5 Ways to Get More From Your
Macro Photography
Macro photography is getting a lot of attention these days.
When you take a picture up close with your digital camera the macro
setting is the one to use. Usually
you can find this setting by looking for a little flower on the back of your
camera. The flower has the letters MF next to it.
When I first started playing with macro photography, all
of the pictures I took came out blurry. They
looked like blobs of color instead of the beautiful flowers in front of me. I nearly gave up on the whole process. But I kept trying, and today I would like to share a few of the tricks I
learned about macro photography with you.
The main characteristic of all macro photography is the
focus of your main subject in the picture. The background becomes blurred
and the subject stands out in more detail. As you can see in the examples
of rose pictures on this page.
| Dew Covered Rose |
Black & White Background |
Pink Floating Rose |
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| This close-up of a pink rose covered in dew
was captured while I was in California |
I combined macro-photography with a little
photo editing to create this beautiful rose picture |
One minor adjustment in my photo editor made
this pink rose appear to be floating in the air |
5 ways to get more from your macro photography:
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- Steady
that camera – I am sure you have read that a tri-pod is a must have,
especially in macro photography. If
you do not have a tri-pod (which I seldom have with me) try balancing the
camera on some part of your body. I have heard the suggestion of the face. But I found
using anything to steady the camera will do. I have used my knee, arm, a rock, or even just the intent of focus
works.
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- Use
LCD Display - When I first got my camera I would use the viewfinder to take
all of my pictures. This was a
carry over from my film camera days I think. Then as I learned more about
the digital camera I discovered that my pictures come out better if I use
the LCD display. This setting
uses up the batteries faster but the results are worth it.
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- Turn
off the flash - When taking pictures with a point and shoot camera like the
one I use (a 3.5 mega pixel), I discovered the flash distorts my colors. The flash seemed to give an orange cast to my pictures. The best pictures are produced with a low, natural light. Of course using the flash can produce effects you may want.
But that is for another article.
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- Step
Back - I recently discovered that when the flowers are really tiny, the
macro photography setting works best from farther away. So step a little
back and zoom in to get the best focus on that tiny flower. As we nature lovers know, some wild flowers are amazingly beautiful
when you bring them up close.
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- Play
with the brightness - One last tip. This
tip is for after you get your pictures home. Use your photo editor to enhance the photo to look the way you
envisioned it in the park. They
can sometimes even look a little better. I find that if I lower the brightness, and raise the contrast, I get
some very impressive results.
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All
of the macro photography examples used on this page happen to be roses but you
can use this setting on any type of flower. I have even used the macro
setting on insects, mushrooms, and a variety of other nature pictures.
Macro photography may seem a little hard at first but
the rewards are well worth the effort. I
hope these tips will help you to bring nature into a close-up focus.
Enjoy those beautiful wildflowers, roses, daisies and more in a different light.
Return to Pictures of Roses from Macro
Photography