The wonderful world of macro nature photography transports viewers into a dazzling land of miniature subjects. But shooting an extreme close-up also means dealing with a great challenge: a surprisingly narrow depth of field (what is in sharp focus from front to back in the final image). Nonetheless, macro's depth of field side-effect also offers a creative opportunity. You can produce painterly images that rely more on soft forms than on sharp details. In fact, with a little practice, you'll soon find that a super-shallow depth of field is something to cheer about, rather than something to complain about! Here are a few tips, tricks, and techniques for getting started with your close-up nature photography.
Poppies Macro Nature Photo
© Kerry Drager
All Rights Reserved
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Strategies for Shooting Macro Nature Photography
COMPOSING YOUR SCENE: First, pick your "star" flower, plant, or other nature subject. Once you have identified the main attraction of your nature scene, move in very tight on your subject and carefully design your picture. Along the way, remember this macro rule of thumb: A little adjustment of your camera can make a big difference in your photograph. Move a little close to your nature subject, or a little further away, for a BIG change in the final photograph. By the way, you can learn more about composing nature photographs in any of the excellent online photography classes in the Nature Photography category of courses at BetterPhoto.com.
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PICKING THE F/STOP: To maximize the blur effect and turn backgrounds into soft blends of color, try your lens's largest aperture (smallest f/stop number). It never hurts to compare photos after the fact. When I'm doing nature photography, I like to shoot several versions of the same scene, each with a different f/stop and a different "look."FOCUSING POINT: When shooting close-ups wide open, choosing the best point of focus is crucial. After all, only a tiny part of your main subject will turn out sharp. As a result, I prefer manual focusing over auto-focusing when shooting close-ups, and if I'm handholding my camera, I often find it easier to move the camera back and forth instead of rotating the lens-focusing ring.
Nature Photography at its Close-Up Best
© Kerry Drager
All Rights Reserved
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BY THE WAY: In each photo shown here, I isolated a main focal point of a single subject. For "Poppies Macro," I actually shot "through" some nearby flowers, so the out-of-focus splash of color in front would help frame the poppy in back. The foreground poppies were so close, in fact, that they almost touched the front of my lens.
Lastly... Selective Focus Works with ANY Nature Photography
Selective-focus techniques, by the way, work on close-ups of any flowers, as well as other delicate plants and even insects. Go out and have fun making examples of artistic nature photography. I can't wait to see your results! Remember, you can learn more about nature photography in any of the online classes and I especially invite you to take my Macro Nature Photography Class: Creative Close-Ups, right here at BetterPhoto.com. You can take this highly interactive class from anywhere in the world. You get lessons and assignments that you apply to subject in your local area and then upload the results for personal critique from yours truly - your personal mentor. I look forward to having you as a student in my class!
About Author / Instructor / Photographer, Kerry Drager
The content manager and an instructor for BetterPhoto.com, Kerry Drager is also the author of Scenic Photography 101. In addition, he teaches two online photography courses at BetterPhoto: Creative Light & Composition and Creative Close-ups. Kerry's Pro BetterPholio Web site offers an assortment of galleries and illustrated how-to articles on photography. In addition, kerrydrager.com was featured in Shutterbug magazine. His work has appeared in Outdoor Photographer and other major magazines; Hallmark cards and Sierra Club Calendars; and in advertising campaigns for American Express and Sinar Bron Imaging. He is also the photographer of the photo-essay books The Golden Dream: California from Gold Rush to Statehood and California Desert, and is a contributing photographer for the books Daybreak 2000 and Portrait of California. He lives with his wife, Mary, in the country near Sacramento, California, with their six Newfoundland dogs, six cats, two horses, and a mixed terrier.
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