Macro Macro for beginners ( A guide to help people not give up ) Part 1

old4570 · 09-02-2017, 10:28 PM - **4 Likes**

For some strange reason people find Macro photography daunting . Probably because most of us end up eliminating all the wrong ways of doing it and end up giving up before getting to the right ways of doing Macro . So lets get to the most important part of Macro , light ! That's right , the most important part of Macro photography is light . You need light to lower your ISO , you need light to run a smaller aperture and you need light to maintain a decent shutter speed . If that sounds overly simple , well it is . Light is the secret to Macro . There , I have let the cat out of the bag !

There are more ways of getting light on the subject than I can cover , your imagination is the limiting factor . Now before I start giving advice .

These pictures were taken with the cheapest lighting solution I could think of , you are looking at pictures taken with a $10 USD solution . I call it my drinky cup flash . I used a 2nd hand drink cup from hungry jacks ( I drank the cola and cleaned the cup first ) . Then I used sticky tape to attach it to the budget ( low voltage trigger ) flash unit making sure to direct light to where needed . ( Focus point where the subject will be ) . Now do I need to mention how important it is to direct light at the subject rather that over , behind or in front of the subject . This may take some trial and error . ( Part of learning ) I will post a picture shortly !

So what have we learned ? A) You need light B) you need to direct the light at the subject .
So why are we doing this ? To lower ISO , use a smaller aperture and to maintain shutter speed .

Using a flash obviously increases complexity a little , but Macro is so easy that adding the flash simply makes the hobby more rewarding ( hopefully better more consistent results ) . Possible problems one may encounter usually revolve around reflected light and image burn . ( Too much flash ) It is easy to simply filter the light ( diffuse ) , make it softer / weaker ) . Simply by covering the front of the flash with printer paper or even a tissue can soften the flash .

Drinky cup flash with a tissue diffuse'r

So , if you are burning the image ( flash is too strong ) , then applying a filter to cut down the light is a very simple solution . On the other hand shooting at flat shinny surfaces can reflect light back to the lens and there is little to be done about this than to try and avoid shooting large flat surfaces at 90deg . Try and get a angle that reflects light away from the lens if possible , I know its not always possible , but keep the surface the subject is on in mind , or suffer the consequences .

Next I will talk about camera settings :

Last edited by old4570; 09-02-2017 at 10:45 PM.

HYS · 09-02-2017, 11:25 PM

Fine! Again!

old4570 · 09-02-2017, 11:43 PM

Yep . Again ...
Try it from a different perspective ... Most important to least important

**aslyfox** · 09-03-2017, 03:22 AM

instruction is always helpful thanks

Thagomizer · 09-03-2017, 01:11 PM

I was out today with my Sigma 70mm but without my DIY Pringles can diffuser. Inspired by this thread, I improvised, using a Starbuck's paper cup and tissue over my pop-up flash. I'll post some results in a bit.

**twilhelm** · 09-03-2017, 01:11 PM

Excellent! I never would have thought about using a drink cup, but I could see that having other uses also!

Thagomizer · 09-03-2017, 05:16 PM - **1 Like**

Here's my Starbuck's tall, skim milk, pumpkin spice latte diffuser. The lid was white, but I still added tissue to make sure the drinking opening was covered. Without a flash extender, the lens at full extension blocks the pop-up flash almost completely. Not being as long as the lens at minimum focus, I wasn't sure if it would successfully bring the light far enough to light the entire field of view at 1:1.

A test before continuing gave me assurance it would work:

And here are its results in the field, uncropped to show complete flash coverage. YAY! If you look closely at the highlights in the eyes, you can see that they look like fat crescents rather than circles. This could have been prevented by buying a larger latte. I prefer diffusers that are round rather than square, as I find square highlights in the eyes of jumping spiders look kinda odd and unnatural-ish. Makes it look like the spider was sitting by a window. But that's just me...

old4570 · 09-03-2017, 06:05 PM

There is no right or wrong , only what works for you .
The cup directs light where you want it , it also reflects light that would be lost and redirects it in the direction you want it . So rather than light hitting the subject from more or less the same direction the reflected light is coming in from a slightly different angle .. ( without a diffuse'r ) Now its not a lot of light , but it helps to bring out detail . ( Thats probably something I should have mentioned earlier ) Sunlight can work for you , and against you depending on where the sun is . A flash helps to give you some control of the lighting and in Macro we want to keep as much detail as possible . ( And the flash will help with that )

09-02-2017, 10:28 PM - 4 Likes	#1
old4570 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Melbourne Photos: Albums Posts: 2,551	Macro for beginners ( A guide to help people not give up ) Part 1 For some strange reason people find Macro photography daunting . Probably because most of us end up eliminating all the wrong ways of doing it and end up giving up before getting to the right ways of doing Macro . So lets get to the most important part of Macro , light ! That's right , the most important part of Macro photography is light . You need light to lower your ISO , you need light to run a smaller aperture and you need light to maintain a decent shutter speed . If that sounds overly simple , well it is . Light is the secret to Macro . There , I have let the cat out of the bag ! There are more ways of getting light on the subject than I can cover , your imagination is the limiting factor . Now before I start giving advice . These pictures were taken with the cheapest lighting solution I could think of , you are looking at pictures taken with a $10 USD solution . I call it my drinky cup flash . I used a 2nd hand drink cup from hungry jacks ( I drank the cola and cleaned the cup first ) . Then I used sticky tape to attach it to the budget ( low voltage trigger ) flash unit making sure to direct light to where needed . ( Focus point where the subject will be ) . Now do I need to mention how important it is to direct light at the subject rather that over , behind or in front of the subject . This may take some trial and error . ( Part of learning ) I will post a picture shortly ! So what have we learned ? A) You need light B) you need to direct the light at the subject . So why are we doing this ? To lower ISO , use a smaller aperture and to maintain shutter speed . Using a flash obviously increases complexity a little , but Macro is so easy that adding the flash simply makes the hobby more rewarding ( hopefully better more consistent results ) . Possible problems one may encounter usually revolve around reflected light and image burn . ( Too much flash ) It is easy to simply filter the light ( diffuse ) , make it softer / weaker ) . Simply by covering the front of the flash with printer paper or even a tissue can soften the flash . Drinky cup flash with a tissue diffuse'r So , if you are burning the image ( flash is too strong ) , then applying a filter to cut down the light is a very simple solution . On the other hand shooting at flat shinny surfaces can reflect light back to the lens and there is little to be done about this than to try and avoid shooting large flat surfaces at 90deg . Try and get a angle that reflects light away from the lens if possible , I know its not always possible , but keep the surface the subject is on in mind , or suffer the consequences . Next I will talk about camera settings : Last edited by old4570; 09-02-2017 at 10:45 PM.

09-02-2017, 11:43 PM	#3
old4570 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Melbourne Photos: Albums Posts: 2,551 Original Poster	Yep Yep . Again ... Try it from a different perspective ... Most important to least important

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09-02-2017, 11:25 PM	#2
HYS Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Photos: Gallery Posts: 377	Fine! Again!

09-03-2017, 03:22 AM	#4
aslyfox Seeker of Knowledge Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Topeka, Kansas Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 24,581	instruction is always helpful thanks

09-03-2017, 01:11 PM	#5
Thagomizer Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: London Ontario Posts: 2,068	I was out today with my Sigma 70mm but without my DIY Pringles can diffuser. Inspired by this thread, I improvised, using a Starbuck's paper cup and tissue over my pop-up flash. I'll post some results in a bit.

09-03-2017, 01:11 PM	#6
twilhelm Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Florida Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,369	Excellent! I never would have thought about using a drink cup, but I could see that having other uses also!

09-03-2017, 05:16 PM - 1 Like	#7
Thagomizer Pentaxian Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: London Ontario Posts: 2,068	Here's my Starbuck's tall, skim milk, pumpkin spice latte diffuser. The lid was white, but I still added tissue to make sure the drinking opening was covered. Without a flash extender, the lens at full extension blocks the pop-up flash almost completely. Not being as long as the lens at minimum focus, I wasn't sure if it would successfully bring the light far enough to light the entire field of view at 1:1. A test before continuing gave me assurance it would work: And here are its results in the field, uncropped to show complete flash coverage. YAY! If you look closely at the highlights in the eyes, you can see that they look like fat crescents rather than circles. This could have been prevented by buying a larger latte. I prefer diffusers that are round rather than square, as I find square highlights in the eyes of jumping spiders look kinda odd and unnatural-ish. Makes it look like the spider was sitting by a window. But that's just me...

09-03-2017, 06:05 PM	#8
old4570 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Melbourne Photos: Albums Posts: 2,551 Original Poster	There is no right or wrong , only what works for you . The cup directs light where you want it , it also reflects light that would be lost and redirects it in the direction you want it . So rather than light hitting the subject from more or less the same direction the reflected light is coming in from a slightly different angle .. ( without a diffuse'r ) Now its not a lot of light , but it helps to bring out detail . ( Thats probably something I should have mentioned earlier ) Sunlight can work for you , and against you depending on where the sun is . A flash helps to give you some control of the lighting and in Macro we want to keep as much detail as possible . ( And the flash will help with that )