Hi Everyone!
 What is this called? © Jim Miotke All rights reserved |
I wanted to pass along some thoughts about making super macro photos, particularly regarding aperture.
Aperture becomes extremely important when doing macro photography. The closer you get to a subject, the shallower becomes your depth of field. When you're shooting from a distance of an inch or a centimeter, the slightest change in f numbers results in a completely different look to your photo.
Experiment with f numbers when shooting macro subjects. I usually start with f/8 or f/11 and then go higher or lower as needed. How do you determine was aperture is needed? By using a feature called the Depth of Field Preview button. Not all cameras have this feature, but if your camera does, you're way ahead of the game. Your photographs will definitely benefit from the habitual use of your Depth of Field Preview button.
This feature allows you to get an approximation of what will remain in focus when you take the picture. Without it, what you see through the viewfinder is what you would get when shooting with the lowest f number – "wide open" as they call it. When you press the Depth of Field Preview button, the scene in the viewfinder will darken. How much it darkens depends on how high of an f number you're using. F/22 will cause the viewfinder to get very dark. However if you can see the scene even dimly, you'll notice that the foreground and background elements are sharper.
Use this button when doing macro work and you'll see firsthand how much your choice of aperture affects the look of your macro scene.
Have fun making great macro images!
Jim
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