What Does Macro Photography Mean?- Your Ultimate Guide

Photos of insects, small plants are a very common thing you see these days. You ever wondered, how they take those super close up shots?

This is called macro photography, which allows them to do that. Macro photos are super in demand. I love to take my camera with me and go to the forest area once in a while to take such photos. And if you are someone who has a thing for plants or insects, you’ll love it as well.

You might ask what does macro photography mean and why it is so popular. Let’s discuss this topic further down below.

Table of Contents

1 History
2 Equipment and Techniques
3 Technical considerations
4 35 mm equivalent magnification
5 The Exceptional Velvet 28 Wide Angle Lens Finally Launched By Lens baby
6 The Ever Desired Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2X Macro – A Nikon Z & Canon RF Mirrorless Lens Announced by Venus Optics
7 What Does Macro Photography Mean to Me and How I Fell in Love with it (My COVID-19 Stay Home Story)
8 New Canon RF Lenses Coming in 2021 (Rumor)
9 A FaceTime Photoshoot Session with Anita Sadowska – Behind the Scenes
10 The Top 5 Things that I’ve learned from the Fstoppers Mastering Macro Photography Tutorial by Andres Moline
11 Conclusion

History

Macro photography has been a thing for over a hundred years now. It is estimated to be found near the early 1900s. The man named F. Percy Smith is the photographer who invented it.

He was using some of the same gears we use today for shooting insect photos. That included bellows and extension tubes as well. Those place the lens far from the film negative. That helped him to create a very close focal point, which allowed him to get these super close up shots.

From then, it was more obvious. Photographers started using it as a way to shoot photos of little objects, such as insects, worms, small plants, or any tiny things. And it didn’t take much longer for it to gain popularity.

Equipment and Techniques

Macro photography requires a different set of equipment and techniques than general photography.

You can use a point and shoot type camera for this. But it has limited use, and you won’t get good and precise quality in your photos. That’s why I prefer you to use a DSLR instead.

You can use a trick if you have 2 lenses. You can use both and reverse one. That will give you great depth in photos.

Also, if you have a 50mm prime lens, you are good to reverse that with the main camera lens. That will work perfectly as well.

As far as the techniques go, you’d have to learn most of it on your own. Trying out new things is the key. That will develop your style in so many ways and make you a pro in no time.

Technical considerations

If you want to take great macro shots, you need to consider some technical stuff.

The first and foremost thing is the depth of field. It’s just the main focus area of the whole picture.

Then comes the minimum focus distance, which is also very crucial. In macro photography, you need to know the minimum focus distance to be able to shoot the photo in the first place. Different lenses come with different focus distances.

You also need to know what magnification ratios mean and how they can impact your photography. Knowing what you’re working with is crucial for taking the best shot in fields.

Extension tubes help to bring everything close by shifting the minimum focus. You need to consider that for getting the best macro photos.

There are a lot of close up filters that you can use as well. It will make your job easier and a lot better as well.

Finally, you should consider buying macro lenses. Some people use their portrait lens for macro photography. But it is definitely not the best way to do it. Getting a dedicated lens for your macro photos is a great idea.

35 mm equivalent magnification

A true macro lens has a maximum image magnification, or it shows the same sized picture as human sight. That is also rated as 2x35mm equivalent magnification.

Such lenses will provide you with a smaller ring and field of view. But it’s very suitable for macro photography. Those lenses with 35 mm equivalent magnification are pretty lightweight and compact. And also a lot more simple than most other ones. I prefer you to go for a lens with 35 mm equivalent magnification if you want to.

The Exceptional Velvet 28 Wide Angle Lens Finally Launched By Lens baby

This unique lens gives you a velvety glow in the images that you shot. The Velvet 28 lens has a minimum focus range of 14 cm, which is perfect for macro photography.

This amazing lens has a 1:2 magnification ratio which is pretty good on its own. You can use so many different mounts in it. And the aperture level of this lens is f/2.5.

At a price range of that, you can’t get a better deal like this one. It has everything you need in a lens for great macro photography. So, I think investing in this lens will be a worthwhile thing to do.

The Ever Desired Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2X Macro – A Nikon Z & Canon RF Mirrorless Lens Announced by Venus Optics

The wait is going to end finally for most full-frame mirrorless camera users as this lens comes in the market. The Venus Optics announces the Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2X Macro lens after keeping us waiting for a very long time. That is compatible with the A Nikon Z & Canon RF Mirrorless cameras.

This lens has the capability of giving 2x the magnification of a macro lens. That’s very impressive, and I’m quite baffled myself.

The pricing is super affordable, as well. You can’t think of getting such a premium lens in that price range.

The 2x magnification is amazing. It will add so much to your macro photo shooting. I can say that you are going to love the Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2X Macro lens.

What Does Macro Photography Mean to Me and How I Fell in Love with it (My COVID-19 Stay Home Story)

First of all, I have a lot of friends who are photographers. I don’t get to spend a lot of time with them because of work. But the pandemic let us take a look at each other’s collections. And some of the super close up pictures appeal to me.

I went online and ordered a decent macro lens that day. And after I got my hands on it, I went straight outside in my backyard. Some bees were flying. I took my first couple of macro shots. And guess what? I absolutely fell in love with macro photography from that day and now it’s my favorite.

Now I go out to take these photos whenever I can get time for it. It has become a part of my passion.

New Canon RF Lenses Coming in 2021 (Rumor)

A lot of people, including myself, are eager for the releases of Canon. There is a rumor for new releases by Canon in 2021. I hope we see some great lenses this time.

The first rumor is about the Canon RF 18-45mm IS STM. I can’t find almost anything on that lens. That makes me think that we will never be able to see that in action.

Canon RF 24mm Macro IS is also catching up some gossip lately. There is no information that I can find on its focus motor or any other macro features.

But the Canon RF 100-400mm IS USM is something that’s legit. It is going to be a non-L 100-400mm macro lens. What’s fascinating is that none of the rumors are about releasing an L lens. I think we’d have to wait for it a bit longer.

A FaceTime Photoshoot Session with Anita Sadowska – Behind the Scenes

Let’s get real for a moment; the pandemic is affecting our lives in so many ways. Staying at home is not easy and relaxing anymore.

But taking some photos can lighten the mood up a little bit. It’s a great thing you can do while you are at home. But shooting on FaceTime is very hard. But a good phone camera and apps can make it possible. Whether it’s an iPhone camera or a DSLR macro lens, you can come up with some nice images at the end. Anita mentioned that it took 3 hours for her to wrap up the whole session. It’s very amazing that in this hard period, they are not giving up.

The Top 5 Things that I’ve learned from the Fstoppers Mastering Macro Photography Tutorial by Andres Moline

Let’s have a look at 5 things from the pro. That will help you get the most unique shots.

You should try and hold the OPTION key while adjusting the slider in Lightroom Classic. That will show you great details that will help you in the after shot sessions.
Try to use the focus stacking in a proper way. That will help you get better details even if you are at f/16.
You don’t need to put everything at 100 ISO. You have good flexibility by default. But it’s a good idea to turn the ISO and shutter speed up when you’re shooting in darker lighting. That would help you avoid shakes and blurring of the picture.
Use gradient maps. That would help you gain a more clear, bright, and detailed picture.
Background plays an important role in macro photography. Be sure to keep some props in your bag so that you are ready to go all the time.

Conclusion

You see, macro photography is very distinct from the other types of photography. Most of the shooters out there underestimate its true potential. And to be honest, they are not even clear on the concept of it.

It requires a different type of set of skills as well. But you just went through a lot of information on macro photo shooting. It would be much easier for you to pick your camera and start taking great shots.

I hope those pieces of information help you to build you a unique style as well.

Also click to read our other Photography Genres Guide.