Technique - Macro

Macro 

Definition - a macro photograph is one in which the size of the subject on the negative or image sensor is life size or greater, although most of the time we will end up looking at a large size image of a really small insect or flower, for example.

The image below demonstrates this technique.

To achieve this technique you must:

·      Use point of focus OR manual focus

·     Use A TRIPOD to frame the object and background, apply compositional rules where possible.

·     Experiment with depth of field, you will be very close to your subject which results in a sudden drop off on focus, to overcome this you might want to maximize your depth of field therefore shoot at f 16 f22.b In other circumstances you may like the drop off in focus in which case use a lower f stop e.g. 4.0

·     Work with a low/medium ISO from 100 to 400

Image Bank 

My Images - Body Parts 

When looking at the depth of field that I have created within these images I have tried to create a sharp focal point. I feel as though I have done this with some of these images however I do feel as though I could have taken slightly more time to look at the depth of field and use the macro lens to create a very obvious narrow depth of field for these images. I feel as though the images of flowers above are more successful at focusing on a narrow depth of field.

My Images - Flowers

I like the images that I have produced and I feel as though I have not only explored the macro technique but have also explored the idea of depth of field. When taking photos of flowers I really tried to use the macro lens to find a specific focal point so that the image becomes out of focus. I wanted to create a narrow depth of field in the images so that the focal point was very in focus and sharp. I wanted there to be soft and sharp elements within the photo to add depth. 

For each of these images I took them in the studio. To do this I used a macro lens in order to be able to take the photos that close up. I used an aperture of f/8 and a shutter speed of 1/125. I used an ISO 200 to take these images. The camera was set up on a tripod and I used two soft boxes to setup the studio. By using the soft boxes it created a soft lighting effect when taking the photos. I really liked this effect on the flowers because I feel as though it enhanced the intricate details.   

Evaluation 

I feel as though my images have been successful because I have produced focused pictures using the macro technique. 

Some of the photos that I have taken of body parts did not have the composition that I hoped for because the model was moving slightly and it was harder to focus the camera. 

Progression 

I would definitely like to use this technique in my future work and focus specifically on photographing nature and flowers. I really like this technique because I like the way that the images emphasise the small details of nature.