Understanding the Basics of Macro Photography: Tips and Techniques for Beginners

The term, “macro photography”, applies to any photograph captured at 1x magnification (or “life-size”) and above. A macro photograph captures images at the exact same size as they appear in real life. We define any magnification less than this “life-size” magnification as simply “close-up” photography. If you are a beginner in the field of macro photography and looking for some techniques and tips, start by applying the three most basic principles:


• Simplicity – Avoid overloading your portrait with multiple subjects. Keep it simple.
• Sharp focus – Manually focus on the part of your subject that you want to establish as your main point of interest, making it as focused as possible to capture the details.
• Fill the portrait with your subject – Make it as easy as possible for your viewer to recognize your subject. A non-cluttered or simple background that does not compete with the subject visually will help draw the eye of your viewer to your main point of interest.

In most cases, the narrow depth of field associated with macro photography (often around one millimeter for precise macro photos) will throw the background of your portrait completely out of focus. Use natural backgrounds for the best close-up results and avoid capturing anything distracting behind your subject that will take away from the focus of your subject. Branches, leaves or cigarette butts captured in the background will take away from details of your main point of interest. Remember, the purpose of macro photography is to capture the details of your close-range subject and not to accentuate what is going on in the background.

Capture your subject from different angles and experiment with different forms of artificial light, such as a reflector, and even try diffusing your flash with tissue paper or cellotape. Also, check with your owner’s manual to see if your digital camera allows you to pull back the level that your flash fires at. This can help you achieve your desired amount of light.

Two important details found in a powerful macro photograph are color and texture. If you are looking to capture deep saturation of the colors in your subject, be sure to use front lighting and use side lighting if you want to capture the texture.

If your digital camera has a macro mode, which usually shows up as a flower symbol on your camera, select this mode so that your camera knows that you want it to focus on a subject that is closer to your lens than a typical shot. Some digital cameras fail to take macro shots clearly because of their minimum distance allowance, one of the many reasons why a macro lens is usually necessary to capture quality “life-size” images. Be sure to refer to your instruction manual and check for the minimum distance allowance of your camera before shooting.

Aperture is a major factor in macro photography where a large aperture yields the best results. A large aperture (small number) tells your camera that you want it to focus only on the main subject, and not the background. Keep in mind that some digital cameras will not allow for changes in aperture while in macro mode, but if your camera allows it, definitely take advantage of this feature.

Use a tripod and shutter cable release to eliminate camera shake and to experiment with different settings without losing your composition. If your camera does not have a cable release try using the self-timer on its shortest time setting.

Additional macro lens attachments and accessories provide for better macro shots by allowing you to enlarge your main point of interest and decrease a low minimum focal length.

With all of this in mind, the single most important aspect in macro photography is the lens. Most macro lenses dramatically improve the quality of a life-size portrait and it would be a difficult task to find a bad one. Although it is difficult to find a “bad” macro lens, some are clearly better than others are.

A wonderful multi-purpose lens for macro photography is the Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM Lens, compatible with select Canon EOS digital SLRs (the EOS 20D, EOS Digital Rebel and EOS Digital Rebel XT cameras). The angle of view for this lens is equivalent to a 96mm lens on a 35mm camera, equipped with a floating optical system that can focus down to a full “life-size” (1:1) magnification. A silent and powerful ring-type USM drives inner focusing, meaning the lens’ overall length never changes during focus.