I have been meaning to post some behind the scenes insight to my macro photography for the past few months. I am not an all knowing expert, and of course, there are many different styles and ways of doing things, but if this helps someone then I’m all in! Here we go…
Before we go too far and I forget to mention the lens, the lens used in all of the pictures is the 60mm f/2.8 from Nikon. : )
I think one of the most important things in any photograph is lighting. In all of the macro shots I use available natural light. The majority of the time I am shooting in the early afternoon and tend to work with whatever the lighting situation may be. Occasionally, I ask my assistant (aka my momma) to come and shade the subject to evenly expose the picture.
On to some picture…
The calla lily below is in a planter placed in direct sunlight. This allowed the background to be highly underexposed and all of the focus to be on the deliciously curvy flower…
f/3.2, 1/2000 sec, ISO-125
The sunflower below is part of a bouquet and sitting in a vase next to a large sliding glass door. I used my chocolate colored sofa to create a solid dark backdrop, allowing the focus to be solely on the flower…
f/3.5, 1/125 sec, ISO-400
The bunch of orchids below is hanging over a concrete patio and the sun is hitting it from the side, which is actually the top of this photo. The concrete is over exposed to create a solid white backdrop…
f/3, 1/1250 sec, ISO-200
The passion flower below is in complete shade, which made it easy to evenly expose all parts and colors of the flower.
f/4, 1/160 sec, ISO-400
For me, the most difficult thing with macro photography is focusing. The optics in a macro lens create an extremely shallow depth of field when wide open. Shooting in an uncontrolled environment can be hard, especially when even the slightest breeze makes focusing seem impossible. As with many things in life, patience and practice are key. : )
If you have any particular questions email me at nicole@nicoleglenn.com or leave a comment below!
Happy shooting!
Nicole
by Nicole
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