Close-up photography tips

Photo by Cattyal.

Gear:

• Macro lens – The 200mm f/4D ED-IF AF Micro NIKKOR lens is perfect for close-up work.
• If you want to use a compact camera make sure it has a macro mode as Nikon's CoolPix S8100 has so you can capture small details with crystal-clear clarity.
• Tripod
• Flash gun

Technique:

Depth-of-filed
One problem you may face with macro photography is the limited amount of sharpness in front and behind the main point of focus. This means you may, for example, get a really sharp flower stamen but the petals in front and behind will be soft. Having a shallow depth of field can work well when you're shooting a creative flower shot but if you want to increase the depth-of-field simply select a smaller f number and use a slower shutter speed to compensate for the lack of light now reaching your camera's sensor.

Movement
Your camera might not be going anywhere but if you're working with a subject that moves, such as flowers or insects, trying to get a pin-sharp shot of them can get a little frustrating. The problem of a swaying flower can be easily rectified by setting up a simple shield to protect it from the wind or try using a Plamp to keep it still but this method can't obviously be applied to a spider or bee. A flash gun can help freeze movement but make sure you're using it off camera as on-camera flash may only light part of your subject or even miss all together.

Indoors
Back inside you'll find plenty of objects that have plenty of macro photography potential. Things like pots and pans, colanders and cooling racks make great subjects for this. For arty results, trying adjusting the white-balance to give the metal a blue cast, switch to a larger aperture to leave less of your object in focus or try using a wider lens to exaggerate the size/shape of the object. If you have a problem with shadows use a reflector or even a piece of silver foil to bounce a little more light into the scene. Cutlery works well, particularly forks as you can criss-cross the prongs and shooting them on a simple white background next to a window will produce perfectly good results. Once you've finished rummaging through the cutlery draw why not turn your attention to the fruit bowl? Segments of orange or kiwi look great when back lit on a light box. Just remember to crop tightly to enhance the abstract touch.

Whether you're a beginner looking for a compact camera or a pro in the market for a high-end DSLR visit Nikon – the company who has photographic gear to suit everyone.