Left: Ring, Thomas Sabo, $ 198
Right: Ring, Thomas Sabo, $174
tography. It was a crisp, clear
image but not very dynamic.
That opens up a whole
other ball of wax. In product
photography, like cosmetics for
example, I’m looking at a logo,
that logo has to be sharp from
front to back, no matter what.
You need to able to ensure that
your focusing distances are
proper and being able to control
that is important. A macro lens
is better at doing that.
What challenges should a pho-
tographer expect when working
with a macro lens?
The depth of field: if you're
doing product photography en-
suring that your logo is perfect-
ly sharp.
Any troubleshooting tips?
What is the definition of a
macro lens?
A macro lens can focus
closer than your "typical" lens
used for either portrait or land-
scapes. It allows you to get as
close as 50mm or even closer
depending on the focal length.
How much magnification do
you need?
You want to get as close
as what we consider a 1:1 ratio.
This means the subject size is
represented on the sensor in a
1:1 ratio, or the exact same size.
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What’s the best focal length for
your macro?
A 120mm is typically a
dedicated lens, used mostly for
macro images. A 60mm lens is
a little more multi-purpose and
typically not even 1:1, the XF-60
lens, for example, is a 1:2 ratio.
When you have a little bit more
magnification you get closer to
that 1:1 ratio.
The other advantage is
the compression, the ability to
isolate the subject within the
macro so if you’re trying to fo-
cus on a bugs' eyes you’re really
able to fine tune and really be
able to focus on just the eyes
and have that depth of field, so
that everything else is blurry
and you’re really focused on the
subject.
What makes a great subject for
a macro lens?
It depends on the photog-
rapher’s eye. It can be bugs,
but it can also be coins. I like
to photograph old tools that
have a unique rust pattern to
them. There is no clear answer
as to what the perfect macro
shot is. If you Google search
macro you’ll probably get a lot
of bugs and flowers but there
are so many ways that you can
use macro photography. It can
even be used in portraiture
when you’re focusing just on
the subjects eye or focusing on
just a ring, like in weddings for
example.
What elements am I looking for
in composition?
A foreground and back-
ground are essential.
(Something this writer
learned the hard way.)
The best thing about digital
is you can keep firing and trying
it again. The key is to shoot as
wide open as you possibly can
to be able to shallow up that
depth of field and isolate your
subject.
Following the basic rules
of composition, the rule of
thirds, the Fibonacci swirl. Basic
photography techniques apply
the same in macro, but then you
want to add the depth for that
“third dimension,” if you will.
Focusing is going to be
the big thing. When focusing
becomes a challenge, manual
is the way to go. Most of the
time in macro photography the
subject ain’t moving, so flip to
manual focus and take control
of your depth and where you’re
going to focus.
Depth of field preview is a
great tool to use when you’re
not sure whether the image is
sharp or not. It will show you
pixel for pixel your depth of
field.
Whenever possible use a
tripod. Image stabilized lenses
do a good job, but you’re al-
ways better off tripoding and
either using a cable or using a
self-timer in a pinch. Let's say
From my experience it was a
steep learning curve. The first
couple of photographs we took
looked just like product pho-
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