With the increasing number of stunning images online featuring small plants, animals, and insects, a lot of photographers are interested in learning how to take macro photographs. Macro photography can be challenging for beginners, but it is a highly rewarding genre of photography. You can take stunning photos in the comfort of your backyard to develop your photography skills. To start learning macro photography from scratch, you can refer to this guide containing tips and techniques taught by an award-winning macro photographer who has exhibited his work at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. In the end, you will clearly understand how to implement these suggestions and take your impressive close-up photos.

If you prefer learning through videos, we suggest watching our introduction to macro photography. It covers most topics this article discusses, but some sections are condensed to fit the video format.

What Is Macro Photography?

Macro photography involves taking close-up pictures of small objects like bugs and flowers. It can be done indoors or outdoors if the subject is magnified properly.

Macro photography involves taking pictures of small subjects with a magnification of "life-size" or greater, which means that the subject must be the same size or smaller than the camera sensor and fill the frame. For example, if the camera sensor is one inch wide, the subject being photographed should be one inch or smaller.

The definition of "macro" can be quite strict, but sometimes photographers use it more loosely to describe images of slightly larger subjects. The photos in this article may not all meet the technical definition, but they are still close-up photographs.

Introducing Macro Photography for Beginners

Can you provide guidelines for taking macro photos? Here are the key steps to follow:

• Understand macro photography terminology.

• Pick the right camera and lens equipment.

• Get enough depth of field.

• Pick camera and flash settings for a well-lit photo.

• Focus on the most important part of your subject.

• Learn the common behaviours of various insects.

• Compose and take your picture.

Macro photography can be challenging, especially when it comes to achieving sufficient depth of field and focusing on the key parts of your subject. Nevertheless, the tips in this tutorial will provide a starting point, and practice will eventually help you master everything.

What Is Magnification?

It is crucial to determine the magnification in macro photography, which involves understanding the size of your subject on the camera sensor. This value is obtained by comparing the subject's real size to how it appears on the camera sensor.

If the ratio is 1:1, the subject is magnified to its actual size, known as "life-size" magnification. For instance, if you take a photo of something that is one centimeter long and is projected as one centimeter on your camera sensor, then it is at life-size magnification, regardless of your camera sensor size.

DSLR and mirrorless cameras, the sensors typically have a diameter between 17mm to 36mm. This means that a subject of 1cm size is comparatively big and takes up a substantial portion of the photo. Consequently, if you print the image large, the small object will appear enormous and be billboard-sized.

Macro photographers use a specific ratio to describe the magnification of their photos instead of using unclear terms like "life-size" or "half-life size." A magnification ratio of 1:1 is called life-size, while a ratio of 1:2 is half-life size. If the magnification is less than one-tenth of life-size, it may no longer be considered close-up or macro photography.

Macro lenses can have different levels of magnification, with some being able to shoot at 1:1 magnification and others going even higher. For instance, Canon offers a lens for macro photography that can achieve up to 5:1 magnification, which is quite impressive. However, some lenses marketed as "macro" may have lower magnification ratios, like 1:2 or less. For optimal flexibility, I suggest using a lens with at least 1:2 magnification or, ideally, 1:1 magnification.

What Is Working Distance?

Working distance is the distance between your lens front and the nearest subject. A smaller working distance can cause problems such as scaring the subject or blocking the light due to being too close. It is best to maintain a working distance of six inches (15 centimeters) and, ideally, double that or more.

To get extreme photos with 1:1 magnification, you must get as close to your subject as possible. This is why the working distance of a lens is smallest at 1:1 magnification. Also, lenses with longer focal lengths provide more working distance than lenses with moderate focal lengths. For macro photography, lenses like the Nikon 200mm f/4 and the Canon 180mm f/3.5 have large working distances. The Nikon 60mm f/2.8 macro lens has a smaller working distance.

Choose a macro lens with a large working distance for the best results. This helps to avoid scaring your subject or casting a shadow on it. Remember that longer focal-length lenses, 180mm or 200mm, are more expensive. If you're looking for an option that balances price and working distance, consider a lens in the 100mm to 150mm range. I use a 105mm macro lens.

Best Cameras for Macro Photography: DSLR vs Mirrorless

DSLRs or mirrorless cameras can be used effectively to excel in macro photography. The crucial thing is to select a camera that enables you to use a quality macro lens, preferably one that has a minimal delay between when you see your subject, press the shutter button, and the image is saved. In the past, DSLRs had an edge in these respects, mainly due to their delayed electronic viewfinders and fewer native macro lenses on mirrorless cameras. However, these disparities are usually insignificant nowadays and sometimes even favor mirrorless cameras.

In addition to their main features, mirrorless cameras often offer other useful benefits, including focus peaking, which provides an overlay that highlights the in-focus areas of your subject - particularly helpful for macro photography with manual focus. Another advantage is the ability to review your photos without looking away from the viewfinder, allowing for quick evaluation of things like sharpness and flash exposure.

If you decide to go for a mirrorless camera, make sure to choose a model that includes an electronic viewfinder. It is difficult to take a steady macro photo using a rear LCD screen, especially when magnified at 1:1. If you're on a budget, it might be better to buy a DSLR camera (even a used one) since mirrorless cameras with electronic viewfinders often cost more. But remember that your choice of camera isn't the only important thing. No matter what camera you use, taking photos of difficult subjects like these will only sometimes result in perfect shots.

Best Cameras for Macro: Full-Frame vs Crop-Sensor

A full-frame camera may be optional if you want to take highly detailed macro photos. Due to its slightly higher pixel density, the 20-megapixel Nikon D7500 may be more effective for macro photography than the much more expensive 46-megapixel Nikon D850.

In macro photography, the maximum detail you can capture on a subject is determined by the pixel density, which refers to the number of pixels per square millimeter of the camera's sensor. Although the D850 has more total pixels than the crop-sensor D7500, its larger sensor has fewer pixels per millimeter. While larger and more pixels are generally preferred for many types of photography, pixel density is particularly crucial for 1:1 macro photography. This is because cropping a D850 photo to match the size of images from the D7500 results in the loss of enough pixels that the D7500 comes out slightly ahead.

Full-frame cameras are still better than crop-sensor cameras for macro photography, but the difference is less significant than in other types of photography. Even if you don't shoot at maximum magnification, full-frame cameras offer their usual advantages over smaller sensors.

Best DSLR for Macro: Canon vs. Nikon

Canon, Nikon, and Sony are all comparable in quality across various types of photography. Debates over which brand is superior are mostly nitpicking and subjective. Although there are some distinctions between them, none of these systems have any major flaws that would be detrimental to the average user.

Regarding macro photography, it is important to keep some extra considerations in mind. The aperture value may be misread when using a Canon camera, particularly at high magnifications such as 1:1. While the camera may display an aperture value of f/11, the actual photo properties, such as diffraction, depth of field, and exposure, may function as if it were shot at f/22.

At high magnifications, the aperture on any lens behaves unexpectedly. Even though the physical aperture is one size, it acts like another size. Manufacturers like Nikon and Sony state the "functionally correct" aperture (f/22), but Canon does not. So, if you use a Canon camera, you should remember this. It's not impossible to overcome, but you should know it. The more you change magnifications, the bigger the problem becomes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Some of the frequently asked questions by users regarding macro photography are listed below.

Q. What Is A Macro In Photography?

Ans. Macro photography involves capturing extreme close-up shots of small subjects, making them appear larger than in real life. For instance, a five-by-seven-inch photo of a full-frame insect or a four-inch product shot of a cornflake are examples of macro photography that showcase the subjects well above life-size.

Q. What Is A Micro vs Macro Image?

Ans. Although the terms "macro" and "micro" may seem to have opposite meanings - with "macro" referring to making things bigger and "micro" to make them smaller - they refer to the same technique in photography. Both macro and micro photography involve getting very close to a subject and capturing it in life-size.

Q. What Lens Is Used For Macro Photography?

Ans. Lenses with magnifications of 1:3 or higher are sometimes called macro lenses. Still, you're serious about macro photography. To achieve the best results, it is suggested to use a lens with a ratio of 1:1 or 1:2 in this scenario. On the other end of the spectrum, there are specialised ultra-macro lenses with ratios greater than life-size, such as 2:1 or even 5:1.