29 Amazing Macro Photography Ideas for 2021

Macro photoplay is quickly getting the pace as it’s one of the unique styles of photography. It lets the shooter take pictures of an object super up close, which creates a magical effect.

If you have the right gears for macro photography and some macro photography ideas to go with, you can get some fine shots. However, as it’s not like the traditional photography style, you’d need to know a lot of stuff to get good at it.

To help you with that, let’s go over the definition and some great ideas you can try that’ll help you in the process.

What Is Macro Photography?

Macro photography is a different type of photography that’s a hundred percent authentic in its style. In this style, you are taking shots of objects super up close, and the most level of detail is shown in the image.

In most cases, the subject of macro shots is either insects or very small objects. They are produced as a life-sized image using the right gear for macro photography. You can get such depth from the photos which can beat the naked eyes as well, and that’s very impressive. Overall, it’s a great form of photography, and it’s picking up popularity as time goes.

Top 29 Macro Photography Ideas:

Now that you know what macro photography is, you can start shooting great macro shots using the right type of gear. However, if you are just starting out and know nothing about macro photography, you’ll run out of ideas pretty easily. To help you in that case, let’s cover the top 29 macro photography ideas that you can use, which will help you kick start the whole thing.

1. Ice Crystals and Ice Cubes

The first idea that you can implement in your macro photography is using ice crystals and ice cubes. They are super easy to find, and you don’t have to go through a lot of effort to get them. Once you get some ice crystal and ice cubes, you can expect some great macro shots out of these.

Try to play with different light settings, and you’ll be surprised with the end results. You can use some real snowflakes, and it’s going to give you even better photos.

2. Bubbles in Drinks

Using carbonated drinks as a subject of macro photography is a genius move that you can do. It gives you outstanding shots that you are going to love. You can use any kind of beverage drinks or any drink as long it produces bubbles. Then, you can simply pour it into a transparent glass and take some beautiful shots with your camera.

If you want to take this idea to a next level, add LED lights or candles in the background, and use a fancy glass.

3. Souvenirs and Postcards

A lot of people actually love to collect souvenirs and postcards, which is a great hobby for them. If you are someone who collects souvenirs and postcards, you can use these for macro photography as well. These are perfect for telling a story or even representing a tradition. Just place them in a good spot, and take some beautiful pictures with your camera. You might get some astounding shots with these souvenirs and postcards of yours.

4. Makeup Items

Makeup items are also a very great idea if you are searching for subjects to shoot macro pictures. These will give you exceptional shots that you crave, and you can find these anywhere. It tells a story that’s mellower and on the darker side, which is very appealing to the audience.

However, don’t ruin the makeup stuff for shooting your macro pictures, and take your time with it. Hopefully, you’ll get some gorgeous shots that are going to give you great collections.

5. Stones and Minerals

Stones and minerals are the most obvious and easiest objects to shoot macro pictures of, and it looks amazing in most cases. You can pick it up from outside, and it’s not hard at all to get some stones and minerals to shoot photos.

Once you got these in hand, you can set the room and the lighting accordingly and take some exceptional shots. These might look simple on the surface, but you’ll be amazed at the end results

6. Fruits and Vegetables

Isn’t it weird that fruits and vegetables are always in front of you but you never thought about using these for macro photography? If you go online, you’ll see a lot of stunning macro shots of fruits and vegetables that will blow your mind. So, just give it a try, and grab some fresh fruits and vegetables to shoot with your camera. It’s not going to cost you anything and it’s not even that much of an effort.

7. Rust and Peeling Paint

You might not have noticed it yet, but rust and peeling paints are actually a great view to capture in your camera. Macro photography will allow you to get the most detailed pictures, and you’ll get some exotic shots out of it. A simple thing like that can get overlooked so easily, but now that you know about it, you can take as many pictures as you want.

8. Feathers

If you are searching for a great macro shot that’s going to look super calm and appealing to the eyes, feathers are actually a great option in that case. If you own a pet, you can get feathers for your photography session without any effort. However, if you don’t have a bird, you can always go to the bird store, and the owners would be more than happy to give you a few features. With that, you can get some amazing photos; just make sure to try out from different angles and effects.

9. Textiles

The next amazing idea for macro photography is textiles, which is one of the best objects for getting aesthetic pattern shots. Textiles have an amazing pattern that you can take pictures of, and they’ll look good no matter what. Just make sure to step out of the box and play with different light settings. That will help to give you a better and radiant shot in general, which will look super aesthetic. Just give it a try, and you are going to fall in love with it for sure.

10. Household Items

Macro photography is all about expressing the smallest objects to its biggest potentials, and that’s why the object you use doesn’t matter that much. You can use almost any household objects from your home, and it’s going to give you great shots. Just be free, and try to step out of the box to select items that you are going to shoot. Also, try out different things in your house rather than sticking to just a single object as it’s going to increase the chances of you getting some great shots.

11. Leaves

This is the most commonly taken macro shots, and you can take from this idea. You can just go outside and grab some leaves, which you can use in your photo shooting sessions. If you want to take this idea to the next level, you can play with the lighting and shadows to get some stunning pictures. Also, make sure to get multiple leaves when you go out to gather these. That’ll give you more options to work with, and you are more likely to get some great shots.

12. Food Photography

Food photography is very common all around the world, but you might not know that you can get exceptional macro shots with foods as well. Just bring some fresh and steaming food and try out your macro shooting skills. You’ll be amazed at how gorgeous some of the pictures look, and you are going to fall in love with it as well. When you go to shoot the pictures, make sure that you place the food correctly as it’s going to impact the whole thing.

13. Water Droplets

Water droplets are another great subject that you can choose for macro photography, and it looks amazing. If it’s winter, you can get the most beautiful shots of water droplets. Just go outside early in the morning, and have a look at the grass and the leaves. You’ll see how beautiful it looks for yourself, and these are also great for macro photography as well. So, grab your camera and take some exceptional photos. You can also do it artificially as well if it’s not winter season in your place.

14. Jewelry

It’s not that obvious, but you can tell that jewelry is actually a great subject for macro photography that you can try out for yourself. It doesn’t have to be anything expensive or something like that, you can just pick something gorgeous and shoot photos of it with your camera. You’ll be surprised at how fabulous the pictures actually are when you see it. So, make sure to try it out when you have time and enjoy the amazing pictures that you are going to take with your camera.

15. Abstract

If you want to get amazing macro photos, shooting abstracts is going to be the easiest way to do that. Just go outside in a garden, or somewhere you find flowers, and you can grab your camera along with you to start shooting there. Just try to blend in and play with different angles and effect settings. These are the keys to getting a phenomenal shot that you crave. Also, make sure that you avoid direct sunlight as it’s going to affect your shots and ruin it.

16. Patterns

The great thing about patterns is that you can find patterns everywhere and almost all the patterns look great in macro shots. Just pick one up that you like most around your house or from anywhere else, and start shooting photos with your camera. The most important thing you need to focus on in that case is the framing and the angle. If you can get these two things right, you’ll be able to get some great shots. And patterns are typically super easy to work with when you are doing macro photography with it.

17. Textures

Textures are probably the best things you can capture using macro photography, and you can say that it’s made for this particular style of photography as well. However, to get the best shot there, you need to get good quality camera gears. That’s the thing you need if you want to get the best texture macro shots. So, grab your best gears and go for capturing some of the best textures in your camera. They sure look super amazing, and all the effort you put in getting these shots are well worth it.

18. Toys

There are hardly any people in the world who don’t have toys in their house, and that makes it very easy to get. You can use any toys for macro photography and it’s going to look fabulous nonetheless. The main thing you need to be mindful of is the lighting and the angels. These will have the biggest impact on your shots, and you need to be extra careful about these. Just take any toys and give it a go, and it’s guaranteed that you’ll get some good shots out of it.

19. Insects

Insects are one of the best subjects that you can try out your macro photography on, and it’s going to give you some of the best pictures that you can get. If you search online, you’ll see that insects are very popular in macro photography as they are very small. And only macro pictures can bring their true expression out to the world. So, if you are looking for a great idea to shoot macro photos on, you can start capturing shots of insects.

20. Flowers

Flowers are undoubtedly one of the best subjects that you can use for macro photography, and it’s going to give you gorgeous shots. In normal photography, you can shoot a bunch of flowers together, and they all look amazing together. But with macro photography, you can get more precise with that and you can get the most detail in the picture with just one flower. That way you can bring out the true beauty of the flower, and that’ll look super amazing.

21. Eyes

You must’ve heard a quote that goes, “Eyes are the window to the soul”, and you can use macro photography to express the eyes. It undoubtedly looks out of the world as our eyes have so much detail. You can use a good quality macro camera that has a 1:1 ratio to get such phenomenal shots. So, you can already tell that the eyes are the best subject for macro photography, and you can get the most fabulous pictures just by shooting a human eye.

22. Head into the Yard

It doesn’t take much to spark up ideas for macro photography, and you can do it just by going out into the yard. Make sure to keep a clear head while you head out into the yard, and that’s going to attract all kinds of ideas that you can easily use for macro photography. Also, be free, and don’t restrain yourself with rules as they’ll keep you away from getting new ideas. Just go for whatever you like, and you’ll get a great shot more likely.

23. Cut Flowers

Flowers are not only gorgeous in macro shots when they are on the trees, but they also look good when they are cut down. It creates a different kind of effect that gives a classy and exotic vibe that’s perfect for macro photography. You can buy some flowers from the market and shoot some macro shots of these flowers. Then you can cut some flowers down and get some variety in your shots. That way you can use it to get totally different pictures, which is pretty amazing.

24. Collections

Collections are not just a hobby as you can use them for so many different purposes, especially for macro photography. Whether you have a collection of stamps, cards, or anything like that, you can try out taking some macro shots of your collection. That might look super simple on the surface, but in most cases, you’ll get some surprising results. You are more likely to get some unique shots that you are going to absolutely love. So, if you or one of your friends have a collection of something, you can take some macro shots of the collections.

25. Dioramas

Not a lot of people have dioramas these days, but if you have one, it’s going to be wonderful for taking some macro shots of it. A diorama can have a lot of figures that only a macro shot can express, and that’s why you get such an advantage over other types of photography. However, you must be careful about the lighting and the angle of the shots as it’s going to have the biggest impact on your pictures.

26. Plants

Plants are undoubtedly a great object to use for macro photography, and the best part is, you can do it everywhere you like without having to spend any money or extra effort. Just grab your camera and go outside, and make sure to aim for the small plants. These are perfect for macro photo shooting as the shots will help to express the whole of the tree. Also, try to stick to a green and tiny tree rather than a dead one.

27. Pets

If you own pets, you should know that they are great for macro photography as well. An animal always has something that makes them stand out and look interesting. And there is no better way to express that clearly than using macro photography. So, have a photography session with your pet, and you’ll have some gorgeous pieces of photos at the end of the session, and that’s guaranteed.

28. Food Coloring

Food coloring can be a very interesting subject to try out your macro photography skills with as well. The key to getting some great macro shots here is to be free with your mind. Don’t let anything hold you back as you break through the zone. Experiment with the light settings and the angles that you are working with, and you’ll easily get some great shots using food coloring.

29. Oil and Water

You might not recognize it by now, but oil and water actually are pretty amazing subjects to do macro photography. Oil floats on water and creates a distinct view that you can capture using your macro camera. Now, you must be careful about the glass and the state of the oil and water that you are working on within the session. If you have a clumsy look inside the glass or bottle, you can’t expect good macro images from there.

How to Wow Your Friends with Creative bubble Photography

Taking macro shots of soap bubbles is one of the best ways to impress your friends and family without any massive effort. To do that, you need to set the lighting first and grab the necessary gears for the session. You also need to buy good quality soap bubbles that you are going to use in the photography sessions.

First, start by setting up the studio, and get the lighting correct. Then you’d have to fix the settings of your camera and recheck everything to see if it’s fine or not. Once you are done with that, you can stabilize your camera using a tripod or whatever you like.

After that, start making bubbles using the soap bubble, and blow bubbles until you feel like stopping. Then start taking the shots, and try to get some decent shots at first. Then start playing with the light, angle, and everything else, and try burst mode as well.

That should be everything you need to do to get some great bubble macro pictures to wow your friends.

To Wrap Up

Now you have some amazing macro photography ideas that you can try out for yourself, and that’s going to give you a boost in your shots. Most photographers struggle with getting new ideas as they are pretty linear in their minds.

When you take the cameras in your hand, you have to know that anything is possible. See everything from an open perspective, and that’s how you are going to get some authentic shots. And hopefully, these ideas will help to spark some of that for you as well.