Macro Photography Tips

If you're interested in macro photography tips, you've come to the right place. Macro photography is shooting close-up images of small objects. It's great for taking detailed pictures of flowers, insects, leaves or any other small object that you can think of. It gives you a new prespective and a whole new set of possibilities for exciting photographs.

In macro photography when you take a picture of an object the picture will come out at a 1:1 ratio. This means that the object in the picture will be the same size as the actual object. Most point and shoot cameras can't do that. What they really do is give you a close-up image, but on the camera menu it's still referred to as macro photography.

Macro Photography for Point and Shoot Cameras

Macro Photography on a point and shoot camera can be pretty straight forward. Point and shoot cameras have a macro mode that you need to activate to take macro photos. You can usually find a botton on the back of your camera with a picture of a flower on it or an option on the menu that displays on the LCD monitor. This button changes the camera's focusing mode to focus on an object that's very close to the lens.

When you're in macro mode most cameras don't allow you to adjust the depth of field, but some do. If you want you can play with the depth of field by resetting the aperture. This will control the amount of the background that is in focus in your picture. Usually with macro photography the depth of field is very small. This makes most of the background out of focus. I think this is a good effect. It gives the object you're photographing an abstract background and adds interest to the shot.

As with any other picture you might take, you should experiment with the light. If you're outdoors that just means trying to take the picture at different angles so that the sun is hitting your subject from different directions.

Macro Photography for DSLR Cameras

Now for a few macro photography tips for DSLR cameras. When working with a DSLR camera, you should get a lens for macro photography. Lens are quite expensive, but the right lens will allow you to take great pictures. When purchasing a lens you want to take into consideration what you'll be photographing. A 55mm macro lens will give you beautiful clear images. You'll have to be pretty close to the subject though. If you're planning to take pictures something that will be easily scared, this isn't the best option. Then you should try using a 100mm or a 200mm lens. This will allow you to have some distance between you and your subject. Some people opt for a zoom lens. These are also good options.

On your lens you'll see a series of f-stop numbers. These f-stops determine the aperture setting for your shot. A small f-stop number will make the aperture smaller. This means you have a smaller depth of field.

You also need to adjust your shutter speed--the length of time the shutter stays open. If your shutter is set to stay open for a long time, you'll be unable to get a sharp image of a subject that's in motion. For that you need to set a fast shutter speed.

You're usually best off using manual focus when doing macro photography. You can be surprised at times by how much better you do manually focusing your camera than autofocus does.

General Macro Photography Tips

Often times you'll need to use a flash, with a point and shoot camera you have less options. You should experiment with using the different flashes that are available on your camera. My camera comes with several different flash options. DSLR users can experiment with a variety of positions for holding your hand held flash.

Even when you're trying your best to stay perfectly still, you move the tiniest bit. This movement can make you macro photography look a little blurry. Using a tripod will help you get a sharper image. So you don't have to touch the camera when it's taking the picture try using the timer or if you have a DSLR use a cable release.

These few simple macro photography tips will help you take some interesting pictures that you'll love to show off.

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