Macro photography is a special kind of photography. When applied to nature it allows the exploration of a whole new world of colorful and fascinating creatures with a level of detail that is usually missed by the naked eye. Subjects can be found everywhere, from a houseplant to the top of a mountain. There is really no need to go far from home to discover this hidden universe and produce award-winning pictures. An infinite number of subjects are available in the macro world, ready for photographic interpretations whose limits reside only in our imagination.
The main goal of this book is to give the beginner as well as the professional photographer, a comprehensive knowledge to practice macro photography of nature subjects.
This book is divided into three main chapters. In the first chapter, I will describe all sorts of equipment for macro photography, giving the pros and cons of each item.
As macro photography challenges the photographer with several unusual problems, the second chapter is dedicated to the photographic techniques, that is, the many ways the photographic gear can be utilized. As for all disciplines, practice makes perfect. You will need lots of patience and perseverance if you want to achieve good results. Most of the images in this book are the result of many re-shoots, aimed at getting the best sharpness, exposure and composition altogether.
That said, to reach excellence it is necessary to have a very good sense of composition and aesthetic evaluation. Without it, the most expensive photographic system will never create by itself an image with the “wow” factor. A real jump of picture quality can be made by anybody if composition and design are taken into consideration, much more than the technology alone.
With this in mind, the final chapter of this book is dedicated to composition in macro photography. Once you get to know instinctively how your camera, lenses, and accessories work, then you will be free to organize the image not only as a documentation record but also in terms of graphic design, lights, shapes, lines and colors.
If anybody can “take” a picture, only who learns to see in a new way can “make” a beautiful image.