How to Photograph Up Close X – Printing your Macro Photograph
How to Photograph Up Close
Information on Macro & Close Up Photographing by Janice Sullivan
Introduction/ II: Cameras, Lens’ & Tripods / III: Fun Gadgets for Macro Photographing / IV: Basic Macro Shots using Natural Light / V: Digital Darkroom Basics / VI: Creative Techniques using Natural Light / VII: Alternative Lighting Techniques 1 / VIII: Alternative Lighting Techniques 2 / IV: Alternative Lighting Techniques 3 / X: Printing Your Close-Up Photograph
Hello everyone,
This is the tenth article of my series of How to Photograph Up-Close. In this series of articles I have discussed various info to start you on a wonderful journey of photographing close up. I hope that I have inspired you to go-for-it and enjoy the macro world. Every time I shoot something new I learn something new. Whether it be the subject or the process itself, it’s a wonderful feeling to learn something new everyday.
Before I start this post on printing, let’s touch on what I have discussed in this series of articles to refresh your memory.
I began my series of How to Photograph Up Close with an Introduction to discuss how the series would be set up. I said I would plan on discussing close-up photography and would give you links to read the technical information. These articles will have various books, magazine articles, and links to help you learn this style of photography. I stressed that to make a professional photograph you will need excellent equipment, patience and of course have fun!
The second article, Cameras, Lens, and Tripods, I talked about the digital single lens reflex camera, various macro lens’ and of course tripods. I added links with technical info on the equipment and links to companies for you to check out, if you want to purchase these goodies. The reading for this post was Hogan’s article on photography equipment.
The third article, Fun Gadgets for Macro Photographing, discussed equipment to make it easier while you’re shooting close-up. I talked about some of my favorite gadgets…the focusing rack, ball heads for your tripod, the angle finder to help you focus, a cable release to help minimize the shake of the camera, and the ring light flash. You can read all about these gadgets on this post. Also, I wanted you to check out John Shaw’s book, “Macro & Nature”. It’s an old edition but I like his concept of macro photo skills.
The fourth article discussed Basic Macro shots using Natural light. This post was a tutorial on using natural light and the importance of knowing the F-Stops, Shutter Speeds & the ISO. I talked about how I start a project and how the depth-of-field affects your shots especially when you’re photographing close-up. The reading material I gave you for this post is a wonderful book by Nicki Wheeler, “The Complete Guide to Close-up and Macro Photography”
The fifth article in this series, Digital Darkroom Basics, was a must… I discussed the software you most likely received when you purchased your digital camera and various formats like a tiff, jpeg, and raw files. The reading material on this post is by Hoddinott, “Digital Macro Photography”. Hoddinott has some excellent info on digital dark-rooming.
The sixth article, Creative Techniques using Natural Light, was on just that, techniques using natural light. I also discussed some art rules and color info, (the rules of thirds & the color theory), and I focused on some fun macro shots with textures, water drops and backlighting. The reading for this post Harold Davis’ article, “Focusing on What Matters”.
The seventh article, Alternative Lighting Techniques #1, discussed exposure, HDR (high definition range) and zone levels. I gave you info on examples of light reflectors, flashes, and flash diffusers. There are some examples of photographs shot with natural light and a flash to show you the difference between them both and again I talked a bit about the f-stops and shutter speeds. The reading on this post was, “Closeup shooting” by Cyrill Harnischmacher’s.
Because I didn’t want to overload you with several lighting techniques in the seventh article, I decided to discuss more lighting in the eighth, Alternative Lighting Techniques #2. I talked about using a flashlight for lighting your subject and linked you to technical info on color temperature. This article gives you a kit that works awesome for macro photographing. I also discussed strobe lighting, various grids, and snoots. The reading suggestion on this post was an article by Urs Recher, on Light Lessons, and an excellent book on lighting is by Robert Morrissey, “Master Lighting Guide”.
The ninth article in the series, Alternative Lighting Techniques #3, had more information on lighting techniques using umbrellas and fun tools you can use with an umbrella. I also talked about reflective surfaces and using a tent to help with this problem. I gave you a link to help you make a tent if you didn’t want to purchase one and showed you some of my photographs using my tent. This post gave you some of my favorite magazines for you to check out.
This article, Printing your Close-up Photograph, will discuss how to make that perfect print. From this series you should be able to photograph a great macro shot…and how to print your work. You have taken time to perfect your skills and now I would like to talk about the ending result…put a smile on your face and print your favorite work!
If you don’t have a printer you can use outside printer companies, which is nice when you have time for mailing etc… Of course you can go to Costco but I’m not talking about quick prints…I’m talking about professional prints. These are the companies I have used and recommend… West Coast Imaging, Nations photolab.com, & if you want fun products with your images on them, check out Mpix.com.
But, if you are like me and really want your colors perfect using specific paper to add quality to your print, then you will need to purchase a printer. I use Epson printers and I also use their paper.
If you want more details on various printers, check out this link I found, Printerinfo.com, so you can read up on printers before you invest your money. As you will see, professional printers can be expensive.
I really need to stress that if you do have your own printer, please calibrate your printer to your monitor. I used to go crazy and waste time, ink, and paper, trying to achieve what I saw on my monitor and what was actually printing. Yes, there are techniques you can use if you know your color #’s but that’s for a later and more detailed post.
I would suggest using Spyder to calibrate your monitor.
Spyder
From datacolor.com
Check around for pricing… I found this site, Calibration-Direct.com…you can start with them for some bargain shopping and you can always check out Amazon.
Ok, let’s go through some basic steps on printing your photograph… When you purchase your photo paper you will see instructions on printing. READ THEM, it does make a difference!
Let us print this image:
Remember, if you want to look at these images closer, click on them…to get back to my blog use your back arrow key 
First you will want to go to file > Page setup > select your printer and paper size>
Now select your paper size:
You can print from this but I suggest you use a program like Photoshop to print from. You will be able to set up your pages, printer, manage color…
Once you click on print you will see the info below:
Check the print management: do you want the printer to manage the color or do you want your program (Photoshop) to manage the color? <click on print>
You will see this screen next:
You will see a bar “Layout” click on this to get to printer settings, see below:
This is the box where you need to make your changes, layout, paper, & make sure “finest details” is checked and that you have the correct paper type. Click around to learn… click Print and enjoy ☺
Today, I went over the various articles on How to Photograph Up Close and because you now have the knowledge to create an awesome close-up photograph… you will be able to print that amazing shot! Print your favorites and put a huge smile on your face to remember the steps you achieve to make this photo. A couple of things to remember when you print:
• Select your printer
• Select the size you want printed
• Make sure you have read your info on the paper you choose to print on.
• Select the correct paper, for example “Epson fine art paper matte finish”.
• Select if the printer or your software will color manage your print.
• Select the “fine” print quality. If your printer is slow, be patient…it’s worth it.
Also, I highly recommend you use a program like Spyder to calibrate your monitor with your printer.
I would like you to read this link on Printing Quality Photos and “Fine Art Printing for Photographers” by Steinmueller & Gulbins, check it out at Amazon.com.
Hope this helps you feel confident to print, print, & print some more. Happy Fall to you all and hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Cheers,
Janice
Life in my Macro World
Hello everyone,
I have not posted anything to this blog since the beginning of August. I told you all that my husband was having surgery and he did. But like the saying goes, “When it rains it pours” and it did. It poured and poured!
We all have good times and bad, unfortunately, the months of August, September, and October have been horrible. I have had three deaths in the family and my husband is still trying to recuperate from his surgery.
I must admit with all the sadness in my life my husband and I had a 25th anniversary party which was so much fun!! My brother-in-law flew out from New England and my step-sister flew out from Oakland, CA. We had our family and friends (friends that are like family) share our special silver anniversary celebration with us.
I have had people individually emailing me with macro questions and I have replied to them all. I always, always, love to talk about photography!
This post will not be about how to photograph up-close. It will be about me, Janice Sullivan, a person that loves her family and friends. I just wanted to thank everyone that has supported me in my photography profession, especially my husband, my children and my best friend Pam. To others that are reading this that do not know me…thanks for stopping by. It’s nice to share myself with all of you. This is a business blog, so today is a rare occasion for me to express my feelings to all of you.
Below is a photo of my father-in-law with his boys in Ireland, standing in front of what is left of the O’Sullivan castle. This is one of the things he always wanted to do before he passed away and I’m happy he did it!
YOU CAN CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO SEE THEM BETTER, BUT TO GET BACK TO THE BLOG USE YOUR ARROW BACK KEY.
- Kevin, Neil, and Dennis
Below is my cousin with the family before she passed away from lung cancer. She is still smiling, that’s Lisa!!
Lisa and our family.
I will also miss my Aunt Fern’s emails. I am forever grateful for her wisdom and love.
Screen shot from my Aunt Kay:
The following photo’s were shot by my photographer friend Lindsey….
OUR YUMMY CHOCOLATE CAKE!!
After our vows….
Kevin and I never had a large wedding…so we decided to renew our vow with a small ceremony. We had so much fun! :)
SOME PARTY FUN WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS:
My best buddy and her family!! (above)
Getting ready for dinner… Marriane did you take the kids a run from the camera, lol! (above)
My awesome lawyer and friends that go waaaaaay back! (above)
Family from my mom’s side. (above)
Family from my dad’s side. (below)
This photo was shot by my Aunt Kay…thanks Aunt Kay !
I plan to begin my post again on Macro & Close-up photography, so if you would like me to discuss a particular area, commit on this post or you can email me at INFO@SULLIVANJPHOTOGRAPHY.COM.
Cheers,
Janice Sullivan
Owner of Sullivan J Photography
http://archive.sullivanjphotography.com
How to Photograph Up Close – IX: Alternative Lighting Techniques 3
Introduction / II: Cameras, Lens’ & Tripods / III: Fun Gadgets for macro Photographing / IV: Basic Macro Shots using Natural Light / V: Digital Darkroom Basics / VI: Creative Techniques using Natural Light / VII: Alternative Lighting Techniques 1 / VIII: Alternative Lighting Techniques 2 / IX: Alternative Lighting Techniques 3
Hello all,
I have enjoyed sharing my knowledge of Macro & Close-Up Photography with you. I have placed links above so you can have easy access to the various articles posted previously. This way you can read up on the materials I gave you and work on some of the techniques to improve your macro mode experience. Today, I will be discussing umbrella lighting and the use of tents for high reflective surfaces.
Also, I wanted to let you all know that my husband will be having surgery next week so I won’t be able to post new articles for several weeks. I do plan to post information on the software I use for digital darkrooming (Lightroom & Photoshop) when I return.
So let’s start…
Umbrella Lighting
I found Mark Bowers’ video on umbrella setup, etc… check it out here. Click around his site to check out his videos, I enjoyed them, I think you will too. What I like about using umbrellas is the variety of usage I get from them. I can use them with a flash or with my Speedotron equipment and they come in a variety of colors that can be used to bounce light or you can purchase a white umbrella to defuse your light (kind of like a softbox). Umbrellas are light and easy to use. When shooting macro, position your umbrella close to the subject and then go from there; adjust the light/umbrella to your liking. Like I always say, ”play, play, play, with your equipment”, this way you learn what the umbrella will do for you. Below is a kit for you to check out. I personally use a variety of umbrellas (but one at a time) and sometimes a reflector with it. Just as an FYI…my future posts will focus on various subjects and how I photographed them. But for now, click around B & H or a company of your choosing to see the variety of umbrellas out there, buy one (or two) and play with it.
Click on photo to see up-close and or go to B & H for more info.
Check out B & H for a variety of umbrellas.
The picture of the cute doggy was shot using the umbrella below with my bracket and flash unit…that’s it. I placed the umbrella/flash unit behind me and above to simulate the sun shining down…don’t go too high or you will need a reflector to remove harsh shadows below your subject. This technique works well for close-up shots. I used the silver umbrella to bring out the highlights on the dog’s fur.
This is the umbrella I used to photograph the adorable dog above :)
Place an adapter (see below) to a light stand…you can check out light stands from the link I gave you on the umbrella kit from B & H. This is a great way to light your subjects when you’re on a budget and cannot afford expensive lighting equipment.
Tents
I found a site that has reasonable prices on tents check them out: EZ cube Light Tents. Click around…they show you various ideas for lighting and provide a variety of light drops to place inside your tent. One word of advice… don’t purchase a small tent because you are macro shooting. I have a medium size tent and love it…if my subjects are small I place them on a box and shoot away. You really need to think about the subjects not the style of photography. For example, the doll below needs to fit in the tent but the photograph may only be her face to see the details of the painted features. I really like my tent and feel that it was a good investment. When you have shiny subjects that reflect, I believe that a tent is the best way to photograph them. My tent has Velcro doors, so if needed, I can leave one area open to put around my lens, this way you all don’t see me or my lights in the picture.
Provided by Table Top Studio Store
The balloon character was giving me problems even with natural light. Sometimes I do want highlights on the subject but I was going for a flatter look. As you can see from the picture below, the balloon mouse had too many hot spots. So I decided to use my tent.
As you can see from below…the tent helped and I was very happy with the results. If you don’t have the money to purchase a tent, check out this link to make one.
I always like to give you reading material pertaining to macro photography but today I would like to give you magazines that I enjoy reading. They may not always focus on macro but the more you read the more you will understand the craft of photographing.
One of my favorite magazines is Shutterbug. They give you a multitude of information to help you decide on your photography purchases. If you haven’t already noticed…you will, photography is expensive! I always hear, “Why do photographers charge so much!” Many people do not understand that we don’t just point and shoot the camera, it is a craft that we must learn and invest in. Learn from me…I have bought equipment (because I love the toys) and have kicked myself after because I didn’t research enough and found better quality equipment at a cheaper price!
Another magazine I like is Outdoor Photographer. If you want to get out of the studio, check this magazine out. I have enjoyed many trips with my husband due to the articles in this magazine. Macro is fun when you’re in the natural environment!
I also like Rangefinder. This magazine has a variety of professional photographer’s work & articles about them. Reading the various articles gives me ideas with my own creativity…they may help you too.
One more for you to check out is AfterCapture. If you’re serious about photography then you will need to learn about digital darkroom techniques. This magazine is great for that! You can read about other photographer’s techniques to again help you be more creative.
So today I talked about using various umbrellas to light your subjects. You can use umbrellas with your flash or your studio lights. When shooting up close move your light(s) close to your subject and then go from there, if you don’t like what you see change the position of your umbrella/light kit. I also showed you how a tent can help with reflective surfaces. Remember, before you purchase a tent think about the subjects you like to photograph, that will determine the size you need. I also gave you a link to show you how to make a tent, just in case you don’t have the money to purchase one. Last but not least, I gave you some suggestions on magazines to check out. It’s fun to sit down a bit and read articles on all aspects of photography…I enjoy them and I think you will too.
Of course if you have questions while you’re playing with the various techniques/toys, please feel free to email me at info@sullivanjphotography.com or ask via a comment on this blog. See you all in a couple of weeks from now…well, it depends on how the hubby is feeling, but I will be back!!!
Cheers,
Janice
A Few Tips to Become a Good Macro Photographer
Hello everyone,
I’m back from my vacation and I’m happy to introduce Adrienne Carlson as my guest author for today. If you’re interested in various photography colleges, email her or check out the link she provided in the by-line. The photographs are provided by me using my daughter’s Nikon point and shoot camera set on Macro Mode. If you want a better view of the pictures, click on them. To get back to the blog use your back arrow key.
My Daughter's camera. Photo from B&H.
See you next Thursday!
Enjoy…
A Few Tips to Become a Good Macro Photographer
If you’ve never heard of macro photography, now is a good time to educate yourself – this form of photography is nothing but the close-up shots of simple things that seem so beautiful because of the depth of the picture. If you have always admired this form of art and have wondered how you, an amateur photographer, could also create works of beauty from seemingly innocuous objects and life forms, here are a few tips that will help you become a good macro photographer.
- Check your digital camera to see if it has a macro mode. If so, you can use it to shoot pictures at a distance of 3 to 10 cm from the subject. If you’re an amateur, you don’t need to shell out money on more expensive equipment when you can play around with the one you already have. Once you think you’re ready for more professional shots, you could buy a macro lens that provides more than 1:1 ratios or choose to use a close up filter on a 1:1 macro lens.
- You need to have immense patience when taking pictures in the macro mode because it is harder for your camera to focus in such depth as required for close up shots.
- If you want a sharp photograph with a handheld camera, you need to use equipment that has fast shutter speed. So if your lens has a focal length of 100 mm, your shutter speed needs to be at least 1/100th of a second if you’re using a handheld camera. On the whole, it is better to use a steady tripod for most of your shots.
- Lighting is very important in macro photography, so you need to be skilled at using external flashes or artificial lighting to set up the shots you want. The more the light, the better the shot.
- While most macro photography focuses on micro objects like insects or inanimate objects, some photographers concentrate exclusively on photography water and the exciting shapes it makes as droplets. If you want to showcase water in all its glory, try using extension tubes on your camera. To do this, you’ll have to switch to focusing manually because most equipment does not focus automatically when these plastic tubes are attached.
- As with any other kind of photography, keep practicing and experimenting with angles, lighting, frames and shots till you achieve the one that you think is perfect.
Hand held Nikon point & shoot macro mode.
Hand held shot of Liken on rock - Nikon point & shoot camera.
Example: Hand held - should have used a tripod, has some blur to the flower.
By-line
This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of photography colleges. Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: adrienne.carlson1@gmail.com
How to Photograph Up Close – VIII: Alternative Lighting Techniques 2
Hello all,
Hope you had a nice week practicing with your camera flash (off the camera).
Just to let you know, I didn’t have time to show you techniques using umbrellas and tents today, that will have to wait for another post, but I would like to talk about some other alternative lighting techniques that work well with macro photography. Before I start, I wanted to let you know that I will be on a well needed vacation for a couple of weeks. I may have a guest article next week, I’m working on that now… hopefully, you will have that post up next Thursday, July 23. I’m hoping to have my next article ready for you on Thursday, August 6. I could talk about more lighting techniques, for example, photographing shiny objects in macro using a tent and umbrellas? Or I can talk about processing files using Lightroom and Photoshop? How about you all letting me know what you would like the next post to be about… I’m happy to discuss any of them. Just send me an email or a comment on this post and I’ll go with the majority. Thanks!
So let’s get started…
One of my favorite tools is the flashlight. There are so many fun flashlights out there for you to choose from. I personally use Streamlights but if they are too expensive try Maglites, see below: the mini is wonderful for macro work, click on the photo for a better look.
Remember, if you’re photographing in RAW format you can manipulate the white balance and change the color of your picture. If you want to have your photog true to life then so be it, or if your looking for a more dramatic look then play with your white balance. For more technical info on color temperature click here. I found this wonderful article discussing light & color in photography on Photography.com that you can also read. I highly recommend that you do read these articles because it will help you understand the tech side of lighting.
The photographs below were shot with a small Streamlight, I adjusted the white balance to my liking.
With the photograph above I am holding the flashlight above and to the right of my camera. Look at your camera’s exposure level the first time you use your flashlight and adjust the f-stop & shutter speed to achieve the correct exposure, read my previous post IV if you don’t know what an f-stop or shutter speed is. You may need to play with the exposure levels a bit depending on how close/intense the light is to the subject. On the picture below I focused the light high above the flower to give it a softer look and to have the stem pop right were it meets the flower, my focal point.
One of the fun things to do is to stop motion macro style. I found a wonderful article for you to read up on before you start your macro mode on water drops, just click here to read. You will need your flash and either continuous lights or strobes for this. My photographer friend said that you can try this outside with a reflector under your glass tank and a white cardboard behind the tank to achieve a good exposure, but I was in my studio so I used my flash and two hot lights, at least that’s what the lights used to be called before fluorescent light bulbs were around. First let’s talk about continuous lighting. Shortcourses.com has information on this style of lighting, they have some interesting reading on continuous lighting. What I like about this type of lighting is that what you see is what you get. You shoot the photograph and look at it on your LCD from the camera or your computer (if you have it synced) and make changes instantly. The kit below is an awesome set! It’s small for macro and all ready for you to work on. The Plexiglas can add some creativity to your shots, you have an instant backdrop and you can also set your lights under table to diffuse the light for more fun creative shots. You can purchase this kit at B & H or you can purchase the equipment individually, if you don’t have the money now for a kit.
To make the picture below, I used my continuous lights on each side of the water shot and used my flash above the drop with a ratio of 3:1. Chuck McKern has a great article, “Understanding Lighting Ratios” if you want more detailed info on ratios. I also suggest you read your manual that you received when you purchased your flash so you can play with the various ratios. Tooooo much fun playing with water!!
Water shot: F3.5 @ 1/250
Another way to photograph macro is using strobe lights. I don’t expect you to have these lights, they are very expensive but I want you to see what I use on a lot of my product shots. If your subjects do not like continuous lighting… then this is the way to go. I like the quality of Speedotron, for more details on this brand you can click here.
Because we are shooting macro I like using honeycomb grids and snoots. If you want more directional lighting this is the equipment you should use for macro. The degree of the grid will determine the amount of light you want on your subject. If you would like to research grid information check out B&H and other companies like Adorama.
Some of my photographer friends have used Calumet and have been happy with this company…check out this snoot from Calumet:
The photograph below was shot with the Speedotron equiment I just discussed. I placed the snoot behind and a bit to the left to hit the lid of the can and I had my grid 20 on the lower right of my camera to really bring out the bubbles against the mirror.
I would like you to read this article by Urs Recher, posted on Digital Photo Pro on Light Lessons, focus on Image 6. Just remember the more research you do on lighting techniques, the better you will understand how to light your subject. Another excellent book on lighting is by Robert Morrissey, “Master Lighting Guide”, check it out at Amazon. I would like you to focus on his lighting basics.
Today, I talked about my favorite tool, the flashlight. I would like you to play with various flashlights to see what you can create. I also discussed continuous lighting (see what you get lighting) and strobe lights for the subjects that can’t handle continuous lighting. I showed you some really cool toys for directional lighting that work well with Macro & Close-up photography. When playing with lights remember to always move them around to get a feel for your equipment, it’s like putting a puzzle together…at first it can be difficult but if you put it together more than once you’ll know where to put the pieces to complete your project.
I would like to leave you with another shot I did using the Speedotron equipment I discussed today. You can photograph anything macro…this is my husband’s hair gel, lol!
Just have fun and be creative…
Cheers,
Janice
How to Photograph Up Close – VII: Alternative Lighting Techniques 1
Hello all,
As I thought about this post I realized that there is a lot of information to talk about on alternative lighting. My goal in these posts is to have you all learn something new on macro photography, have projects for you to practice on during the week, read material to help with these projects, and if you have questions ask me via comments or email. I don’t want to overload you with homework because I remember those days…. LOL!
So I decided to have 2 posts on alternative lighting (maybe 3)
Let’s talk about exposure for a bit. When we photograph we want to be careful not to underexpose or overexpose the picture, read up on it again, it’s important. Sometimes the subject can give us exposure problems and the only way we will be able to fix this problem is to use alternative lighting, reflectors, or working in HDR (I will have a post on HDR later).
When I’m outside photographing macro I realize that I need to wait for the wind to stop and pay attention to the sun/light hitting my subject. Sometimes I ask my husband to stand over the area so I can remove the harsh shadows. I have a very nice husband!! But he’s not always available so I use reflectors to help me diffuse the area (see below). B & H has a variety of reflectors/diffusers that you can choose from:
You can use a reflector to help shadow problems.
I also use reflectors to help eliminate shadow problems. I use tinfoil most of the time when I shoot 1:1 macro, but when I’m focusing on close-ups, I work with the above reflectors.
Your flash is also a wonderful tool to add drama to your subject or to control the zone levels. To learn your flash and any alternative lighting, I would like you to photograph indoors first, then step outside and have some fun too. Shooting indoors will help you understand your flash unit better, try a time when the light indoors is soft, maybe in the morning or in the evening. Read your manual and play with the various adjustments. I realize that most of you do not have a macro flash. If you get into the macro mode, you should definitely purchase one. Post III has an example of a macro flash. One thing for sure…if you have a built in light on your camara…well, it won’t work for macro, sorry. There is a variety of ways you can use your flash but you will need to take it off the camera, click here to view some ideas and on here for more. I used the system below with a flash diffuser to soften the light, check out Amazon for some excellent prices on diffusers.
This is an awesome kit if you use Canon products, check it out at B & H.
flash kit
Check out this link to read up on various diffusers. Sometimes you will want a more dramatic look to your photo so take off the diffuser and go for it!
In this post I used a diffuser like the example below:
Used this diffuser off the camera for macro photographing.
I figured I would explain what I did for this macro mode of photographs. First, I went out to my back yard to grab some flowers. I decided to use natural light and my flash to show you what happens when you photograph in macro. My sliding glass door is on the left of the subject. As you can see from below:
Prominent natural light to the left of subject.
Below are the geraniums from my garden that I used for this post. You can use any subject to practice on except shiny objects. We will work on reflective services in a later post. I decided not to clean these up, except for sharpening, so you can see the difference between natural and flash lighting.
I start my macro mode by deciding what I like about the flower. Keep things simple, too much in the foreground and background can be distracting, especially in macro photography.
without flash
I have my camera on my tripod and I’m photographing with my cable release. I sprayed this flower with water for fun. Even with water drops the flower has a flat look to it (see above), which is fine if that’s what you’re going for but I want the photo to pop, so I set up my flash on 1/1 ratio. Yes, I’ll have a post just on ratio’s too but for now let’s just play with the basics. (You can click on here to read a discussion on ratios from photo.net, which is a wonderful networking site for photographers.) I did several shots on the flower with my flash. An easy way to achieve a good exposure is to check your setting you used in natural light and then set it to underexpose using your shutter speed by 2 stops, when flash is on 1/1 ratio, the flash will compensate for the underexposure. If you feel the photo is over or under exposed by looking at your LCD screen, then change your shutter speed until you’re happy. ”The power of digital photography” Instant views!!
This flower was shot with the flash and diffuser:
Both photos below where photographed with a flash. Can you see the difference? When you photograph macro and you need long shutter speeds to achieve a good exposure… you will see that the long shutter speed will need more direct lighting to create a more dramatic look. It also goes the other way, if you have prominent shadows on your subject you will need to increase your lighting intensity.
flash at a shorter shutter speed f8 @ 1/6s
Notice that the above photo is at a faster shutter speed than the photograph below. When you play with this technique this week you may be frustrated if you want most of the photo (or flower) in focus (longer depth-of-field), no worries…I’ll show you next week some photos of the same flower using different lighting techniques.
flash with long exposure f22 @ 3s
I always like to give you reading material on macro photography. Read, “Closeup shooting” by Cyrill Harnischmacher’s book in your local library or purchase it for your own macro library. I will be discussing in our next post some of the techniques in this book.
Today, I discussed the various ways to reflect and diffuse light. When using your flash, you MUST take it off the camera and play with it by photographing around various locations on your subject. Play with this technique indoors first to learn how your flash works. Read your manual because next week we will talk about ratio’s a bit more. We also discussed the difference on the way your flash will work on short shutter speeds compared to long speeds while photographing macro.
Next week we will talk about more lighting techniques using a flash light, umbrellas and tents. I would also like to try and talk to you about hot lights (tungsten) and A/C strobe lights.
I’d like to leave you with a fun shot from the day:
Cheers,
Janice
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Janice Sullivan
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