This week Chris and Jordan are joined by renowned macro photographer Don Komarechka, who demonstrates a few simple techniques that can improve your macro photos in a big way.
Want to learn more? Check out some of our other articles about macro photography:
DPReview articles about macro photography
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Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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The weather and has most definitely taken a turn toward fall here, and our shooting opportunities have followed suit. We brought the Canon RF 35mm F1.8 along to a harvest festival of sorts and a few of our usual haunts. The lens is currently the widest native prime for the RF system, and priced at $ 500 for its launch in December, is also the cheapest lens to debut with the RF. Take a look through our gallery to see how it performs.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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IRIX has announced a new full-frame telephoto macro lens, the 150mm F2.8 Macro 1:1.
The 1:1 reproduction lens will be available for Nikon F, Canon EF and Pentax K mounts and claims to have ‘close to zero distortion,’ according to IRIX — just 0.1 percent, thanks to the optical construction consisting of twelve elements in nine groups.
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IRIX touts the telephoto focal length as a benefit noting ‘the possibility of being able to move away from the photographed object […] makes the operation more convenient than using lenses with a shorter focal length. No shadows are cast on the object and it is also possible to use lamps dedicated to this type of photography.’ Its internal focusing mechanism means the lens won’t shrink or expand when focusing.
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| Illustration showing the location of the weather-sealing gaskets. |
The lens features select weather-sealing at various areas on the lens and has a rubberized focus grip with 270-degrees of rotation. There’s also Focus Lock and a removable Arca Swiss lens collar for easy shooting on a tripod.
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The construction of the lens features IRIX’s new ‘Dragonfly finish.’ In Irix’s own words, ‘the aluminium frame has been enclosed in an external structure made of aluminium-magnesium alloys and composite elements. The combination of Firefly and Blackstone features gave the lens lightness and solidity while maintaining high mechanical strength and resistance in difficult weather conditions.’
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| Sample image captured on the 150mm F2.9 Macro 1:1, provided by IRIX. |
Pricing and availability is yet to be determined.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Working with natural light can seem daunting. Yet as a macro photographer, I love natural light. I’ve spent years studying it, playing with it, observing it, and watching it fall.
I use it in all of my photographs. In fact, the last time I picked up a flash was over five years ago.
But how do you take advantage of natural light? Are there some simple principles that can be learned and quickly applied, so that you can take stunning macro photographs in no time?
Actually, yes!
In this short tutorial, you’ll learn all about natural light for macro photography. I’ll explain the types of natural light that I like, the types that I avoid, and how you can best use natural light in your own photographs.
When you’re finished reading, you’ll have the know how to use natural light like a pro!
There are five types of natural light that all macro photographers should know:
Let’s discuss each in turn.
By sunny light, I am referring to the light that you find at noon on a clear day.
It’s very bright, very strong, and really contrasty. So, let me just get this out of the way and state it simply.
Do NOT use sunny light for macro photography!
I couldn’t bring myself to take a photograph in direct sunlight. I just dislike it too much! So I photographed this clematis in the evening.
I know that it’s very tempting. After all, bright sunlight is very powerful, and everyone loves to get out on sunny days.
The problem, however, is that direct sunlight is extremely tough for cameras to deal with, resulting in blown out (that is, totally white) highlights and underexposed (very dark) lowlights. It also creates shadows that are unpleasant to look at.
Now, there are some genres of photography that make use of a sunny type of light. Street photography, for instance, relies heavily on the gritty, contrast-heavy look that sunny light provides.
Macro photography, however, requires softer light such as the next type of light.
Cloudy light is pretty self-explanatory. This is the kind of light when there are clouds, at any time of the day.
What does this mean for your photography?
Clouds diffuse the light, causing it to become pleasant and soft. This is an ideal type of light for bringing out colors in your subject. I work a lot with flowers, and I go crazy over cloudy light.
There’s nothing better than a nice cloudy day for flower photography.
I photographed this flower under cloudy skies.
Therefore, if you enjoy doing flower-focused macro photography, cloudy light is for you. Shooting in cloudy light will ensure evenly illuminated subjects, lovely colors, and really pleasing images.
Yet sometimes you might want to create images which are slightly less soft. You might want to work with more striking light, which brings us to . . .
Evening frontlight is found during the golden hours of photography. The golden hours are the first two hours after sunrise, and the final two hours before sunset.
During this time, the sun casts a beautiful golden glow over the world. If you venture outside, and you make sure that the sun is behind you (point your shadow at your subjects), you’ll find that you’re looking at a beautiful landscape.
Is this type of light good for macro photography?
In a word, yes. Such natural light tends to look lovely and soft when rendered by a camera.
I must admit, however, that I am not the biggest fan of evening frontlight. I find that it’s a bit too bright. I also prefer more dramatic lighting. Which brings me to my favorite type of light.
Evening backlight is extremely similar to evening frontlight. Except, rather than having the sun behind you, you have it directly in front of you.
I love evening backlight for macro photography. I’m drawn to its dramatic presence and warmth. I suggest that you try it, yourself.
I photographed this aster in evening backlight.
To use evening backlight, you simply point your camera into the light. I recommend placing the subject between yourself and the setting sun so that the sun is obscured by the subject. Or put the actual sun slightly outside the image, so that it can be felt rather than seen.
Of course, these images aren’t for everyone. But I personally find them to be stunning!
Yet if you’re looking for something a little less punchy, I do have one final recommendation.
Evening shade is pretty self-explanatory, as well. Your subject is shaded by some object (a tree, a building, the photographer) in the evening.
What makes evening shade natural light so special? I like the evening shade for one specific reason.
If you can shade your subject while using an unshaded background, your images will really pop. The background will be rendered as liquid gold, while your subject is lit fairly evenly.
I photographed this daisy in some evening shade. The background was lit by the setting sun.
Don’t believe me? Try it!
Natural light may seem difficult to work with, but I hope that after reading these tips, you are feeling far more confident in your abilities.
Simply remember to avoid sunny light, and you’re halfway there. Use cloudy light if you want soft, evenly illuminated subjects and beautiful colors. Use evening light if you want a bit more drama.
Which type of natural light do you prefer? Share your opinions and images in the comments below.
The post A Guide to Using Natural Light for Macro Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School.
In any genre of photography, you’re going to be faced with so-called rules, guidelines, or commandments. Macro photography is no exception.
Consider advice such as, “shoot with a narrow aperture,” or “use a uniform background.” You’ve probably heard those time and time again. In fact, I’ve taught most of them, myself!
While these rules are often useful to beginners, as you become a more advanced photographer, you’ll find times when you need to break all photographic rules. But how do you know when to follow rules, and when to break them?
In this article, I discuss five rules in macro photography, and when they can be discarded. I use examples from my own work so that you are able to see what both following and breaking the rule looks like.
Ultimately, you’ll learn how to break rules in your own macro photography, which will allow you to really take your work to the next level.
This is probably the number one most talked about rule in photography, including macro photography. After all, it has the word “rule” in its name!
The rule of thirds is simple: Divide your viewfinder, screen, or LCD into both vertical and horizontal thirds. This creates a grid. The main elements of your composition—horizon lines, leading lines, faces, eyes—should lie somewhere along these lines.
It’s even better if they fall on one of the “power points” of the grid, the place where the lines intersect.
The place where the stem meets the petals of this tulip lies on a power point.
How does this apply to macro photography?
Often, you’ll be advised to place flower stems along the Rule of Thirds grid. You’ll be told to place flower centers along the power points of the image. The same goes for insects and leaves.
The points of focus should fall on the power points of the composition, you’ll be told.
The center of this dahlia is positioned at one of the power points on the Rule of Thirds grid.
This is often great advice. The Rule of Thirds has been used for centuries and generally results in very pleasing compositions. But sometimes it’s best to break out of this mold and get something a bit edgier, a bit more unique.
Let me tell you about two scenarios when I like to break the Rule of Thirds.
The first instance you should break the rule is when you have a symmetrical subject. Symmetry can be very powerful, and it’s usually best emphasized by putting the point of symmetry (the place around which the image is symmetrical) in the dead center of the image.
The second time you might choose to break the Rule of Thirds is when you want to have a more spacious, off-balance image.
I like to place my main subject at the very top or bottom of the image and leave tons of negative space in the center and at the top. This can produce a minimalist feeling, one that I really love.
Another common macro photography rule is to keep your compositions simple.
You should have one point of focus, no distracting elements, a clean and straightforward image. Indeed, this is often wise. Random chaos takes away from the main subject and causes the viewer to become confused.
However, more controlled chaos might be just the thing you need to create a unique image.
I like to use controlled chaos when I’m faced with a complex scene. Many overlapping flowers, for instance, are great subjects for a more chaotic image.
The key is to make sure that there is a main subject that stands out and remains as a point of focus. At the same time, it’s okay to let the background or foreground get a bit messy, as long as it complements the main subject.
The flower on the left creates order in an otherwise messy composition.
For instance, you might have a background with colors that match the main subject. Alternatively, your background might include some flashy lights or brightly colored bokeh.
Just make sure that you keep the eye focused. It’s a fine line between having a complex but controlled image and making a big mess.
Macro photographers are often told to compose with a single point of focus in mind. That means something that the eye can focus on. This rule is especially relevant because I suggested that you use it in the tip above!
Notice how the eye is drawn straight to the center of this peony.
However, while there is a time and a place for this rule, there are also times when it should be broken.
For instance, when faced with a noticeable pattern among leaves or flowers or ferns, it is sometimes better to think less in terms of a point of focus, and more in terms of the image as a whole. Try to emphasize the pattern, and let the eye follow it through the image.
There may not be one point of focus, but the image will remain pleasing.
Uniform backgrounds are especially emphasized in macro photography. Macro photographers will often shoot on a completely black or pure white background for this very reason.
The rule makes sense – the more uniform the background, the less distracting it is. I use it often myself.
However, this is a rule that I also often break. Why?
To be frank, uniform backgrounds can be boring. More colorful uniform backgrounds are better. I find a uniform gold or orange to be the most pleasing, but sometimes even that isn’t enough.
To take your macro photography to the next level, try looking for complementary backgrounds. In other words, backgrounds that offer a bit of substance while enhancing the main subject.
One trick is to place a second subject just behind the first. Choose an aperture that keeps the second subject slightly out of focus, but yet still recognizable.
Another trick is to shoot towards the sun, so that you get creative flare effects and beautiful highlights.
But be careful: you don’t want to go from uniform to messy. The key word is “complementary.”
I’ve saved the most interesting rule for last. It’s a fairly simple one. Just make sure that your subject is completely sharp.
If you’re shooting a butterfly, make sure that it is sharp from edge to edge. When you’re shooting a flower, make sure that it’s sharp from the tip of the front petal to the edge of the back petal.
If you can’t get the entire subject sharp, the rule advises that you should get as much in focus as possible. This is done by narrowing the aperture. It’s common for macro photographers to shoot in the f/8 and beyond range.
Me? I rarely venture past f/7.1. In this sense, I’m a bit of a rebel.
Of course, I recognize that there is a time and a place for images that are sharp throughout the frame. But that is one particular aesthetic, and there are other looks that you can achieve by widening the aperture and shooting in the f/2.8 to f/7.1 range.
This is how macro photographers produce that “dreamy” feeling in their images.
Use a wide aperture. You work at higher magnifications and manually focus on a recognizable part of your subject; a leaf or the edge of a petal.
Then you shoot and come away with an image that is barely sharp, but for some people is very pleasing.
Macro photography rules (or photographic rules in general) can be very useful, especially for beginners. However, as the saying goes, rules are made to be broken.
By breaking the rules discussed above—that is, by breaking the Rule of Thirds, by creating more complex, chaotic compositions, and by focusing only on a small part of the subject—you’ll come away with more unique images.
Know any other macro photography rules that you like to break? Please share them in the comment area below.
The post 5 Rules in Macro Photography and When to Break Them appeared first on Digital Photography School.
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Sigma is now shipping the 14mm F1.8 DG HSM, 70mm F2.8 DG MACRO, and 135mm F1.8 DG HSM Art lenses for Sony E-mount full-frame cameras that were announced in February. All three lenses support Sony’s Continuous AF and high-speed autofocus, as well as in-camera lens aberration correction and image stabilization.
According to Sigma, the brass bayonet on each lens features special surface treatment designed to improve the mount strength. The mount is joined by a rubber seal to protect against splashes and dust. In addition, Sigma says its E-mount models include a newly developed control algorithm that both maximizes data transmission speeds and optimizes the autofocus drive.
All three E-mount lenses are available from retailers now at the following prices:
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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.
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.
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.
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;
This magnification is achieved by the extension of the bellows operated by two knobs that allow you to move the front and rear elements.
Retracted, the macro bellows creates a smaller magnification.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The intention was to create some light and shadow volume on the fly and separate it from the dark background. Here is the result:
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.
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.
Here is the result:
Now we’ve achieved extreme macro with fantastic detail.
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.
The post How to do Extreme Close-Up Photography with a Macro Bellows appeared first on Digital Photography School.
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Venus Optics has announced a new probe-shaped macro lens that captures 2x life size images down a 40cm/15.7in barrel. The Laowa 24mm f/14 Macro Probe lens is designed to produce extreme macro on full frame bodies, and to reach subjects that are hard to approach with conventional macro lenses.
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The tip of the lens measures just 2cm across and houses a ring of USB-powered LED lights for focus assistance and for lighting the subject. Animals in burrows and underwater can be photographed as the end of the probe lens is water and dust proof, and the LED lights can be used in those conditions. The closest focus-distance is 2cm at which distance the maximum reproduction ratio of 2:1 is achieved.
Constructed using 27 elements in 19 groups this is quite a complex optical arrangement
A wide angle focal length has been chosen to deliver more depth of field and more environment, while the size of the front element allows users to get truly ground-level view.
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Constructed using 27 elements in 19 groups this is quite a complex optical arrangement and, according to Venus Optics, the first time such a probe lens has been available on a consumer level. It uses a 7-bladed aperture and offers apertures of F14 to F40. Although obviously designed for macro work the focus range covers 470mm / 18.5in to infinity. The whole unit measures 38 x 408mm / 1.5 x 16in, weighs 474g / 16.7oz and will be available in Canon EF, Nikon F and Sony E mounts. An Arri PL model will also be available via special order.
The lens will cost $ 1,499 and is being launched via Kickstarter – where early birds can get discounted deals.
For more information visit the Venus Optics website
Press release:
Tubular barrel, Waterproof & built-in LED design unlock shooting possibilities.
Venus Optics, the camera lenses manufacturer who had previously launched a number of unique Laowa camera lenses, are proud to announce the Laowa 24mm f/14 2x Macro Probe Lens, a unique & revolutionary macro tool.
Laowa 24mm f/14 2x Macro Probe is the world’s first consumer-grade probe lens that was developed to provide photographers and videographers with a new perspective and remove their shooting barriers while using conventional macro lenses. Below are the key features of this lens.
Bug-Eye Perspective
The new Laowa 24mm Probe lens can create a Bug-Eye perspective that cannot be done by conventional macro lens. Not only can it focus really close (2cm @ 2:1) and show a great amount of detail and texture, but also achieve a compelling wide angle ‘Bug Eye’ view (84.1°). More background details can then be included into the shots to create a very informative and stunning macro bug-eye perspective. For telephoto macro lenses, the subject will fill most of the frame and appear isolated from the surrounding environment instead.
2:1 Magnification to Infinity Focus
The new Laowa Probe covers a focusing range from 2:1 macro magnification to Infinity Focus. Photographers can take advantage of the 2:1 maximum magnification to shoot really small bugs/objects and reveal details that cannot be seen by naked eye. The wide focusing range (from Macro to infinity) is also particularly useful for videography as both finer details and environmental background can be captured in one shot.
Deep Depth-of-Field
The wide angle design also means much more depth of field at close distance (compared to the telephoto macro lens) so that more background details will now be visible. Being able to focus so close but still having a deep depth of field is a BIG advantage for both studio and wildlife shooting. The less blurry background allows the habitat of the subject to be visible in your photo.
Waterproof front lens barrel
The front barrel of the lens is waterproof and it can be used to shoot in any environment. This makes shooting in liquid no longer a limitation. The waterproof design also implies that shooting in super dusty environment or with fine powders are not going to be a problem.
40cm long & Tubular Lens Barrel
Thanks to the 40cm (15.7″) long barrel, photographers can focus really close to the subject but still keep themselves and cameras distance away. This unlocks the possibility of shooting in areas which were not accessible in the past. E.g. Shooting a frog hiding in the bushes using our Probe lens, compared to getting a telephoto macro lens super close to avoid leaves blocking your subject. The long lens barrel also allows photographers to keep a safe distance away when shooting lethal animals. The big camera body and lens will no longer ‘alert’ the subject too.
Tiny 2cm lens tip
The tiny 0.2cm-in-diameter lens tip unlocks the possibility to get very low to the ground level to capture a ‘delicious’ perspective and maximize the visual impact. The viewers will be like walking on your shooting subject (e.g. Pizza) now. Moreover, you can insert the lens into tiny caves, bottle or burrows to shoot. The smaller lens tip also enables proper lighting hitting onto the subject whereas typical macro lenses with larger lens barrels will block most of the light.
LED Ring Light at the tip
A LED ring light (powered through the micro-USB slot on the barrel) is mounted at the tip of the lens to provide additional lighting for focus assistance and video shooting.
Full frame coverage
The Laowa 24mm f/14 Probe can cover both the standard 35mm full frame and Super35 image sensor.
Lightweight
The new Laowa weighs only 1.04 pounds (474 grams) and it’s super light and easy to carry.
The lens has one of the most complicated optics design and houses with 27 elements in 19 groups to deliver the exceptional image quality. Canon EF, Nikon F and Sony FE mounts are currently available for standard version. A cine version with click-less aperture and focus gears in Arri PL mount is also available to order.
Availability
The lens is expected to retail at USD 1,499/pc (ex-VAT). It is currently available to pre- order via Kickstarter at a discounted price. The earliest expected delivery date is September. The lens will also be available via authorized resellers from October onwards.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Are you interested in doing some creative macro photography? Oftentimes, we macro photographers find ourselves photographing the same subjects over and over, searching for new compositions that seem like they’ll never appear.
In this article, I’ll discuss a macro photography technique that will get you out of that creative rut: using fairy lights. I’ll explain where to purchase them, how to set them up, and how to use them. Ultimately, you’ll learn how to enhance your macro photography with a cheap accessory. You’ll even have lots of fun in the process!
Fairy lights are tiny LED lights. They come in a number of different colors and can be picked up for cheap ($ 10 or thereabouts) on Amazon.com. I prefer to use warm white colored fairy lights, but feel free to experiment. Different colors will give your photographs different tones.
There is one reason why I love fairy lights, and it is this:
Bokeh, bokeh, bokeh!
When placed properly in a photograph, fairy lights can create wonderful out of focus highlights that add a magical feel to your images.
This can be used in any genre of photography. For instance, it is fairly popular in some portrait photography circles. But I most enjoy using fairy lights in creative macro photography, which is what I’ll be focusing on in this article.
Fairy lights are not very bright relative to ambient light. Therefore, it’s necessary to shoot late in the day.
I photographed this daisy a few minutes after sunset.
If your subject is shaded, or if the day is cloudy, you can start shooting a few minutes before the sun has gone down. As the level of ambient light decreases, the overall look offered by the fairy lights will change.
The fairy lights will become more noticeable, and will really pop off the background (which can be good or bad, depending on the look you desire).
I generally shoot until I can no longer handhold my camera. This is usually in the area of 30 minutes after sunset. However, If you like to use a tripod, feel free to stay out later.
What should you use for camera and lens settings?
The lens aperture is the easiest setting to choose, widen it as much as possible. Not only does this let in the most light (to compensate for the lack of ambient lighting), but it also blurs the fairy lights in a more pleasing way.
Therefore, when working with fairy lights, I generally stick to my lens’s widest aperture, usually f/2.8.
This image was taken with a shallow aperture to ensure better bokeh. The large blobs (lower right) were created by putting some of the lights closer to the camera than the flower.
As for shutter speed, I meter off the main subject (for me, this is usually a flower), and then deliberately underexpose the image. Why? I like that blue twilight aesthetic and I want it to be clear that the image was taken after sundown. This also really causes the fairy lights to stand out.
Regarding lenses, I usually shoot with a macro lens. However, you might also work with another fast lens, such as a 50mm f/1.8. These have the added benefit of being smaller and are therefore easier to handhold.
In macro photography, being able to focus manually is often essential. This is even truer when it comes to fairy light photography. When working in such dark conditions, your autofocus will hunt and hunt until the light is completely gone and you’re forced to pack up.
Instead, switch your lens to manual focus. You can also switch on Live View, which can be very helpful in such difficult conditions.
There are two general approaches that I recommend for fairy light photography.
This distance can decrease if you’re working at high magnifications or a very wide aperture. But it should increase if you are farther from your subject or working with a narrow aperture. If I’m photographing flowers, I often just drape the lights over other flowers or branches behind the main subject.
I positioned some fairy lights behind this flower by placing them in a nearby bush.
The key is to ensure that the lights themselves are out of focus. You don’t want viewers to look at your images and actually see the fairy lights as fairy lights. They should appear as beautiful background highlights. This means that you should work with a bit of distance between the subject and the fairy lights in the background.
Holding the lights in behind the daisy.
Final image.
The second approach is harder to pull off but is well worth the difficulty. This involves placing the fairy lights in front of the subject, close enough to the lens that they remain out of focus.
I held the fairy lights between the lens and the subject in order to ensure the fairy lights remained out of focus and generated strong bokeh for this image.
I generally hold the lights in front of the lens with my left hand while manual focusing the lens with the other. This ensures that the fairy lights remain nothing more than out of focus highlights.
Now you know the basics of fairy light macro photography. But how do you create compelling images?
I find that there’s a particularly useful guideline for fairy light photography which is to incorporate the fairy lights into the composition.
That is, don’t just let the fairy lights spray randomly throughout the background. Yes, this will result in an interesting image, but it will probably seem chaotic as well. In any type of photography, you want every bit of your photograph to be deliberate. Fairy light macro photography is no exception.
Instead, compose so that the fairy lights complement the main subject. Place them so that they appear above the subject (in the background). Make them appear beside the subject. Put them so that they seem to ring the main subject.
I held the fairy lights in the bottom of the frame, so as not to obscure the flower.
If you are using the second technique that I mentioned above, in which you put the fairy lights in front of the lens, make sure that they don’t block out important parts of the subject.
You don’t want to obscure your main subject with lights. It needs to be recognizable in order to offer a point for the viewer to focus on.
Fairy lights can add creative flair to your macro photography. They can also help you get out of a creative rut.
If all goes well, you might find yourself inspired to experiment with different colored fairy lights, or even take them with you when engaging in other genres of photography like portrait or pet photography.
By following the guidelines set out above, you’ll be able to take some fantastic eye-catching images!
Got any creative macro photography techniques of your own? Please share them in the comments section below.
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Lens manufacturer Cosina has provided more specification for the Macro APO-Lanthar 100mm F2.5 lens that it first announced at CP+ in March. The E-mount lens is due to begin shipping in August 2018, and is quoted on the Japanese website as having a price of ¥148,000 – approximately $ 1350/£1050 before tax.
The new manual focus lens offers 1:1 macro and a closest focusing distance of 35cm. It uses three floating lens groups for focusing to ensure optimal quality at all distances – according the Cosina – and apochromatic correction to produce high resolution and detailed images for the full frame Sony sensors.
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With electric contacts the lens can transmit aperture and focusing information to the camera, which will be recorded in the EXIF data of the image as well as being used to inform the 5-axis image stabilization systems of the Sony range. The contacts also allow manual focus assistance to be triggered by turning the focusing ring.
For full specification see the Cosina website.
Manufacturer information
Voigtländer MACRO APO-LANTHAR 110mm F2.5 is a high performance manual focus 1:1 macro lens optimized for the imaging sensors of Sony mirrorless cameras. Inheriting the APO-LANTHAR designation, the lens is highly corrected to eliminate optical aberrations including longitudinal chromatic aberration. The lens covers the full frame image area, and achieves a maximum image reproduction of 1:1 life size with no additional attachments. In order to ensure subjects from minimum focus distance to infinity are captured with extremely high image quality, a 3-group floating mechanism is employed to adjust three optical groups according to focus distance. The 110mm focal length on full frame format ensures not only a good working distance from subjects for macro shooting, but also its angle of view for portraiture does not look too cropped in comparison with 135mm and 200mm lenses. Another attractive feature is the ability to create images with a strong out-of-focus ‘bokeh’ effect, made possible by the 110mm focal length and F2.5 maximum aperture. This lens is a manual focus and manual aperture design, but also features electrical contacts that enable the lens settings at image capture to be included in the Exif information of the image data. Furthermore, the lens is installed with a distance encoder to enable support for 5-axis image stabilization on bodies with this feature, by providing distance to subject information used to compensate for camera shake. Focus peaking while manual focusing is also supported.
Main Features
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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