Spring Macro Photography

SNAPSHOT SOCIETY Spring Macro Photography

Notes from the Field

By John Reed, Photography Volunteer & Snapshot Society Teacher

From March through May, the plants rejoice in a new season and bring forth abundant and wonderful flowers. Flowers are perfect for any photography, but really can shine with close-up, “macro” photography— and amazing art is possible in the close-up world we do not always see.

DSLR, point-and-shoot, and non-adjustable cameras like most phones usually have a scene mode, setting, or other ability to get really close, even to the point of true macro photography. By the way, “macro” simply means that the size of your subject on the camera sensor is exactly the same size as it is in real life, also called “one to one” ratio.

If you have a DSLR or other interchangeable lens camera, they too have a close-up or macro setting. You could also buy a macro lens, but before doing that, here is a tip: good macro lenses are quite expensive and you may find after dabbling for a while that macro really is not your thing. Instead, you could invest in extension tubes. These are commonly purchased as a set of three and are quite reasonable in price. The extension tube is nothing more than a spacer that fits between the lens and the camera body, thus moving the lens farther away from the camera.

Doing so allows you to focus much closer on the subject than possible without the tube. The tubes, or spacers, in a set are different lengths. The longer the tube, the closer you can get, and you can stack all three to get really close—all the way to true macro with a lens you already have!

Now you can see if macro is really your thing without a big investment. The only warning is to do your research because some camera bodies will not accept extension tubes. Also be aware that with a tube installed, you can only focus on close distances. For anything, even a few feet away, the camera will not focus.

Now, come out to capture the wonderful flora at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. You will be happy and surprised with the details revealed that are not usually seen day-to-day.

3 Tubes

Subject

Extension Tube

This shows three tubes being used and the resulting photo is on the page to the right.