

Extension tubes are cheaper than you might think. Extension tubesĮxperiment with extension tubes. Instead, it’s best to be patient and wait until you find a curious insect that is sitting still. Personally, I’ve found it hopeless chasing them around like a mad photographer. This dragonfly come up to me as I sat under a tree, so I took the opportunity to take a few shots of it. This is one of my best tips for insect photography. Similar to the first two macro photographs, this one was also taken with a Canon 400D SLR camera and a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens.Īnother important macro photography tip is to learn patience. The original dragonfly image was cropped with Photoshop CS2 so the dragonflies face takes up the majority of the final composition. Crop images tight for online viewingĬrop macro images nice and tight, especially for online viewing. This also allowed me to keep the camera’s lens set on AF (automatic focus). He sat really still and would allowed me to move in as close as I needed for a detailed macro photo of his whiskers. I was lucky with this macro shot to have found a curious dragonfly. In my experience, that doesn’t work! You’ll be surprised how many insects are as curious of you, as you are of them. Learn to be patientĭon’t run around like a mad photographer chasing an insect that won’t sit still. Metering Mode: Pattern Macro Photography Tips 3. This macro was taken with a Canon 400D SLR camera, a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens and a Canon Macro Twin Light MT-24EX flash. If I hadn’t turned this lens setting off, it would have kept swimming or refocusing, making it near impossible to capture a sharp image of the hoverfly. As the hoverfly was constantly moving, I found turning off the lens AF (automatic focus) function made the job so much easier.
CAMERA FOR MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY MANUAL
Learn to use manual focus when shooting insects. Metering Mode: Pattern Macro Photography Tips 2. Photograph of a hoverfly in flight was taken with a Canon 400D SLR entry level camera, a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens and a Canon Macro Twin Light MT-24EX flash.Įxposure (shutter speed): 0.005 sec (1/200) Hand holding your camera for macro photography makes it easier to nail the shot. This is perhaps high on my list of macro photography tips. Like many macro photographers, I find a tripod really restrictive when photographing insects. It also allowed me to hand hold the camera without the use of a tripod. Having the ability to keep the shutter speed at a fast 1/200th of a second allowed me to capture the moving insect sharply. Using a Canon Macro Twin Light MT-24EX flash allowed me to keep the aperture on a high f/11 without sacrificing shutter speed (exposure). The photo shown below was shot in a shady part of the garden. However we recommend keeping it in mind for later on. I understand it isn’t always possible for beginner photographers to purchase external flash. Using a flash will allow you to shoot at a reasonable speed, yet enable you to keep the aperture on a high f/11 for sufficient depth of field. Use a ring flash or twin light flash when shooting macro

You’ll also notice they were photographed with an entry level camera, demonstrating that anyone with a DSLR can shoot awesome macro photographs. Many of the images below have been taken with a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro lens, the settings can be reproduced with any real macro lens. Each photograph also includes an explanation of the camera equipment that was used and camera settings. Shown below is a set of ten amazing macro images with macro photography tips for the relevant image.
