If you have a camera, you’ve probably been using it quite a bit these last few weeks while we’ve been isolated from others. Documenting your days, your pets, your kids. Maybe you’re sick of that. Maybe your kids are on strike, or maybe you don’t have children or pets, but either way, you’re looking for some other way to get your photography creativity on.

What is it? Macro photography! Macro (or micro, if you are a Nikon shooter) is the type of photography where you take photos of very small objects/subjects and they appear life size or larger in the image.

So what do you need? A macro lens is preferable…maybe you have one and you haven’t used it much. I use the Canon 100mm f2.8 macro (the non-L version). It’s pretty affordable as far as lenses go, especially on the used market. There are third party macro lenses in the 90-105mm range that are even more affordable. You also have the option of using screw on macro filters, which are quite affordable, or extension tubes. Extension tubes can be used with regular lenses but allow you to focus much closer to the subject than you’d be able to without the extension tubes. They cost more than macro filters, but also less than a full-fledged macro lens, so if you don’t already have something for macro photography, take a look at these options. Note that some lenses, especially cheap kit zoom lenses, have a “macro” designation on them at certain focal lengths, but they are not true macro lenses meaning that you will not get life size replication of your subject as you will with a true macro lens.

SO…WHAT TO PHOTOGRAPH?

Anything. Everything. There are so many things that you can get up close and personal with. Some of my favorite things are flowers, fruits, and veggies.

Look in your refrigerator, look in your fruit bowl, or look in your yard or garden. There is lots of stuff blooming now, so it’s the perfect time to take some close ups around the yard. Flowers and fruits are just the beginning, though…there is so much more out there that is amazing to photograph close up. Insects, water droplets, people’s eyes, anything with any type of texture…you’ll start seeing possibilities everywhere.

ANY SPECIFIC TIPS?

Macro photography is different from “regular” photography in that you’re getting VERY up close and personal with your subject. Your lens is really close to what you’re actually photographing, and as such, your depth of field is REALLY thin, even at narrower apertures. So there are a few important things to know when you’re photographing macro.

First, you’ll likely want to stop your lens down quite a bit (narrower aperture/larger number) so that you have a greater depth of field, unless you are purposely trying to create a very dreamy image instead of one with sharp details. You’ll also want to use a fairly high shutter speed; being so close really magnifies camera shake caused by low shutter speeds. You’ll also be raising your ISO fairly high to compensate for your narrow aperture and higher shutter speed. If your macro lens has image stabilization, this can help and you may be able to keep your shutter speed a bit lower. But if your lens lacks stabilization, you’ll either need to keep your shutter speed up or consider putting the camera on a tripod, depending on what your subject is.

Also, while most dedicated macro lenses do have autofocus, you’ll likely be using manual focus for most or all of your macro work. Most macro lenses will either hunt for focus or simply not focus when you’re in close. Using manual focus, especially when you’re working so close, can take some practice (and this is where a tripod can come in handy, at least at first). But keep at it, you’ll catch on!

Is macro something you’ll be trying soon? Or something you already love? Let me know in the comments!