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Posts Tagged ‘CloseUp’

Exploring Your Home with Close-Up Filters

24 Mar

The post Exploring Your Home with Close-Up Filters appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.

Exploring Your Home with Close-Up Filters Featured Image

Macro photography is all about exploring the wonders of the world around you from a very close distance. Macro lenses let you see the tiniest parts of the world in extreme detail, often exposing an array of colors and patterns hidden right before our eyes. Macro lenses are also expensive! However, if you find yourself stuck at home for a while, you can start exploring your home with close-up filters instead. They’re a cheap alternative to macro lenses and can transform the mundane into the magnificent!

explore your home with close-up filters
Nikon D7100, 50mm, f/4, 1/125 second, ISO 220, +10 close-up filter

The first thing to do is actually get yourself a set of close-up filters.

These are basically just magnifying glasses that you screw on to the end of your camera lens. They’re absurdly cheap, ranging in price from $ 10 to $ 30 for a set of four. Just make sure you buy a set that fits your lens! The front of your lens will have a thread size listed in millimeters; for most kit lenses it’s usually 52mm or 58mm.

Close-up filters are not a substitute for a true macro lens. But they do let you get up close and personal with everyday subjects in a way that will blow your mind. It’s amazing how simple everyday objects, even just normal items in your house, take on a whole new appearance when viewed at extremely close distances.

explore your home with close-up filters
Nikon D7100, 50mm, f/5.6, 1/30 second, ISO 1600, +10 close-up filter

A normal puzzle piece looks like a work of art when shot with a close-up filter. Every detail, from the texture on the flat surface to subtle scratches in the table, becomes clear and crisp.

explore your home with close-up filters
Nothing to see here. Just an unfinished puzzle…until you see it through a close-up filter.

What makes this sort of photography any different than just putting your camera close to your subjects? All lenses have a minimum focusing distance, which is based on how the glass elements inside the lens bend and shape incoming light. Most camera lenses are physically incapable of shooting objects closer than about 250mm. You simply can’t get very close to objects and still maintain focus

Close-up filters change all that.

All you do is screw one of them on to the front of your lens and everything gets magnified right before your very eyes. Exploring your home with close-up filters is a great way to see everyday objects in a whole new light. Suddenly you can take pictures like you never imagined, or thought you couldn’t get without spending hundreds of dollars on a macro lens.

Fun for the whole family

One of the best parts about using close-up filters is exploring your home with your kids. All their toys and games suddenly take on new life when viewed up close. Blocks, crayons, action figures, toy cars, stuffed animals, even their shoes can all make great photography subjects.

explore your home with close-up filters
Nikon D7100, 50mm, f/5.6, 1/45 second, ISO 1600, +4 close-up filter.

This behemoth monster truck scaled a mountain and did it without a scratch! Luckily, I was there to capture the moment of glory with my camera. Or perhaps my oldest son and I were just playing around with some close-up filters.

explore your home with close-up filters

That’s one of the most enjoyable parts about exploring your home with close-up filters: sharing the experience with kids. They can find fun ways to look at familiar objects and see photographic opportunities where you might have never thought to look.

explore your home with close-up filters
Nikon D7100, 50mm, f/5.6, 1/30 second, ISO 1600, +4 close-up filter

When my son and I were looking throughout the house with a close-up filter on the camera, it was amazing how even the most mundane objects took on new life. Even simple things like a video game controller took on a new life of color and perspective.

explore your home with close-up filters

The important thing to remember is that it’s about creativity, not high art. You might not find the next wall hanging for the Smithsonian in your house just by taking pictures with close-up filters. But you will see an amazing world of photography open up before your very eyes that you never knew existed.

Tips and tricks

If you’re going to give this exercise a try, here are a few things to keep in mind for good results.

1. Use a Tripod

While you may take great shots with close-up filters when shooting handheld, a tripod will almost always yield the best results. Even the smallest movements are magnified many times over, so it helps to have your camera as steady as possible. You’re also working with razor-thin depth of field, so unless you’re a neurosurgeon, it’s unlikely you will be able to keep your hands still enough to get the shot you are going for.

explore your home with close-up filters
This was my setup for shooting the picture at the top of this article. There’s almost no way I could have gotten the shot in focus without a tripod.

2. Focus manually (using live view)

If you have never tried manual focus before, exploring your home with close-up filters might be a good time to give it a try.

Autofocus is very difficult when working with extremely close subjects because depth of field is so incredibly shallow. Manual focus gives you more control over your photos and helps make sure the results are exactly what you want.

explore your home with close-up filters
Nikon D7100, 50mm, f/5.6, 1/30 second, ISO 1600. Is it a pile of laundry, or is it high art?

Live View is a great option if you are not used to focusing manually. Many cameras, especially mirrorless, have a feature called focus peaking that lets you know exactly what part of your picture is in focus.

DSLRs don’t usually have focus peaking, but you can often use Live View to zoom in on a selected portion of your image. This is great for making sure your close-up photos are tack-sharp right where you want them.

explore your home with close-up filters
It’s just laundry! But shooting with close-up filters transforms normal objects into works of art.

3. Use smaller apertures

Normally when you want nice-looking, out-of-focus areas on your pictures, you use a wide aperture. The same is true when using close-up filters. But, you’ll quickly find that shooting wide open results in a depth of field that is basically unusable. Stop your lens down to f/5.6 or f/8 to get good results.

explore your home with close-up filters
Nikon D7100, 50mm, f/5.6, 1/125 second, ISO 640, +10 close-up filter

In the above image, which is just a normal washroom soap dispenser, the depth of field is so insanely shallow that just the very tip of the pump is in focus. And that’s with using a small aperture of f/5.6! Shooting at f/4, f/2.8, or f/1.8 would be a muddy, blurry mess.

4. Shoot in Manual Mode

Working with close-up filters is a great way to experiment with manual mode on your camera. Not manual focus, but manual exposure control where you set the values for aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.

Each of these parameters has a specific effect on your image, and when shooting close-up, you can easily see the effects that these parameters have. The stakes are low, the creativity is high, and if you’re stuck at home, you probably have some spare time to learn something new.

If you’re not sure where to start, just keep your eye on the light meter. Adjust aperture, shutter, and ISO until the meter shows that your image is properly exposed. Take a shot, and then change the aperture so it’s smaller. You’ll need to compensate by making the shutter speed longer, but that’s okay since you’re using a tripod.

Notice how the depth of field is different on the photo with a smaller aperture.

Keep experimenting with these, and pretty soon you’ll start to develop a good understanding of how to master your camera’s manual mode.

explore your home with close-up filters
Nikon D7100, 50mm, f/8, 1/15 second, ISO 1600, +10 close-up filter. Why did my son want to take a picture of a piece of cereal? I have no idea. He liked the final image though, and that’s what really matters to me.

Conclusion

Exploring your home with close-up filters is a great way to pass the time. Moreover, it’s also an outstanding opportunity to see the world around you in a whole new way. The possibilities really are endless. If you have ever wanted to try macro-style photography, this is a great way to do it without breaking the bank.

If you have any close-up shots you would like to share, or any tips I forgot to include, leave them in the comments below!

The post Exploring Your Home with Close-Up Filters appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.


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How to Shoot Abstract Flower Photography using Close-Up Filters

08 Aug

The post How to Shoot Abstract Flower Photography using Close-Up Filters appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Charlie Moss.

Shooting flowers is a passion for many photographers. Time spent out in the garden with your camera can become almost a form of meditative practice as you compose images surrounded by nature. It’s no wonder that so many photographers long to shoot beautiful flower images. But shooting close-up images of flowers can be an expensive business. Many tutorials will tell you that you need specialist macro lenses, proprietary macro extension tubes, or converters to reverse a lens that you already own. However, using close-up filters are a great alternative.

using-close-up-filters-for-flower-photography

Close-up filters are an option for macro photography that rarely makes it into the tutorial list. Many will tell you that they degrade the final image too much; they cause distortion and focus issues. However, in this article, I’m going to make the case that these filters can enable you to think in a more abstract way as you embrace their unique and imperfect properties!

What are close-up filters?

Close-up filters can also be called close-up lenses or macro filters. They are essentially a magnifying glass that screws into the filter thread on the front of your lens.

using-close-up-filters-for-flower-photography

When you buy a set of close-up filters, you need to know what lens you’re going to use them on. This is because you buy them according to the filter size of that lens. I suggest picking either a standard zoom or a prime lens in the 50mm to 100mm range and purchasing your filters for the thread size of that particular lens.

Close-up filters differ to budget extension tubes in one key way – you don’t lose electronic control of your lens. That means the autofocus will (just about) still work, and the aperture control in your camera settings will still work. Because budget extension tubes do not carry an electronic signal between your camera and your lens, you have to use it manually. For that reason I prefer close up filters – it makes changing your settings on the fly much easier!

using-close-up-filters-for-flower-photography

The image on the left was shot with just the Fujifilm 35mm f1.4 lens. The image on the right had a +10 close-up filter screwed onto the front of the lens.

The last thing to know about close up filters is that they have different magnification strengths – just like buying a magnifying glass. The higher the number, the more you will magnify your subject and the closer you can get. All of the images in this article have been shot using a +10 close-up filter on a Fujifilm 35mm f1.4 lens (roughly equivalent to a 50mm lens on a full-frame camera).

Why shoot abstract photos?

Abstract photos can really help to free you up from the common “rules” of photography. You can start to think outside of the box without wondering if an image is sharp enough all over, or if the colors are perfectly rendered.

How to Shoot Abstract Flower Photography using Close-Up Filters

That’s not to say that abstract photography is a way to “save” a bad photograph. As much thought and consideration should go into an abstract as it would a more traditional image.

Once you’ve learned to let go of the rules you might find that expressing yourself through color, shape, and texture can be relaxing. Experimenting with abstract photography can bring a whole new dimension to your work. It can even make you think about other kinds of photography differently. You’ll be much more careful when placing colors and lines in images in the future if you spend some time creating abstract compositions.

Tips for photographing flowers

Once you’ve got your close-up filter screwed to the front of your lens, head outside for a play. You won’t need a tripod at first – bump up your ISO and try handholding some close-up shots on a day with bright but overcast light (or shoot in the shade, of course).

Get the shot in focus

I recommend turning your autofocus off. We’re going to be working with some really shallow depth of field and that means your camera will often lock the focus on to something you don’t want it to.

How to Shoot Abstract Flower Photography using Close-Up Filters

Instead, you can use your body to move the subject in and out of focus. Carefully lean a fraction closer or further away, and you’ll see different parts of the images go in and out of focus. It takes some practice to get the hang of, but after a while, it’ll feel really natural.

If you’re a little unsteady and struggle to get the right part of the image in focus, try shooting a burst of three or five images and select the best one later. You can also use a tripod if you want to (if it is a very still day with no wind). However, I find that a tripod can often hinder creativity when you’re trying to think fast and look for new and fascinating angles and compositions.

Select an aperture

The aperture setting that you choose can change the whole feeling of an image. When you’re working this close to a subject, the depth of field can be as thin as a few millimeters.

using-close-up-filters-for-flower-photography

By using a very shallow depth of field, you can draw attention to just one part of a scene and throw the background and foreground completely out of focus. However, when shooting close up, it does mean that the whole flower or object might not be all in focus. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing – just picking a small part of the flower to be in focus can be a stylistic choice.

What can be interesting though is the way that the close-up filters interact with a wide-open lens. You begin to get these hazy, dreamy images that are somewhat unpredictable. It’s almost like a Lensbaby Velvet in some respects – or possibly a bit like smearing vaseline on your lens!

Composition is key

Since abstract photography often takes a subject and then makes it unrecognizable, all you have left is the composition and colors. That means you need to start thinking about how to mix shape, lines, form, textures, and colors to express emotions or tell stories. You cannot rely on recognizable and familiar objects anymore.

There are many compositional rules out there to study and put into practice. I have always found it helpful to spend as much time as possible looking at other peoples art (both in galleries and online) and trying to understand what makes a composition pleasing. You don’t have to know all of the rules of composition by name. But having a sense of how the position of elements in the frame and the color wheel work together to create interesting compositions can be a huge help when shooting abstracts.

using-close-up-filters-for-flower-photography

If you are shooting digital, don’t be afraid to shoot multiple images of the same scene and resist subjects. Try placing the main focus on different parts of the image, (including blurry foreground elements), and seeing how different aperture settings look.

You can also think about editing your photographs afterward to change the colors in the image. A slight shift in color, some noise added, or a touch of contrast on the focal point can really change the mood of the shot.

So for a very small investment (certainly compared to the rest of your camera gear), you can open up a new world of artistic abstract photography by using close-up filters. Also, better than that, it can happen entirely in your front garden!

Let us know if you shoot any images inspired by this article – post the results in the comments below!

 

using-close-up-filters-for-flower-photography

The post How to Shoot Abstract Flower Photography using Close-Up Filters appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Charlie Moss.


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A Beginner’s Guide to Stunning Close-Up Photography

14 Mar

The post A Beginner’s Guide to Stunning Close-Up Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.

Do you want to take incredible close-up photos?

Here’s the truth: Capturing incredible close-up photos doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, it can be extremely easy – if you know what to do.

In this article, you’ll discover the secrets to gorgeous close-up photography. You’ll learn about the required gear (Hint: You probably have everything you need!). You’ll learn the tips and tricks for stunning images (and you’ll love trick number 3).

Bottom line? I’ll make sure that you leave with the know-how to take truly beautiful close-up images.

Let’s get started.

Step 1: Pick any camera and lens for close-up photography

First of all, the big question: Do you need expensive, specialized gear for close-up photography?

The short answer?

No.

You can capture incredible close-up images with almost any camera & lens combination.

Because here’s what you need for stunning close-up photography:

A camera (any modern DSLR or mirrorless camera will do just fine). 

A lens that allows you to focus close to your subject (more on this in a moment). 

That’s it.

You don’t need a tripod. You don’t need a focusing rail. You just need a camera and a lens.

Now: What counts as a close-focusing lens?

First, for a technical answer (that you’re free to ignore): I like lenses that give the subject a magnification of (at least) 0.20-0.25.

But here’s the thing:

Most lenses will actually get you pretty close to your subject – if you give them the opportunity.

So don’t worry too much about your lens choice. Just use what you have.

If you want to make sure you’re getting as close as possible, I recommend you test out a few of your lenses. Then pick the one that focuses closest.

Now, for a brief aside:

If you want to get especially close to your subject, then you can invest in a macro lens.

A macro lens isn’t necessary for close-up photography. But it does let you focus extremely close.

A great inexpensive option is the Tokina 100mm macro (for Nikon and for Canon).

Once you have a good close-up photography set-up, it’s time for the next step…

Step 2: Start with flowers for some stunning close-up photos

Close-up photography is thrilling.

And there are tons of subjects out there, just waiting to be photographed.

But if you’re a beginner, I recommend you start with one particular subject…

Flowers.

Flowers are easy to get ahold of. They’re not a super challenging subject. And you can capture some stunning close-up flower photos.

You can shoot flowers indoors or outside.

But I recommend you start outside.

This is for two reasons:

First: Natural light is stronger than artificial light. Which means you’ll be able to get brighter, colorful photos without much difficulty.

Second: Being out in nature is a great part of the close-up photography experience.

But, if it’s winter where you live? Don’t despair.

You can still take some great close-up photos of flowers.

Just buy a bouquet of flowers at your local supermarket.

Then you’ll be ready to do some close-up photography.

Is there a particular flower that you should start with?

I’d suggest you start with some bright, colorful flowers. I’d also suggest you start with flowers that are large.

Roses are a great choice.

Tulips are another option.

Once you have your flowers, it’s time for the next step…

Step 3: Find the best light for stunning close-up photography

You need to be careful about your lighting choices.

Because amazing close-up photography requires good light.

What do I mean by good light?

You want to portray the colors of your subject. And you want to portray some beautiful details (e.g., the curves of the flower petals).

This gives you a few lighting options:

First, you could use cloudy light.

Cloudy light is soft and diffused. This means that it will capture nice, saturated colors. You’ll also be able to portray some nice detail.

Just try to shoot toward the middle of the day. Otherwise, the sky might get too dark. And you need a lot of light for close-up photography.

Second, you could shoot on a sunny day. This will give you plenty of light for stunning close-up photography.

But be careful: The light on a sunny day can be very harsh.

So if you do choose to shoot on a sunny day, take photos in the early morning or late afternoon. That’s when the light is soft and golden.

(These times are often referred to as the “golden hours.”)

If you’re shooting inside, I’d recommend you go with the same set of options. Shoot on a cloudy afternoon or on a sunny morning/evening.

But make sure you place your subject near a window. Otherwise, you won’t have enough light to capture gorgeous details!

Step 4: Follow these close-up photography secrets to get amazing photos

You know how to select the perfect gear. You know how to find the best subjects. And you know how to choose the best light.

It’s time for you to actually take some close-up photos.

But how do you get the best photos possible?

Here are a few tricks you can use…

Shoot on a level with your subject for the most compelling photos

In close-up photography, it’s important you choose a great angle.

You want to portray your subject in a way that shows off its shapes and colors. And you want to take an intimate portrait – one that brings the viewer into the subject’s world.

That’s why I recommend that you shoot on a level with your subject.

What do I mean by this?

Simply position your camera so that it’s ‘eye-to-eye’ with your subject. You want to feel like you’re looking straight at the subject.

Only then should you take the shot.

You’ll probably have to crouch down low to capture this angle. You might even have to lie on the ground.

But…

…It’ll be worth it, in the end.

Shoot toward the sky for the best backgrounds

The best close-up photos have simple, uniform backgrounds.

Simple backgrounds don’t take away from the subject. Instead, they emphasize it.

So here’s a trick for some nice, simple backgrounds:

Get down low, so that you’re on the same level as your subject.

Look through your camera.

Then scoot around the subject, paying careful attention to the background.

Does the sky appear behind your subject?

If so, then that’s the photo you should take!

If not, you can try getting even lower. But don’t go too low – you want to remain as level with your subject as possible.

This works best on cloudy days. Your subject will have a nice, white background.

But you can use the sky as a background on sunny days, too. Just be careful not to shoot into the sun (because that will cause unwanted flare effects).

Use manual focus to portray the little details

Here’s your final close-up photography secret:

Use manual focus.

Why is this?

Manual focus allows for incredible precision when focusing.

And when you’re shooting at high magnifications, you need to focus as precisely as possible.

Here’s why:

In close-up photography, your depth of field is limited.

(The depth of field is the amount of the photo that’s actually in focus).

You can get the petal of a flower in focus, but then the stem will be blurry.

Or you can get the stem of the flower in focus, but then the stem will be blurry.

So you have to ask yourself:

What do I want to get in focus? What do I want to emphasize in this photo? 

And then make sure you focus on that.

Unfortunately, lenses don’t autofocus well at high magnifications.

So you need to use manual focus, instead.

Start by switching your lens from autofocus (A, AF, or M/A) to manual focus (M or MF). There will be a switch on your lens body.

Then carefully roll the focusing ring between your fingers.

When focusing manually, don’t try to rush. Slow down. Glide from focus point to focus point.

You’ll quickly get the hang of it.

And you’ll be taking incredible close-up photos in no time!

Taking stunning close-up photos: The next step…

If you’re looking to take stunning close-up photos, I have good news for you:

You’re almost there.

You have the gear.

You have the knowledge.

You know how to find good light.

You know how to find strong backgrounds.

And you know how to focus carefully.

All that’s left…

…is to get out there and start shooting.

Do you have any close-up photos that you’re proud of?

Share them in the comments!

The post A Beginner’s Guide to Stunning Close-Up Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Jaymes Dempsey.


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Leica releases Elpro 52 close-up lens adapter

10 Aug

Leica has announced the Elpro 52, a new close-up converter lens for select Leica M and TL lenses.

As its name suggests, the Elpro 52 can be screwed onto the front of any Leica M and TL lens that has a 52mm front filter thread. It also comes with stepping ring adapters so it’ll work with 46mm and 49mm front filter threads as well, making it compatible with more than 20 different lenses.

‘The Leica Elpro 52 will expand upon the capabilities of selected Leica M- and TL-Lenses, making them more suitable for macro photography,’ says Leica in the press release. ‘This lens holds true to the standard focusing and aperture settings Leica is known for, and ensures a light-weight and compact style as to not interfere with the lens handling while mounted.’

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The lens is available now for $ 395. It comes with the two aforementioned stepping rings and a protective case to house it all.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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How to do Extreme Close-Up Photography with a Macro Bellows

06 Aug

Macro photography is technically designated as the ability to photograph subjects at magnifications equal to or greater than life size. This means that if the subject’s projection size on the camera’s sensor is the same size as the subject itself, then you have life-size magnification, also known as a 1:1 ratio.

Even though many lenses state they have macro functions, a true macro lens must be able to do 1:1 or greater ratio magnification. These specialized lenses allow for a closer focus distance and have great image quality, but they tend to be expensive.

There are cheaper ways to create macro images though. Reverse rings, extension tubes and close up lenses are good options, but my very favorite one is the macro bellows. In this article, I will show you how to use macro bellows to achieve great extreme macro images the easy way.

The Gear

I am very proud to be the lucky owner of one of the very rare Spiratone Kenlock tilt-shift macro bellows sold by Hama in the 80s.

This is probably the rarest and the fullest featured bellows out there, designed originally for 35mm SLR cameras.
In fact, it looks like a scaled down monorail camera with the ability to be adapted to an SLR body.

macro bellow - How to do Extreme Close-Up Photography with a Macro Bellows

This is an amazing piece of gear, despite the fact it was built in the 80s for film cameras, that remains perfectly actual and can be used with modern digital cameras.

It has removable adapters for different brands of lenses and camera bodies.
In this particular setup, I’m using an M42 mount 50mm Tessar Carl Zeiss Jena DDR 2.8 lens and full frame sensor Canon 5D MKIII.

Because this equipment was made for old cameras with flat fronts without a hand grip like the modern digital ones, I am also using a Canon 25mm Extension Tube between the camera body and the bellows to give me some space for the mount.

This is obviously an expensive setup, but you can find many inexpensive simple function macro bellows that can be used with your existing camera and lenses.

Magnification

The magnification ratio is simply the relationship between the size of the (in-focus) subject’s projection on the imaging sensor and the subject’s size in reality.

Imagine a subject like a bug that is 1cm long in real life;

  • If its projection on the camera’s sensor is also 1cm then you have a 1:1 ratio.
  • You have a 2:1 ration if its projection on the camera’s sensor is 2cm.
  • And so forth…

This magnification is achieved by the extension of the bellows operated by two knobs that allow you to move the front and rear elements.

macro bellow on a Canon body - How to do Extreme Close-Up Photography with a Macro Bellows

Retracted, the macro bellows creates a smaller magnification.

extended - How to do Extreme Close-Up Photography with a Macro Bellows

Extended, the macro bellows makes a greater magnification.

There is some really complex optics math behind this magnification process that I am not able to calculate myself. So I used an online calculator to try to understand what I could achieve with this setup and these are the results I got.

magnification - How to do Extreme Close-Up Photography with a Macro Bellows

I was able to find out that the combination of this particular lens with this macro bellows allows me to get a magnification of 3:1 with the bellows at its minimum extension and 5:1 at its maximum extension.

Focusing

The process of focusing is done by moving the whole set constituted by the lens, macro bellows and camera body along a rail, making it closer or further to the subject.

Although it might sound simple, it is, in fact, a very hard process due to the scale of the image we are composing. Any minimal movement throws everything out of focus. So the use of a sturdy tripod and making sure the subject doesn’t move are critical factors to minimize error and allow precise control.

The focusing process is usually done with the lens at its widest aperture to allow enough light in and then it is changed to the chosen aperture for the image capture.

lens - How to do Extreme Close-Up Photography with a Macro Bellows

This aperture open/close process is done automatically in modern cameras and lenses, but with most bellows, it is not possible to have the communication between the camera and the lens due to the lack of electronic contacts, so it has to be done manually.

Sometimes this simple act of changing the lens aperture is enough to change the focus plane, making it a really hard process to control.

Depth of Field

This is for sure the toughest factor to control in macro photography. The depth of field is extremely reduced at this magnification even when photographing with the lens’s narrowest aperture.

A tilt and shift bellows like the one I am using helps to minimize the depth of field issues with some focal plane movements. But many macro photographers choose to use a much more complex technique called focus stacking. The process consists of digitally merging multiple images taken at different focus distances, resulting in a greater depth of field in the final image.

Getting the Picture

Now we’ve gone through the basic technicalities it is time to put everything in action.

For this setup, I will be photographing a dead house fly I found near my living room window. The fact that is not moving makes it a perfect case study to use in a macro stage.

To allow me full control of the equipment, I prepared a tethered setup with the camera connected to a computer, being operated by its native capture software. This way I can avoid touching the camera to release the shutter.

For lighting, I will use two speedlights controlled by a transmitter connected to the camera’s hotshoe that also allows power control through software.

setup for macro - How to do Extreme Close-Up Photography with a Macro Bellows

The intention was to create some light and shadow volume on the fly and separate it from the dark background. Here is the result:

house fly - How to do Extreme Close-Up Photography with a Macro Bellows

Illuminating such a small subject is a very difficult task as the smallest changes produce totally different results. Such is the case in this next image with softer light where I used only one flash and one reflector, instead of two speedlights.

house fly - How to do Extreme Close-Up Photography with a Macro Bellows

To me, it is really fascinating to see a fly at this magnification with all the small details. It is a creepy experience for sure.

This was just with the macro bellows retracted. For the full magnification experience, I will now extend the bellows all the way and experiment greater magnification.

This time I will focus on the fly’s head and the lighting will be done with an LED panel and a small reflector.

behind the scenes shot - How to do Extreme Close-Up Photography with a Macro Bellows

Here is the result:

fly head extreme close-up - How to do Extreme Close-Up Photography with a Macro Bellows

Now we’ve achieved extreme macro with fantastic detail.

Conclusion

It is amazing how an old lens and macro bellows can produce such a high-quality image.

Give this technique a try, I’m sure you will have a lot of fun and make some great images along the way! Please share your macro images with a bellows in the comment area below.

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Using four Godox EC-200 extension heads as a quad-flash for beauty and close-up lighting

25 May

Flashpoint/Godox have just announced the EC-200 extension head, adding an effective and extremely low-cost tool for cosmetic and macro photography. These heads are exclusively designed for the Evolve 200 / AD200 pocket flash, a widely popular and highly efficient product, operated by long-lasting lithium batteries.

Throughout my career I have used various types of ring flashes and parabolic umbrellas. I also collaborated with Swiss lighting manufacturer Broncolor for over a decade on countless marketing and promotional projects, and shot their launch campaigns for the original Para 330 and Ringflash C.

Super model Iman for DeBeers global campaign (2003), shot with Broncolor Para330, and Fujifilm GX680III, on Fujifilm Provia film.

These types of lights are often used by fashion photographers, as they are both easy to work with and offer many options—the Broncolor Paras in particular, which range from the 88 to 330, can produce a wide variety of effects. However, neither types are ideal for extreme close up work when balanced, even front-lighting is required.

The new remote heads from China on the other hand, are small and light enough to allow for several of them to be mounted on a camera flash bracket and rail.

Selecting tiny but wide-angled reflectors, the resulting light is much less harsh, and more feathered than the output from a ring flash, in very close distance. The total weight of, let’s say, four extension heads with the small reflectors and including the bracket/rail set is just about 24 ounces, making handheld shooting is easy.

This new kind of ‘Quad Ring’ set up offers also the additional advantage over traditional ring flashes of allowing individual control of each of the flash heads in turn, which permits me to limit the output of the flash hitting the model’s face from underneath.

This is not as easily achieved with a ring flash.

Placed on tripod, the four extension heads are still mounted on the bracket and rail, but the camera is hand-held, so the four lights hit from a slight angle.

Fujifilm GFX 50S, GF 250mm lens, F8, 1/4000 sec, ISO 100

The Evolve 200 / AD200 pocket flash performs extremely well and reliably in HSS (High Speed Sync) mode, and when used for this ‘Quad Ring’ arrangement, provides output powerful enough to completely black out direct midday sunlight.

This four-light arrangement also makes an excellent off-camera light by simply setting the contraption on a tripod and shooting from various angles around it.

The ‘Quad Ring’ is also off-centered in this image. This time it’s placed to the camera angle, resting on a tripod.

Fujifilm GFX 50S, GF 120mm macro lens, F11, 1/125 sec, ISO 100

As evident by the unusual catchlights, the four extension heads are mounted on bracket and rail around the lens here.

Fujifilm GFX 50S, GF 120mm macro lens, F11, 1/125 sec, ISO 100

The announcement of the new remote heads is timely. The recent release of new macro extension tubes by Fujifilm for the mirrorless medium format GFX 50S (and the release of the GF 120mm macro lens) have ushered in a new era for macro photography. One can now easily shoot 1:1 handheld, with very fast and reliable autofocus, or manually focus while zoomed in.

Compared to previous systems, macro photography with medium format mirrorless cameras has become easy and accessible. Adding the creative options created by the convenient new remote heads, it has never been more fun to shoot close up!


About the Author: Markus Klinko is an award-winning, international fashion/celebrity photographer and director, who has worked with many of today’s most iconic stars of film, music, and fashion.

Klinko has photographed the likes of Beyonce, Lady Gaga, David Bowie, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Kanye West, Anne Hathaway, Kate Winslet, Will Smith, Eva Mendes, Kim Kardashian, Naomi Campbell, and Iman. His editorial clients include Vogue, GQ, Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar, and Interview magazine.

You can find more of his work on the Markus & Koala website or by following him on Instagram.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Weekly Photography Challenge – Macro or Close-Up Photography

13 Jan

Last week’s challenge was to get out and shoot some winter photography. Maybe you already tried some macro then – if not, now’s your chance.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Weekly Photography Challenge – Macro

Close-ups of snow, icicles, frost patterns, etc., can be stunningly beautiful. So bundle up, grab your macro lens or extension tubes and a tripod and get out there and shoot some winter macro photography.

Need more help? Try these dPS articles:

  • 7 Different Ways to Approach Macro Photography
  • 5 Quick Tips for Outdoor Macro Photography
  • How to Get Stunning Macro Photos with Your Mobile Phone
  • Behind the Scenes of Marvellous Macro Insect Imagery
  • Tips for Depth of Field Control in Macro Photography
  • 5 Macro Photography Tricks to Make Your Images Stand Out
  • Getting Started with Abstract Macro Photography

Simply upload your shot into the comment field (look for the little camera icon in the Disqus comments section) and they’ll get embedded for us all to see or if you’d prefer, upload them to your favorite photo-sharing site and leave the link to them. Show me your best images in this week’s challenge. Sometimes it takes a while for an image to appear so be patient and try not to post the same image twice.

Share in the dPS Facebook Group

You can also share your images in the dPS Facebook group as the challenge is posted there each week as well.

The post Weekly Photography Challenge – Macro or Close-Up Photography by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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7 Steps to Improve Your Closeup Candid Street Photography

01 Oct

Many people want to improve their street photography or get involved with this genre for the first time. But the major aspect that holds them back is the issue of taking close candid pictures of people without their permission. While I promise that it gets much easier over time, it can very difficult to get over the hump early on.

7 Steps to Improve Your Closeup Candid Street Photography

However, there are some steps you can take that will help ease you into the world of street photography if you do it right. Here are a few important tips that I believe will make shooting candid street photography much easier for you.

1. What to do if you get caught

Before we talk about how to get closer to your subjects, the first step is knowing what to do if something happens. The toughest aspect of getting into street photography is the fact that you will feel very uncomfortable with the idea of someone catching you and asking what you are doing, at first. However, while those situations are usually rare, if you handle them the right way, they don’t have to be all that bad.

7 Steps to Improve Your Closeup Candid Street Photography

To help ease your fears, it is important to know what to say if anyone should stop you and ask you if you took their photo. Smile, own up to it and say that you are a photographer or photography student doing a photo project on the area and the people in it. Tell them you thought they looked great and wanted to add them to it. Just be honest and open about it. If they then seem uncomfortable, offer to delete the photograph. It can even help to carry a business card with your photography information and to offer to email them the photograph after. The more direct and pleasant you are, the more disarming it will be.

To further keep yourself out of trouble, pick and choose the people you photograph carefully. It can help to stay away from photographing anyone who looks like they are in a bad mood, anyone with some sort of mental disability, or anyone who is homeless.

2. Light camera and prime lens

Street photography can certainly be done well with an SLR and a zoom lens. I shot for a long time with that setup. However, using a smaller camera such as a mirrorless, micro 4/3rds, or a Leica will make you much less noticeable. In addition, it will be lighter, which will make you faster and can only help with street photography. The difference is night and day.

By using a prime lens you will get used to the fixed focal length which will make you much more spontaneous. You will be able to intuitively know what your camera can capture before you even bring it up to your eye. That, and your camera will be smaller since zoom lenses are usually very large. With a light camera and lens, you will eventually notice yourself capturing images so quickly that your subject barely even notices you. This is the type of thing that is much tougher to do with an SLR and big zoom lens.

3. Picking a spot / getting in the middle

7 Steps to Improve Your Closeup Candid Street Photography

The next tip, which is often the most important, is to go where the action is and get right in the middle. It will be important for you to eventually photograph in all types of situations, from less busy to very crowded, but particularly when you are learning, go where a lot of action is happening. Go to fairs, get out at busy times, shoot from busy corners. The more that is happening, the more invisible you will be, and the less you will be noticed by other people. This will help a lot with your comfort level.

By picking a spot and letting your subjects come to you, you change up the dynamic of the situation. Instead of you entering their personal space, they will be entering yours. You will seem less creepy and intrusive because you will already be there with a camera. It will look like you belong.

In addition, when a moment occurs, you will already be the right position. You will be able to spend more of your energy watching your surroundings for a good moment to occur. This, of course, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t photograph while you are walking and exploring, just that you should carve out some time to linger in a specific spot.

4. Acting

7 Steps to Improve Your Closeup Candid Street Photography

There are some photographers who will run up to people and get right in their face. If that’s your thing, more power to you, but many photographers prefer to be less conspicuous about it. We want to capture an interesting moment, we love to people watch, but we want to try to make the situation as comfortable as possible for both parties, and we want to be inconspicuous enough to not ruin the moment.

This is where a little acting can come into play. The most important thing is to act like you don’t notice the person you want to photograph that much. Look at things behind them, and to the side. They just happen to be in your way. Play the role of tourist, looking around. The more you do this, the more you will be able to get away with taking the photo unnoticed.

5. The camera snap and the way you move your camera

7 Steps to Improve Your Closeup Candid Street Photography

Similar to the last point, the way you move your camera can play a big part in keeping the situation candid. There is one thing that most photographers do, called the camera snap, where they take the camera away from their eye instinctively right after they take an image. Of course, there will be shots that you take so quickly that people won’t notice. But for other moments when the people notice you, this will often give away the fact that you were taking their photograph. Instead, take the picture and keep the camera up to your eye. Then move the camera away like you were taking a picture next to them and slowly remove the camera from your eye.

Similarly, you do not always have to point your camera directly at people right away to capture the image. Instead, point the camera above or to the side of your subject as if you were taking an image of something behind them. Then at the last second, move the camera over them, take the image, and move on.

6. Hold the camera up high

7 Steps to Improve Your Closeup Candid Street Photography

Whenever possible, try to keep your camera in your hands and at attention when you are photographing. If you allow it to hang off your neck, then when an amazing moment occurs you will have to locate and grab the camera before putting it to your eye. This is the least conspicuous way to capture an image.

Instead, try to keep the camera up high as much as you can. Then, when you take an image you will stand out less. It will feel much less conspicuous.

7. Zone focusing

7 Steps to Improve Your Closeup Candid Street Photography

Zone focusing is the technique of turning your camera to manual focus mode, pre-focusing it to a distance of about 8-10 feet, and then capturing your subject once they are in the range of sharpness for your camera. This is easier to do with a wide-angle lens with a medium to small aperture such as f/8 to f/16 so that there is more area of your image in focus. Keep in mind that this is a skill that can be improved – there are many photographers who can zone focus well even at f/2.

You can read more about zone focusing here, and while it is a little difficult to learn at first, you will quickly get much better at it. The main benefit of this type of focusing is so that you no longer have to lock the autofocus in on your subject. This allows you to be a little more spontaneous with your shooting, and it will give you an added split second to take the photograph. That, in turn, will allow you to better capture those very fast moving moments.

Most importantly, it will allow you to be a little more candid than you can be using autofocus. Since you won’t have to point the camera directly at your subject to lock in the focus nor will you have to look through the viewfinder to make sure you are focusing correctly, you can be much more inconspicuous. This will allow you to shoot from the hip and still know that your shots will be sharp.

Conclusion

I hope these tips help you do better candid street photography, and with more confidence.

So get out there, get close, and capture some amazing and spontaneous photographs!

The post 7 Steps to Improve Your Closeup Candid Street Photography by James Maher appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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Watch a real-time 4K close-up video of the solar eclipse at totality

06 Sep

You might be getting sick of all the solar eclipse articles, but in the aftermath of last month’s phenomenon we keep running across incredible new vantage points—from this amazing (and viral) climber photo to this footage shot from a weather balloon in the stratosphere. Here is one more jaw-dropping capture.

Photographer JunHo Oh shot this 4K close-up of totality from Warm Springs, Oregon using a Panasonic GX85 attached to a 2160mm f/12 telescope and a RainbowAstro RST-150H Harmonic Drive robotic mount.

In the video above you get to watch the eclipse reach totality up close before tracing the corona in all of its solar flare-fueled glory. In the zoomed out version below you can watch the full eclipse at once. Both are worth 3 minutes of your time… and a healthy shot of awe.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Fujifilm Instax Mini 9 launches with selfie mirror and close-up lens attachment

29 Mar

Fujifilm has announced the Instax Mini 9, a new instant camera that has launched in five colors: Lime Green, Flamingo Pink, Smoky White, Ice Blue, and Cobalt Blue. The Instax Mini 9 builds upon the company’s Instax Mini 8, bringing with it a selfie mirror as well as a new close-up lens attachment enabling photographers to snap photos as close as 35cm / 14in.

Fujifilm says the ‘popular’ features from the previous model are rolled over into the Instax Mini 9, including auto exposure. The camera chooses the optimal brightness setting for any given snapshot, highlighting the chosen setting by illuminating one of four lights corresponding the following settings: Indoors, Cloudy, Sunny (overcast), and Sunny (bright). The user then manually switches the dial to that setting.

Other features include a 0.37x viewfinder with target spot, an automatic film feeding system, flash with an effective range from 0.6m to 2.7m, and support for two ordinary AA batteries. A pair of AA batteries can power the camera through approximately 10 Instax Mini film packs before needing replaced.

The Instax Mini 9 will launch in the U.S. and Canada next month for $ 69.95 USD and $ 99.99 CAD, and then in the U.K. in May for £77.99.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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