Macro and close-up photography

What macro and close-up mean

Close-up photography shows a small subject large in the frame. Macro photography, in the strict sense, means the subject is projected onto the sensor at life size or larger, which is called 1:1 magnification or 1×. A 0.5 in insect would cover 0.5 in of the sensor.

Many lenses labelled macro reach only 1:2 or 1:4, which is really close-up work. The labels are loose, and good pictures do not depend on reaching exactly 1:1.

A short history

Photographers used close-up and photomicrography in the 19th century to record plants, insects and minerals for science. Later, art photographers such as Karl Blossfeldt made famous close-up studies of plant forms in the 1920s.

Dedicated macro lenses, bellows and ring flashes became common in the second half of the 20th century. Today, focus stacking software and phones with close-focus modes have made macro accessible to almost everyone.

Gear and focal lengths

A dedicated macro lens is the simplest route. Around 90–105 mm (full-frame) is the most popular, giving a comfortable working distance of roughly 6 in at 1:1 (approximate), so insects are less disturbed. Lenses around 50–60 mm are cheaper but put you closer; 150–200 mm give more distance for shy subjects.

Cheaper options: close-up filters (screw-on lenses), extension tubes (empty spacers between camera and lens) and reversing a normal lens. Tubes and reversed lenses cost little but lose light and make focusing slower.

Useful extras: a tripod or beanbag, a focusing rail for fine adjustment, a small flash with a diffuser, and a reflector.

Starting settings

Aperture: f/8 to f/11 is a good balance (approximate). Stopping down further gives more depth of field, but beyond about f/16 diffraction starts to soften detail.

Shutter speed: handheld with flash, use your camera's flash sync speed, often 1/200 s. Without flash, aim for at least 1/250 s handheld, because tiny movements are magnified too. On a tripod with a still subject, any speed works.

ISO: as low as light allows; with flash, ISO 100–400 is typical. Focus: many macro shooters set manual focus at the desired magnification and rock gently forward and back until the subject snaps sharp.

Light and composition

Because you work so close, the camera and lens can block light. A diffused flash gives even light and freezes motion; a large, soft diffuser prevents harsh glare on shiny insects. In the field, soft light from an overcast sky is excellent.

Choose what to make sharp: with an insect, the eyes are usually the priority. Keep the sensor parallel to the main plane of the subject to fit more of it into the thin sharp zone.

Watch the background: a distant, plain background turns into a smooth wash of colour. Shift your angle a little and the whole mood changes.

Focus stacking, common mistakes and ethics

Depth of field at 1:1 may be only a millimetre or so at f/8 (approximate). Focus stacking combines several frames focused at different distances into one sharp image. It works best on still subjects with a tripod and a focusing rail or the camera's focus bracketing mode.

Common mistakes: aperture too wide so almost nothing is sharp; aperture too narrow so diffraction softens everything; camera shake; and a cluttered background.

Ethics: do not chill, glue, pin or relocate live insects, and do not trample plants to get a shot. Leave rare plants and nests undisturbed and follow park rules. A good macro picture should leave no trace.

An exercise to try

Find a common object at home, such as a coin, a leaf or a fork. Photograph it at the closest focus your lens or phone allows, once at f/4 and once at f/11, and compare how much is sharp.

Then try five frames focused progressively from front to back and merge them with stacking software. Note how many frames you needed and whether any edges show halos.