Techniques
The primary requirement for any macro setup is to have it as stable and solid as possible. In the studio this can often be realized, but even there it is sometimes difficult to make everything solid. Floors shake when people walk, tables move a little, tripods rock or vibrate, etc. You do your best and you use all available techniques to minimize the movements and other problems you cannot completely avoid or prevent. Use the solidest equipment and hardware you can carry and afford.
Make the sensor plane parallel to the primary plane of interest of the subject. Example: for a butterfly, the plane of the wings is probably of greatest interest, so make the sensor plane parallel to the wings. Use a remote shutter release whenever possible. If you can’t do that, use the camera’s time delay to let the vibrations die down before the exposure is made. Use mirror lockup whenever possible, especially if you are shooting with available light. If your light is largely flash, vibration will be less of a problem.
If you are trying to photograph something for which you cannot use a tripod, decide on the magnification you want and set the camera for it. Then put yourself in a well-balanced position and move the camera deliberately toward the subject with your finger on the shutter release. At the instant that the picture seems to be in focus and what you want, press the shutter release. Don’t try to hold the camera steady, but shoot “on the fly.” Do this as many times as is possible or seems useful – one of the pictures is likely to be okay. Sometimes you can set up the camera and move the subject a little bit at a time until it is where you want it. Sometimes you can lean against something stable, or maybe hold the camera tightly up against a stable item, like a tree. Be creative and persistent!
Stop down as far as your experiments indicate you can, while maintaining good focus in the desired areas. (see Stacking, below) Sometimes you just have to decide how to make the best photograph you can within the limitations of the operator and the medium. If it is a critter you are trying to photograph, keep in mind that, if the eyes are sharp, sharpness in the rest of the photo is not as important. People will forgive a lot if the eyes are sharp. Sometimes you can use the limited depth of field to show the portions of greatest interest. If these areas are sufficiently interesting and clear, people will remember the photo and forget the soft areas. Really interesting, dynamic, exciting photographs are not remembered for their sharpness! Also remember that what seems important to a photographer may not even be noticed by a viewer.
Freezing motion
It is generally desirable to use a shutter speed which is fast enough to stop any motion of the subject, thus yielding a picture which is sharp everywhere which is in focus. However, remember that you might want to retain some motion blur in the photo in order to suggest motion. For example, in photographing hummingbirds in flight, current flash technology makes it relatively simple to freeze every portion of the bird’s anatomy, even the wingtips. Some people, myself among them, prefer to allow at least the wingtips to blur in such photographs since we believe that blur fits into the way we normally see hummingbirds.
At least two manufacturers of lenses (Canon and Sigma) are now making a macro lens with image stabilization. This probably is helpful for macro work in the field; it may also be helpful when working from a tripod.
Lighting
Sunlight is the preferred source of light in the field, coupled with various modifiers. The sun is generally bright enough to permit you to use the smaller apertures you need to get reasonable depth of field. However, the shadows and harshness of sunlight need to be modified. To do that, we use diffusers to soften the light, reflectors to put light into otherwise harshly-shadowed areas, and electronic fill flash to brighten up the shadows and to soften the light in general. There is a large industry devoted to the production of hardware for modifying outdoor lighting. I find that a few smaller folding reflectors and diffusers covers most of my needs. Since the subject is to be small, the modifiers can also be small. Three or four of them fit into the back pockets of my shooting vest – a silver, a white, and a gold reflector, and a somewhat larger diffuser. I like the diffuser to be larger because I often need to soften the light behind the subject as well as on the subject itself. You can use any of these quite well, holding them in place as needed while the 10 second timer on your camera counts down to the shutter release.
In the studio, although you can certainly use “hot lights,” I prefer to use electronic flash for most work. Right now, fluorescent and LED lighting appear to be becoming more useful, but these lights tend to be expensive. I am also not too sure of their color qualities. Flash also has the virtue of stopping motion, which is very helpful for macro and close-up work. I frequently buy old used battery-powered flash units at camera stores. These are usually quite inexpensive, and they can be slaved to your regular flashes with small light sensors.
Lighting is critical for all macro work. Almost any useful lights will be large compared to the subject, so shadows are usually not too harsh. However, light modifiers of all kinds are extremely useful in macro shooting. Small reflectors and light blockers (gobos or flags) will always be useful. Small reflectors can be made from cardboard or mat board; they can be white or covered with crumpled aluminum foil. Light blockers can be made from black cardboard or any other opaque material. All of these modifiers may be free-standing or held in place by clamps, clips, magnets, or faith. Although the background of almost any macro shot will be very blurred and probably completely unrecognizable, bright or brightly-colored areas of the background may be distracting. Examine your background carefully and prevent or remove such distractions.
Try to keep direct light from falling on the objective lens and causing flare, which reduces color intensity and contrast in general. To that end, some kind of simple lens hood can be found or fabricated for your lens setups.
Make the sensor plane parallel to the primary plane of interest of the subject. Example: for a butterfly, the plane of the wings is probably of greatest interest, so make the sensor plane parallel to the wings. Use a remote shutter release whenever possible. If you can’t do that, use the camera’s time delay to let the vibrations die down before the exposure is made. Use mirror lockup whenever possible, especially if you are shooting with available light. If your light is largely flash, vibration will be less of a problem.
If you are trying to photograph something for which you cannot use a tripod, decide on the magnification you want and set the camera for it. Then put yourself in a well-balanced position and move the camera deliberately toward the subject with your finger on the shutter release. At the instant that the picture seems to be in focus and what you want, press the shutter release. Don’t try to hold the camera steady, but shoot “on the fly.” Do this as many times as is possible or seems useful – one of the pictures is likely to be okay. Sometimes you can set up the camera and move the subject a little bit at a time until it is where you want it. Sometimes you can lean against something stable, or maybe hold the camera tightly up against a stable item, like a tree. Be creative and persistent!
Stop down as far as your experiments indicate you can, while maintaining good focus in the desired areas. (see Stacking, below) Sometimes you just have to decide how to make the best photograph you can within the limitations of the operator and the medium. If it is a critter you are trying to photograph, keep in mind that, if the eyes are sharp, sharpness in the rest of the photo is not as important. People will forgive a lot if the eyes are sharp. Sometimes you can use the limited depth of field to show the portions of greatest interest. If these areas are sufficiently interesting and clear, people will remember the photo and forget the soft areas. Really interesting, dynamic, exciting photographs are not remembered for their sharpness! Also remember that what seems important to a photographer may not even be noticed by a viewer.
Freezing motion
It is generally desirable to use a shutter speed which is fast enough to stop any motion of the subject, thus yielding a picture which is sharp everywhere which is in focus. However, remember that you might want to retain some motion blur in the photo in order to suggest motion. For example, in photographing hummingbirds in flight, current flash technology makes it relatively simple to freeze every portion of the bird’s anatomy, even the wingtips. Some people, myself among them, prefer to allow at least the wingtips to blur in such photographs since we believe that blur fits into the way we normally see hummingbirds.
At least two manufacturers of lenses (Canon and Sigma) are now making a macro lens with image stabilization. This probably is helpful for macro work in the field; it may also be helpful when working from a tripod.
Lighting
Sunlight is the preferred source of light in the field, coupled with various modifiers. The sun is generally bright enough to permit you to use the smaller apertures you need to get reasonable depth of field. However, the shadows and harshness of sunlight need to be modified. To do that, we use diffusers to soften the light, reflectors to put light into otherwise harshly-shadowed areas, and electronic fill flash to brighten up the shadows and to soften the light in general. There is a large industry devoted to the production of hardware for modifying outdoor lighting. I find that a few smaller folding reflectors and diffusers covers most of my needs. Since the subject is to be small, the modifiers can also be small. Three or four of them fit into the back pockets of my shooting vest – a silver, a white, and a gold reflector, and a somewhat larger diffuser. I like the diffuser to be larger because I often need to soften the light behind the subject as well as on the subject itself. You can use any of these quite well, holding them in place as needed while the 10 second timer on your camera counts down to the shutter release.
In the studio, although you can certainly use “hot lights,” I prefer to use electronic flash for most work. Right now, fluorescent and LED lighting appear to be becoming more useful, but these lights tend to be expensive. I am also not too sure of their color qualities. Flash also has the virtue of stopping motion, which is very helpful for macro and close-up work. I frequently buy old used battery-powered flash units at camera stores. These are usually quite inexpensive, and they can be slaved to your regular flashes with small light sensors.
Lighting is critical for all macro work. Almost any useful lights will be large compared to the subject, so shadows are usually not too harsh. However, light modifiers of all kinds are extremely useful in macro shooting. Small reflectors and light blockers (gobos or flags) will always be useful. Small reflectors can be made from cardboard or mat board; they can be white or covered with crumpled aluminum foil. Light blockers can be made from black cardboard or any other opaque material. All of these modifiers may be free-standing or held in place by clamps, clips, magnets, or faith. Although the background of almost any macro shot will be very blurred and probably completely unrecognizable, bright or brightly-colored areas of the background may be distracting. Examine your background carefully and prevent or remove such distractions.
Try to keep direct light from falling on the objective lens and causing flare, which reduces color intensity and contrast in general. To that end, some kind of simple lens hood can be found or fabricated for your lens setups.