TECHNIQUES

Work with lighting and backgrounds to create stunning macro shots with a fairytale atmosphere

Words by Peter Fenech

Pictured Characterful closeup The best macro shots feature striking colours, distance between the subject and background and directional lighting to bring out the texture and form in the subject

Like every genre of photography, macro and closeup have their unique challenges. Working with short focus distances and high magnifications produces ultrashallow depth-of-field, meaning that the photographer must work hard to compose a shot, keep essential details in focus and light the scene in front of the camera. It isn’t easy to add lighting when the camera is close to the subject and even getting the framing right and lining up the perfect scene arrangement can be tricky with timid subjects.

Because it is such a technical area of photography, macro shots can often lack creativity. Many images are perfectly accurate, for example, sharply focused with a balanced exposure, but so much thought has gone into the technical specifics that the creator hasn’t considered any alternative possibilities. What about changing the lighting position, shooting at a different time of the day, or introducing a natural-yet-colourful background?

Pro shooters in this area know the value of using their environment, getting to know how the subjects fit within this niche and learning to predict when and where photo opportunities will present themselves. Over the following masterclass, two pro photographers with different creative approaches will guide you through their working processes and explain how to turn formulaic macro scenes into artworks that glow and sparkle. You don’t need lots of expensive kit, just an eye for the right lighting and practice at fieldcraft.

Pictured The sweet spot At high magnifications, the plane of focus is ultrathin, meaning that careful placement over the subject is required

Control Focus

At higher magnifications, depth-of-field is much shallower. Follow our tips to ensure your focusing technique is flawless

To capture sharp, detailed close-up images, you need to focus with pinpoint accuracy and carefully consider the depth of field. While there will be occasions when you want to use a shallow zone of focus to capture more arty results, in most situations, you will want to maximise – or even artificially extend – depth of field, to ensure your subject is acceptably sharp throughout. However, the depth of field appears to grow progressively shallower as magnification is increased – if you are working anywhere close to 1:1 (life-size), you will notice that even at smaller f/stops, the zone of focus is limited. There is no leeway for sloppy technique or poor focusing.