Learn Macro Photography Mode with these steps and tips

Many photographer might not know what is a macro photography
therefore we have made this article for them to understand more about what a macro photography is
Macro Photography is becoming more and more popular day by day with the spread of images that are very close to animals, insects, plants, etc., which are pictures that come alive and minute details that cannot be captured with normal shooting modes, and the passion of photographers in developing macro photography, especially after the interest of the companies developing cameras and lenses to develop Macro Lenses.

Read more: what is Exposure in photography ? the rules of EXPOSURE

Looking at the images captured in macro photography mode, some beginners may think that it is nothing more than a process of close proximity to any object to capture a picture, but the issue is more complex than that, but it is not difficult, but you only need some instructions that we provide to you through this article that takes you in A detailed step-by-step journey that will help you master photography in this mode with training, using the tips and steps that will follow in the following lines of this article.

Steps to learn macro photography mode

Choose the right macro lens

The matter does not depend on the nature of the camera as long as it is a professional camera that can be changed through lenses, as lenses are the most important component in macro photography that needs to choose the appropriate lens.
The rule says that the greater the focal length of the lens, the greater the effective working distance of the lens, which is the distance in which the image ratio becomes 1: 1 when focusing on an era, which may be useful in photographing live or dynamic objects in motion, but since the macro mode is concerned with photographing objects We will choose a lens with a focal length of 60 mm and aperture of f / 2.8.

Why didn’t we use a lens with a larger focal length? Because the long focal length leads to the fading of the depth of field effect, which is inconsistent with this mode of photography, which requires full focus on an object to capture all its details, which also needs to narrow the aperture.

Narrow aperture

As mentioned above, the macro shooting mode needs a narrow sensor aperture, such as f / 11, for example to ensure that sufficient depth of field is obtained to preserve the sharpness of all the details of the object to be photographed, and to abide by the laws of convenience, we will set the minimum shutter speed to 1/60 second with the ISO sensitivity automatically determined To maintain the most appropriate exposure settings, we remind you that these settings are specific to the lens we chose, which is 60mm f / 2.8.

Choose the right lighting

Sometimes you may need a soft diffused light to wrap around all sides of the object to be photographed to avoid the appearance of any shadows, and other times you may need a direct light falling on the element if you need shadows to add depth to the image or for any other artistic purpose. Experiment with the two modes until you discover the best fit between them.

Change settings

We mentioned before that the general situation for macro photography depends on entering all the details of the object to be photographed into focus, which is consistent with the previous settings that we mentioned before, but what if you want to add an artistic glimpse to your image?

In this case, you may need to camouflage some aspects of the image by bringing it out of focus, if this is what you want, you can increase the aperture width up to f / 2.8 and experiment with the image. Case what you do not like this effect

External macro photography

Cloudy days – when clouds cover the sunlight – represent an ideal opportunity to get outside your home and try taking macro pictures of the rocks and plants around you, as the clouds that cover the sunlight will act as a giant softening box that works to provide soft lighting for all the elements around you worth experiencing this The situation on it, but if you own a professional mirrorless camera such as a Nikon Z 6 or Nikon Z 7, you can use it even on sunny days with deep shadows, as you will be able to discover wonderful details among these shades.

Use the screen to focus

For some shots, you may need to combine the lens and the screen using Live View mode, where you can work on zooming through the screen while adjusting focus via the focus dial surrounding the lens until the optimal result is reached, and nothing determines the optimal result except for your imagining the image before capturing it, and the correctness of applying this Visualization on the image.

Never stop experimenting with upgrading your equipment

You will not be able to master a photography mode without continuing to experiment and test day after day, as you can set a specific goal by taking one photo every day for two weeks, for example, and at the end of the two weeks you will discover that you have been among the professionals of the macro mode and you will discover that you are able

To transform all your imaginations into reality through this mode.

On the other hand, try to upgrade your equipment from time to time. Macro lenses are many and different in terms of their capabilities, and if you like this situation and want to continue in it, you have to upgrade your lens group from time to time at least if you are not able to upgrade the camera itself with a better camera.

Firas Ghraoui