced (usually indicated with a 0). Note, however, that this helpful tool does not take into account the ISO value. Hence, take a shoot, look at it, and eventually correct the parameters before the next shoot.
I wish you wonderful macro photos!
Nikon D7200, Nikkor 105mm, f/8, shutter 1/250.
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