by Editor Miro Susta 
Edited and published by Yvette Depaepe, the 17th of June 2024

Macro photography goes beyond close-ups, it is about finding ways and means of capturing small subjects on the image sensor at close to actual size or even enlarged.

'HoneyBee' by Marcel Egger

As already said, macro photography involves photographing small objects so that even the smallest details stand out in the resulting picture.

To be half asleep…' by Thierry Dufour

Sometimes, depending on the photo subject, patience and additional equipment are required, as the photo subjects are not always easy to spot and often refuse to stand still, or the lighting conditions do not guarantee sufficient photo quality.

'Bubble Bath 2' by Xiaohong Zhang

True or not, some orthodox macro photographers argue that the photo subject should be the same size or slightly smaller than the camera's sensor. Yes, that is partly true, but it is not a rule for macro photography.

'Basilisca verde' by Jimmy Hoffman

Traditionally, macro photography is defined by the magnification, whereby the limits of the macro range are usually set from a tenfold reduction (1:10) to a tenfold magnification (10:1) of an object on the shooting medium.

'Mushroom with Ladybug' by Andri Priyjadi

'picudo rojo macho' by Javier Rupérez

For example, if a spider few cm in size is discovered in the cellar, it can make a beautiful macro image in which its small body and the fine web around it stand out.

'The universe in infinitely small…' by Thierry Dufour

'Spider' by Thomas Thomopoulos

Immersing into a photographic microcosm brings many surprises - both positive and negative. It is generally a particularly challenging field of photography, but it is both compensated and rewarded with wonderful images.

'Shut up' by Savas Sener

Just a short drive outside the city and nature directly tempts you to photograph bumblebees or honeybees standing on or approaching the spring flower, blossoms of the first thorns, bushes and fruit trees, dewdrops on tulips and other natural objects.

Yes, we are talking about macro photography, for which spring season is perfect.

… by Oana Vasileniuc

'Fresh' by Jacky Parker

'Tulip' by Renė van Rijswijk

Every lover of nature and beautiful photography should not miss the opportunity to capture all kind of insects, birds, water dwellers - for example, the Eagle, Frog, little Bee, or colourful Butterfly, all of them an ideal "macro photo model".

'Eagle pursues prey' by Adriana K.H.

'European Hornet' by Stefan Nielsen

'l colori dell`estate' by Roberto Aldrovandi

Living and even dead nature is worth noticing, especially the delicate shoots, the textures of leaves and flowers, but also the filigree patterns of dry ground soil, raindrops on glass or dew in the middle of a rosette of leaves.

'Notocactus scopa' by Victor Mozqueda

'dreamland' by Peter Sziky-Peet

'Dying Leaf' by Aleš Klabus

'Rock hues' by Szabo Zsolt Andras

'Wadden Sea structures' by Piet Haaksma

Photographs of pets are also a safe bet.

… by Antonio Grambone

Simply search for forgotten things, open an old electronic device, and discover the completely unsuspected secrets of the macro world.

…. element sewing machine….by Johanes Januar

'Spot On!' By Adam Neuba

Or just discover part of human body…….

'The eye' by Abbas Arabzadeh

'A little miracle' by Sebastien del Grosso

Open eyes and observe it all around you and you will be surprised how many macro-objects are popping up around you.

'Dewdrops are the GEMS of the morning' by Yvette Depaepe

Following some useful hints, which will assist in capturing the tiny details of our world in an impressive way.

* A 90-105 mm macro lens is the ideal choice.
* Use a tripod and a remote release.
* Use manual focusing.
* If possible, look for diffuse light (direct sunlight can create hard shadows).
* Use a large aperture to blur the background and create the so-called bokeh effect.
* Experiment with different viewing angles to discover new and exciting perspectives.
* The exposure time should be at least 1/100 second.
* Mirror lock-up function should be used if available.

Tidy up your picture for that little bit extra, so consciously check all the corners of your picture and see if anything is bothering you. A small leaf, a crumb, a hair. With macro photography, everything suddenly becomes visible.

Finally, many photographers recommend a short exposure time for macro photos to avoid blurriness. However, if you work with a good tripod, you should not be afraid of longer exposure times, as these allow a better depth of field, and you can have a larger part of the image in focus because sharpness is extremely important for detailed macro images.

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