THE MISSION
Capture mega close-ups of insects with a macro lens, extension tubes and focus rail
Time needed
Two hours
Skill level Expert
Kit needed
• Macro lens • Extension tubes • Focus rail • Tripod • Home studio kit • Coloured paper • Insects • Photoshop • Helicon Focus
There are all kinds of objects and details that look incredible in close-up, but insects are perhaps the most beguiling. Ultra macro photography allows us to blow their tiny features up to a tremendous scale, revealing alien-like features, vibrant colours and incredible details.
But how do we get close enough to see these details? You can easily spend a lot of money on macro photography. From specialist objective lenses to bellows and motorized focus rails, close-up photography can get expensive very quickly. But for those looking to dip their toes in the wonderful world of ultra macro photography, there is a cheaper option – extension tubes. These enable you to convert any lens for macro use by allowing for closer minimum focusing distances, and if you already own a macro lens then extension tubes can take you beyond a life-size 1:1 view of your tiny subjects.
However, macro photography throws up a particular set of photographic challenges, and the trickiest of all is depth of field. The smaller and closer the subject, the more limited (shallower) the depth of field becomes.
This story is from the April 2022 edition of PhotoPlus : The Canon Magazine.
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This story is from the April 2022 edition of PhotoPlus : The Canon Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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