Taking Close-Up Photos

Capture the microscopic world and magnify tiny details that you rarely see.

Dave Johnson

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Feature: Taking Close-Up Photos

Close-up photography--also known as macrophotography--is one of the most exciting things I do with my digital camera. I love the way my camera gives me the ability to grab a slice of the microscopic world and see things from the perspective of an insect or zoom in on the reverse of a nickel in my coin collection until the fully struck steps on Monticello become easily apparent to the naked eye.

I first talked about macrophotography way back in September 2002; and in August 2003 I described how to use macro filters with your digital camera. This week, let's see what else you should know about getting the most out of your camera's close-up mode.

Macro Photo Basics

Macrophotography is all about capturing the microscopic world--magnifying tiny details that the human eye usually doesn't see. You'll need to set your camera to its macro mode for that. The macro setting is almost universally identified by an icon that looks like a flower, and it rearranges the optics in the camera so that you can get very close to your subject. While you should check your camera's user guide for details, macro modes usually allow you to get to within just a few inches of the subject. In general, the closer you get, the more magnified the picture will be.

At the same time, getting that close has two adverse effects on your photos. First, it amplifies the effects of shake and blur. You'll find it's hard to get a rock-solid, steady picture in macro mode, so I recommend mounting the camera on a tripod or monopod, or even resting it on a bean bag to avoid blurring the picture.

Close-ups also reduce the depth of field, so not very much of the picture will be in sharp focus. You'll need to make sure that you focus specifically on the most important part of the image, since parts of the scene just a fraction of an inch in front or behind will probably be blurry. You can increase the depth of field by turning off auto exposure and setting your camera's aperture to its biggest f-stop, like f/16 or f/22.

Another important consideration is how you plan to orient the subject in the frame. For example, if your subject is long and narrow, like a caterpillar or a tube of toothpaste, try to keep it parallel to the camera lens. That way, the entire length of the subject will stay in focus. If you shoot with the subject pointed toward or away from the lens, only part of it will be in sharp focus.

Mind the Background

Macro photos look best when you can reduce the distractions caused by cluttered, blurry backgrounds. When you shoot outdoors, taking pictures of flowers or insects, perhaps, try using the flash. The background will end up quite dark, eliminating the problem.

If you're taking a picture of something indoors--like a stamp collection or a small gadget that you want to sell on EBay, perhaps--then invest in a sheet of poster board to use as a background. I have a collection of inexpensive poster boards that I keep tucked behind my desk. When I want to take a photo of something very small, I position a board on a table near a window, place the subject it, and shoot. Using a dark color is great for making the subject stand out in the frame.

Better Lighting

Finally, it's worth noting that the flash built into many digital cameras isn't up to the task of illuminating close-up subjects. Often, the flash will overpower your subject or cast a distracting shadow (since the lens may block the flash when you're too close). Instead, consider using a flash that's off the camera. In the past, I've recommended getting a slave flash that can fire at the same time as your camera's built-in flash. An inexpensive model like the Phoenix D91-BZS might be just what you need. (I reviewed the Phoenix flash last year.)

As an alternative, use a reflector to bounce light from the sun or another light source onto the subject. You can buy an inexpensive reflector from most camera stores, but an even more affordable option is to use a piece of bright white poster board. I have used a square of poster board to reflect light onto my macro subjects with good results.

The bottom line, of course, is to grab your camera and go experiment.

Dave's Favorites: Light Reading at Luminous Landscape

Want to read more about making the transition to RAW format? How to use your camera's histogram? How to "see" the world photographically or take better nature photos? Then I have a Web site for you.

The Luminous Landscape is a great resource for digital photo tutorials, editorials, articles, and product reviews. There are some great articles here on subjects I've rarely seen elsewhere on the Web or in print, such as what settings to use to get the most out of a digital SLR, using polarizing filters with a digital camera, and how to extend the dynamic range of your pictures. All in all, there are over 200 articles on the site. (Be sure to scroll down to the What's New and Subject Index links, because only a small subset of the site's contents are listed on the main page.)

The Luminous Landscape caters to serious photographers, but everyone with a love of photography will find something of interest. Be sure to bookmark the site--you'll want to return to again and again.

Q&A: Should I Shoot in RAW?

What is your opinion of shooting in RAW format? I just got a new digital SLR, and I am trying to decide whether I want to do all my shooting in RAW, JPEG, or TIFF format.

--John Walters, Sydney, Australia

That's a great question, John.

I'm currently reassessing my position on RAW. RAW, of course, is a general name for high-quality, unfiltered photos captured by many digital cameras. Not only do RAW photos typically capture more colors and dynamic range than JPEG images (thanks to their greater number of bits per pixel), but they also haven't been subjected to any in-camera editing the way JPEGs are. Best of all, they're completely lossless--no image compression has been done as they're saved. Though people tend to call all of these images RAW, there's no single standard; Nikon creates NEF images, for instance, while Canon uses the CRW format.

In the past, I dismissed the use of RAW formats by most average users because these files tended to be so hard to work with. But the RAW deal is getting better. Modern cameras save RAW files much faster than cameras did just a year or two ago, and most common image editors can read those files just fine. Here's the kicker: Just a year ago, you had to use special software just to view a RAW file. Now, virtually all of the newest image editing programs load RAW files without a hitch. So if you want to work with pure, high-quality images and don't mind large files, using RAW is a very smart way to go.

Hot Pic of the Week

Get published, get famous! Each week, we select our favorite reader-submitted photo based on creativity, originality, and technique. Every month, the best of the weekly winners gets a prize valued at between $15 and $50.

Here's how to enter: Send us your photograph in JPEG format, at a resolution no higher than 640 by 480 pixels. Entries at higher resolutions will be immediately disqualified. If necessary, use an image editing program to reduce the file size of your image before e-mailing it to us. Include the title of your photo along with a short description and how you photographed it. Don't forget to send your name, e-mail address, and postal address. Before entering, please read the full description of the contest rules and regulations.

This Week's Hot Pic: "Childhood Magic," by Jan Stadelmyer, Dulles, Virginia

Many of you know Jan--she's earned a place in our Hot Pic gallery several times before. About this photo, Jan says: "I took this photo of my daughter blowing bubbles last summer. While organizing my photos, I came across it and got inspired to "play" a little in Paint Shop Pro. Using layers, I created a combination color/desaturated image. I think it shows the fun and wonder of childhood... how a simple thing like a bottle of bubbles can make a gray day magical!"