A Beginner's Guide to Macro Photography

Macro photography is all about capturing close-up, larger-than-life-size pictures of a subject to emphasise details that we may otherwise overlook. Macro photography subjects are often tiny - insects, leaves, flowers - requiring high-magnification close-ups to reveal the rich details of this unseen miniature world.

Macro photography is seeing more and more enthusiasts since the launch of the newest smartphones with their Macro phone lenses. With their newfound ability to shoot subjects as close as 2cm away from the lens, the global and diverse community of smartphone photographers are now joining in the fun and capturing amazing macro photos.

Beyond smartphones, our favourite way to capture macro shots will always be a digital camera and a good lens for macro photography. Here are our best macro photography tips, including how to choose the right equipment, like the best macro photography lens, to capture your up-close shots, alongside a range of accessories for macro photography to make your life easier.

• What is Macro photography?
• How do I get started with Macro Photography?
• Choosing a Macro Photography lens
• Tips for Macro Photography

Macro photography captures high-magnification close-up images of small subject matter. It can be practically anything, as long as you magnify your subject. This magnification is the ratio between the size of your object and your camera sensor.

Much like how binoculars help us see far away, a good macro photography lens magnifies small details, making them appear “life-size” in images. Macro photographers have designated ratios for magnification, where life-size is a 1:1 magnification, whereas half life-size is 1:2 magnification. 

Some lenses can go even further, with up to 5x magnification made possible by the Laowa 25mm f2.8 2.5-5x Ultra Macro lens. Given the tag line, “a whole new world in extreme macro,” you can go beyond life-size to larger-than-life images thanks to the varying degrees of macro magnification.

Believe it or not, macro photography is used for various media, from nature documentaries to advertising, and abstract artwork, the kind that you stare and squint at, trying to make out to no avail. In practical terms, dentists use dental photography kits, which are essential macro photography  tools to capture detailed images of teeth and gums, aiding in diagnosis and treatment.

First things first, Macro photography is not as simple as pointing your camera at a small object and hoping for the best. Like most photography styles, it requires a bit of know-how. So let’s start by looking at cameras for macro photography.

Most compact cameras and even smartphones will have a macro photography setting, often indicated by a picture of a flower. Selecting this mode will automatically tell your camera to begin focusing on the very small. The level of detail depends on your camera's quality – you shouldn’t necessarily expect fabulous results from a basic point-and-shoot camera, but this is a great place to start.

Upgrading to a DSLR or Mirrorless camera for macro photography will significantly improve your images. However, while there is no perfect camera for macro photos, you are guaranteed to get much better results with a dedicated macro lens.

Unlike standard lenses, macro lenses are designed to focus at close distances. In most cases, they provide a life-size representation of smaller objects, otherwise known as the ‘magnification ratio’. 

The focal length of macro lenses can range from as low as 24mm to upwards of 180mm; however, many find a focal length of 100mm to be the sweet spot for a macro-photography lens. Longer focal lengths are handy if you don’t wish to disturb your subject matter. 

Nikon has a range of macro photography lenses, including the AF-S 40mm f2.8G DX Micro offering 1x magnification shots of subjects as close as 16cm from your lens. Meanwhile, Canon offers several Canon macro lens options, including tilt-shift lenses if you want to experiment with tilt-shift photography.

• When composing your image, pay attention to your background. The focus should be on your subject matter. If the environment is too cluttered or eye-catching, it will take your viewer’s attention away from your subject.
• Shooting with a shallow depth of field will significantly emphasise the focal point of your image. We recommend choosing a macro lens with a fast maximum aperture, i.e. f2.8 or faster.

• Macro photography and photographing the very small requires absolute stillness. Even the slightest camera shake may result in blurry macro photos. Avoid this by mounting your camera on a tripod. The extra stability will also prevent your camera from shifting focus with a shallow depth of field.
• Consider bypassing the speedy autofocus of your digital camera and opting for manual focus instead. The AF function does its best to find a focal point, but only you truly know what area of the image you want in focus - take matters into your own hands, turn the dial and get creative with your focus points.

Macro photography requires an equal mix of practice, patience, and the right camera gear. It is also something that you can work on from the comfort of your own home or backyard. Check out our post about 10 Macro Photo Ideas at Home to improve your skills from home.

If you need help choosing the right camera gear for macro photography, check out our online store, or visit us in-store at your local Ted’s.