Photography Tips

Last week I discussed how to use the flash in your camera to get great shots. Read it here.

In this post we discuss another important setting in your compact camera that can be used to get amazing shots.

Tip #2: Macro mode

When I started shooting photos as a hobby, the first thing that came to my mind were flowers. That is because, photographing flowers was the easiest and the most non-intrusive way to take good snaps.

The best way to take these photos is by using the Macro mode in your camera (usually depicted by a “flower” icon), though this may be different on an iphone 4 or other camera phones – check your manual if you’re unsure if it has the function. However, this feature has its limitations which need to be adhered to, to take sharp, in-focus snaps.

Flower and Bee - Pranav Bhasin

Given below are some tips to get the most out of Macro mode:

• The macro mode works within a particular part of the zoom range. By trial and error, check the cameras optimal range. Better still, leave the camera “unzoomed” and try to get as close to the subject as possible.
• Increase the ISO of your camera to 400 or above. Make sure that this doesn’t increase the visible noise in your photo.
• In Macro mode, the camera takes longer to focus on the subject and hence you need to hold the camera steady for a longer duration. If your camera has an aperture-priority mode you can switch to that and select a smaller aperture to get around it. Otherwise shoot with a tripod (which is described next).
• Tripods are one of the essential items in a macro photography kit bag. But, what if we don’t have one? Keep your camera on a flat dry surface such as a stone, or a bench near the subject. If you can’t find such a surface, its better to switch off macro, and try shooting the subject in your normal mode.

Macro photography is a very interesting field in which a lot of professional photographers spend their entire careers. If you are serious about it, you should plan to buy a DSLR camera with a special macro lens.

Do share with us any interesting tips or questions on macro photography and also share your macro photos with us.

Note: Technically ‘macro photography’ involves capturing subjects at life size (or bigger) with a 1:1 ratio. Most of the compact cameras don’t achieve this. However, for the purpose of keeping it simple we have used this in the article.

Update: Get all these tips, in a easy to print and carry ebook for FREE here