Macro Photography

By Tom Reese
General Photographic Principles

Photography subjects are typically combinations of line, texture, form, pattern and color. Think about why your subject is interesting to you then try to capture what you find interesting. Use the light to bring out those characteristics. Exposure: smaller aperture (high f stop number) allows less light and requires slower shutter speed f stop number is the ratio of the diameter of the aperture to the focal length of the lens The diameter of the aperture can be calculated by dividing the focal length of the lens by the f stop number: examples: for a 50mm lens set to f/2.8 the diameter of the aperture equals 50mm/2.8 = 17.86mm. For a 50mm lens set to f/22 the actual size of the aperture is 50mm/22 = 2.27mm Note that the diameter shrinks as the f stop number goes up Depth of field varies with aperture diameter the smaller the diameter the more depth of field you will have Slow shutter speeds require a very steady camera to avoid blurred pictures High speed film provides less detail in image but allows faster shutter speeds or smaller apertures Exposures for light or dark subjects may have to be adjusted from metered reading Maximum sharpness almost always occurs between f/5.6 and f/11 depending on the focal length and design of the lens. Diffraction starts to affect the image at smaller apertures. Lens defects affect the image at larger apertures. This can vary from lens to lens. You can determine the sharpest aperture for your lens by testing it. Simply photograph a pattern at various apertures (suggestion: use slide film) and examine the results with a magnifier. You can save a lot of $$$ by buying used equipment

Macro Photography
Preventing camera movement is critical tripod may be required at high magnifications Wind can be a problem slight breeze looks like a hurricane in the viewfinder-be patient Move camera to focus except on tripod or with macro lens use focusing rail with a tripod Viewfinder can be dark and depth of field can be very shallow focus is difficult Use your depth of field preview depth of field can be extremely narrow at close distances Practice and know your equipment Shoot lots of film the shot can be hard to get Separation often makes the macro your shooting angle should allow as much distance as possible between the subject and the background Magnification up to 1:1 is relatively easy to achieve using a variety of equipment. Higher magnifications become more complicated. Try to keep the film plane parallel to the surface of the subject to keep as much of the subject in focus as possible Long exposure time techniques: use a tripod and cable release use mirror lock-up if you have it

Light
Qualities: direction, color, intensity, diffusion Light is as important as the subject. A good subject in bad light makes a bad photograph. Sidelighting, backlighting, diffusion can all be used to good effect. Direct sunlight can cause very harsh shadows. Diffusers can be used to soften the light and make a much better photograph. A diffuser can be as simple as a thin white cloth placed between the sun and the subject. A diffuser held close to the subject will give soft highlights than can be very photogenic.

 Overcast days are good for macro photography. Open shade is also good.

Lens Reversing Rings

Lens reversing rings allow you to mount the lens on the camera backwards Yield good quality images Diaphragm wont function properly without additional equipment Good for flat copy work with a slow lens (f/2.8) Often included with bellows units Not really practical for field work by themselves Theoretically the best solution for larger than lifesize (1:1) magnifications when coupled with some method of closing the diaphragm

Close Up Lenses
Inexpensive No loss of light Image quality is lost around the edges some are better than others Maximum magnification of 1:1 Diopter strength is cumulative a +1 diopter plus a +2 diopter = a +3 diopter To stack them, highest magnification diopter should be closest to the lens. Lower to higher is not recommended. Single element diopters are inexpensive but image quality suffers use smaller apertures Better quality multiple element diopters are available but are more expensive Stronger single element diopters shouldnt be used with long focal length lenses. Following are the maximum recommended focal lengths for various diopter strengths: +1 500mm; +2 250mm +3 180mm; +4 125mm; +5 100mm

Extension Tubes
Better image quality than close up lenses Require longer exposures than close up lenses Greater magnification with shorter lenses Shorter lenses or longer extensions will require very close working distances Must be compatible with your system they mount between the lens and the camera body Make sure you buy automatic tubes to allow proper metering and diaphragm operation Can be used with long lenses to reduce minimum focusing distance 1:1 magnification when total extension = focal length Use small apertures at 1:1 magnification to minimize optical aberrations this is a trade off with diffraction Problems begin when magnification exceeds 1:1 diffraction becomes an issue and lens design is compromised Extension causes complications when working with zoom lenses because of focusing issues. One big advantage of zoom lenses is that they remain in focus while zooming. That advantage is lost when extension is placed between the lens and the camera body.

Macro Lenses
Expensive Are optimized for close distances and will give excellent image quality Beware of zoom macros may provide insufficient magnification for your needs Slower than equivalent focal length lenses

100mm is a good size macro lens 200mm macro lenses are available but expensive Dont buy if you already have the same focal length use an extension tube Some macro lenses work through internal extension

Bellows
Cumbersome best with tripod Require cable releases for diaphragm operation Extreme magnifications are possible Slide copiers are available Lenses can be reversed important for greater than 1:1 magnification Uses the same principles as extension tubes Focusing rail is very helpful Viewfinder should be covered to stop light from entering it and causing exposure errors. Extension shrinks effective aperture diffraction becomes an issue The diaphragm must be closed before metering the light to ensure proper exposure. This is commonly called stop down metering Bellows lenses are optically designed for macro work and will yield excellent results they must be focused using the bellows they dont have focusing capability this makes them shorter and allows for more working distance

Lens Stacking
Requires specialized adapters not expensive- macro coupler or macro coupling ring these are simple rings with male filter threads on both sides they are available in various sizes at Adorama.com and BhPhotoVideo.com Allows high magnifications Mount long lens on camera and reversed short lens on front of long lens Magnification equals focal length of long lens / focal length of short lens (200mm / 50mm = 4X magnification) Short lens should be wide open Short lens actually works as a supplementary lens the diopter number = 1000mm / focal length of reversed lens (1000mm / 50mm = +20 diopter) TTL metering is retained Diffraction issues are avoided Depth of field is controlled with diaphragm of long lens Some extension may be required to avoid vignetting Some experimentation may be needed wont work with all lenses This method requires very close working distances

Magnifications greater than lifesize

Lens stacking can be used up to 4:1 magnification Macro lens at 1:1 plus teleconverter will give you 1.4:1, 1.7:1 or 2:1 magnification An extension tube can be placed between the (macro) lens and the teleconverter to achieve high magnification extension tubes can be used with the lens and teleconverter in various combinations to achieve different magnification rates (Lens + ext tube + teleconverter + ext tube + body) Extension can be added to a Macro lens focused at 1:1 to achieve greater than 1:1 magnification Bellows with lens reversed can yield up to 4:1 magnification

 Macro lens at 1:1 plus close-up lenses will give greater than 1:1 magnification Macro lens plus close-up lenses plus extension can give greater than 1:1 magnification

Flash
Flash will allow smaller apertures, faster shutter speeds and darker backgrounds Lens may cast shadow on subject flash must be positioned properly Exposure best controlled with through the lens metering (TTL) but this is not required manual systems can be used with proper preparation Ringlights will give a flat even light this can be good or bad Flash can cause very harsh shadows Flash is pretty much the only way to get good magnification with insects they wont stay still long enough for long exposures with existing light Various contraptions are available to position a flash for macro photography including brackets that allow the use of two flashes Your equipment should be easily held, stable and your exposure should be pre-set. Then all you have to do is focus and shoot. Flash can be handheld but its very difficult to work that way. To calibrate a manual flash for your hardware, assemble the equipment and shoot a series of test exposures by varying your aperture. Keep track of what youre doing! Always use the aperture that yielded the proper exposure with the hardware combination you used. This will only work if your lens is always focused to the same distance (set the lens to focus as close as possible), you always use the same amount of extension or other macro devices and you always use the same speed film. You have to repeat the test if you choose a different combination of equipment. Dark backgrounds can be lightened by setting your shutter speed slightly slower. Calhoun system is another way to use flash with macro photography this method is somewhat unwieldy unless you use an adjustable flash bracket system. You use a formula to calculate the proper flash to subject distance. This formula takes into account the guide number of the flash, the focal length of the lens, the amount of extension and the aperture of the lens.

Other Equipment
Focusing rails can be very helpful at high magnifications Tripod or other device to hold camera steady Teleconverters can be used to magnify an image if no other equipment is available Plastic bowl lighting can be used to soften shadows from flash or direct sunlight and to block the wind Diffusers to soften shadows from direct sunlight

Definitions
Vignetting dark corners in a photograph Aperture the size of the hole in the lens it regulates the amount of light that falls on the film is determined by the diaphragm setting measured as a fraction of the focal length e.g. f/22 Diaphragm the mechanical device inside the lens that opens and closes sort of like the iris in your eye the opening is called the aperture TTL through the lens Diffraction the effect of light producing an interference pattern as it goes around an object and through an opening it causes fuzziness at the edge of shadows it increases as apertures grow smaller it increases as extension is added between the lens and the camera Working distance the distance from the front lens element to the subject Separation The effect of having your subject in sharp focus against a blurred and indistinct background. Usually desirable as it makes your subject more distinct. Longer lenses make for more

separation than shorter lenses because of the smaller angle of view. Separation is also greater when the photograph is taken from an angle that maximizes the distance between the subject and the background. Mirror lock-up single lens reflex cameras take a picture by having a mirror flip up and the shutter opening simultaneously. The mirrors impact can cause slight camera vibration that can affect the sharpness of the photograph. Not all camera bodies have a mirror lock-up feature. Some work using the timer to introduce a delay between the time the mirror flips and the time the shutter opens. Others work by flipping the mirror up the first time the shutter button is pressed and opening the shutter the second time the shutter button is pressed. Cable releases should be used with the second type! Focusing rail a device that is placed between the camera and the tripod that allows the camera to be moved forwards and backwards in small increments. This device is a terrific focusing aid

References
John Shaws book Close-ups in Nature John Shaws book Nature Photography Field Guide http://www.dantestella.com/zeiss/zeisstips.html http://www.libraryofphotography.com/phototips.html http://www.normankoren.com/Tutorials/MTF.html
http://www.tancos.net/photo/closeup.html http://www.mplonsky.com/photo/article.htm http://www.richard-seaman.com/Me/Photography/Insects/

Tom Reese May 2003 tomreese@comcast.net 646-4534