In 2018, I got a set of macro extensions because I’ve always wondered what it’d feel like to get into macro photography but for some reason, I’d never put them to use because I never quite understood the principles of macro photography and even more honestly, the idea of focus stacking in post brings out the lazy man in me.
Last week though, I dusted the macro extension and coupled it with my Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM lens and photographed a Wlisth 1853 watch I bought online and well, let’s say I’d be doing this a lot more often in the coming future but before that, here’s a couple of pointers on what I noticed and how to get nice macro shots:
- Clean Your Lens and the Subject:
Everything becomes pronounced and visible and so does the microscopic (maybe not microscopic but really small dirt) dirt that’s resting on your lens and on your subject so its important to use some cleaning liquid and soft cloth or cleaning fabric so you don’t scratch your lens’s element or peel off the protective coating on your front element.
- Get A Tripod:
The smallest vibrations and shakes will affect the resulting image so its important to use a tripod so you get steady shots even when shooting with fast shutter speeds. Also, if you’ll be doing some focus staking in post, a tripod ensures your camera stays in one position while you move the points of focus which in turn makes for easier stitching in post.
- Get A Huge Light Source:
In my case, I had an external light and a 120cm softbox but using the sun works just as well. Using macro extension increases the space between your lens and the camera’s sensor so you lose a couple of stops of light which means you have the option to either increase your ISO (and risk a noisy image) or get a lot of light to compensate.
- Do Not Shoot Wide Open:
The temptation to shoot wide open to let more light in will definitely crop up and when it does, push it back down. Opening your aperture does allow more light in but it reduces the lens’ depth of field (which is why the larger the aperture, the more the Bokeh) and an extension tube doubles that effect. Instead, if you’re trying to get a lot in focus, dial down your aperture and compensate with your shutter speed (which is where the Tripod comes in) and ISO. Its an added benefit if you have an external flash to add an extra burst of light.
- Experiment with Angles:
There’s nothing much to say about angles. Experiment with various angles to get various perspectives and varied levels of detail. Changing the number of extension tubes also helps.
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Ufana Ishoyor is a Portrait, Editorial and Boudoir Photographer currently based in Calabar, Nigeria. You can find more of his work on Instagram here.
