What is Macro Photography?
Macro photography is close-up photography of small subjects. You can take macro pictures in a studio or outdoor environment as long as you are magnifying your subject sufficiently.
What is Macro Mode on your DSLR Camera?
A setting on a DSLR camera that enables users to focus on subjects close to the camera lens. Macro mode is commonly used when photographing flowers, insects and other small items, if you want a close-up view. The distance from which you can shoot in macro mode will differ between cameras and lenses. Some may be able to focus when the lens is less than an inch away from the subject, while others may be two inches or more or more.
Programs such as photoshop can be used to "blow up" or crop your image to bring the viewer closer to your subject. You can use the crop tool in any program to achieve this.
How do I take Macro pictures using my CELL PHONE?
There are many ways to take macro photographs using your cell phone. Some folks purchase removable lenses which clip onto your phone camera (see photo below), while others will download macro photography apps. The reality is, most newer cell phone cameras already take very clear and focused "close-up" photos. With proper focusing and some post editing cropping, you can produce beautiful, crisp "macro" photographs.
Watch this video tutorial to see the process of taking "macro" photographs on your cell phone.
The most important thing to consider when completing this assignment is to use strong natural light. If you are photographing indoors, you should be as close to a big window as possible. Natural light will help you get a strong detail and a crisp focus.
Examples of Macro photography
Assignment:
- Take 50 photos using your cell phone camera. (You can delete the ones you don't use after you're finished with the assignment.)
- Choose 6 images to correct & crop using your in-phone editing options. (Each image should be a different object.)
- Upload the images to your Flickr account in an album called "Macro."
Note: If you have your Nikon, feel free to experiment using the Macro Mode (flower). You can edit and crop in Photoshop, Photopea, or Pixlr. You should also experiment with your cell phone camera, because you might get better results.
Credits:
Created with images by Ionut Andrei Coman - "Plant Seedlings" • v2osk - "untitled image" • olena ivanova - "summer season garden white dandelion" • Christopher Martyn - "Anatomy of a rose" • Aaron Burden - "Snowflake macro" • Robert Zunikoff - "Thick rope knot" • Fanning Tseng - "Pink Flower in Detail Shoot" • dan carlson - "Dew on a dark green leaf" • Stefan Steinbauer - "untitled image" • Amber Flowers - "untitled image" • Tyler Daviaux - "untitled image" • Piotr Janus - "Time flies" • Chris Yates - "City of Nails" • Jeremy Martin - "Up close and floral" • Aaron Burden - "Dewdrop falling off a leaf" • Peter Sumner - "untitled image" • AbsolutVision - "Ready To Eat" • Victor Freitas - "untitled image" • Rodion Kutsaev - "Raspberry" • Jessica Lewis - "I shoot many of my close up macro images on a small rustic wooden table I bought from a yardsale for $15. I place the table in my kitchen - beside the sliding glass door – for full window light – all natural night. The downside is that I have to shoot during the day - and my kids come by and eat the food I’m photographing. :)" • Егор Камелев - "untitled image" • Aswathy N - "untitled image" • Ella Christenson - "untitled image" • Dhruvansh Soni - "Coke Lemon 🍋 " • Michael Dziedzic - "Blueberry, Up close!"