10 Ways to Improve Your Macro Photography

Macro photography can be a terrifically rewarding genre of photography. We are able to get up close with our subjects and capture great detail that usually goes unseen. It can also be challenging being so close to subjects and getting the images you are proud of.

Just like anything, practice will always help you improve. For those trying to get ahead quickly, we’ve put together a list of 10 ways you can improve your macro photography. Almost all of these methods below can be implemented immediately. Let’s get started!

1) Close Up Your Aperture

Macro photography is usually performed with a very shallow depth of field. A shallow depth of field (DOF) can be very useful for isolating subjects. However, on a small scale, you can be too shallow. Having only a small portion of your small subject in focus can result in no overall focal point for a viewer. It can sometimes make the entire image seem blurry if not enough of the subject is sharp and in focus.

Closing your aperture brings more of your subject into focus. If it’s a particularly small subject, this can bring much more information and context to your images. Sometimes I get surprised by the detail I introduce by decreasing my aperture a couple of stops.

Shooting at too fast of an aperture can also mean you’re not getting the sharpest image your lens is capable of. Of course the latter is also true. Too slow of an aperture has similar consequences in sharpness. If I had to choose between shallow DOF and reduced sharpness vs. large DOF and reduced sharpness, I would choose the latter for macro photography. The DOF will also depend on your lens and distance from your subject. Experiment with closing your aperture and increase the detail available to you!

2) Use Artificial Light

When shooting macro of natural subjects, such as plants and insects, it makes sense to only use natural lighting. I used to live by this as well, but it can definitely limit you. Being up close to a subject can block lots of ambient light. Also using method #1 above, you will have even less light available! Artificial lighting can help you capture much better macro images. Just because it’s called artificial lighting doesn’t mean it has to look artificial. Diffused lighting of a similar color temperature to your ambient light can replicate ambient light surprisingly well.

Options for artificial lighting can range anywhere from a simple flashlight or light bulb to a wireless flash or LED panel. Getting light of the right color temperature to match your scene is the challenge here. When you have a scene, test out a few different light sources to see which matches best. For diffusing, you don’t have to have fancy equipment here either. Use some printer paper, wax paper, or even a white cloth for diffusing light. There are also many affordable diffusing solutions on the market as well. Experiment with different distances and light angles to find what works best with your scene!

3) Don’t Forget the Composition Rules

Sometimes when we are shooting incredible details at the macro level, the general composition rules can escape us. We can become so excited and just take photos out of excitement and don’t stop to think about how we want to compose an image.

Rule of thirds, symmetry, leading lines; these are few of the great rules that help us take better images! When you find yourself taking photos eagerly, remember to slow down and think about your composition! You won’t regret this when the time comes to process your images.

4) Stabilize Your Camera

Keeping yourself stable while shooting macro is critical to sharp images. A tripod works for most cases. If you are very close to the ground, lower than your tripod is willing to go, a bean bag support can be a huge help. Bean bags can form to your camera and also rest on the ground. This won’t give you a tripod level of stabilization, but it is a huge improvement from being handheld.

Keeping yourself stable will allow you to let more light in. If you want your aperture closed up and a relatively low ISO, stability is critical as you will have to slow your shutter speed to compensate. After you take a macro image, be sure to zoom in closely to ensure your camera is completely stable.

5) Know the Scale of Your Subject

When first getting into macro photography, it can be difficult to choose the right subject in the first place. I used to choose the smallest objects I could find, and then be disappointed in the amount of detail I was able to capture. When choosing a subject, keep in mind that macro is not very comparable to a microscope. You will be much closer to your subject compared to a normal photography lens, but ensure your expectations are realistic.

To do this, you will have to get accustomed to the macro level of your camera/lens setup. When shooting test subjects, keep the size of the object in mind and see what your lens’ focal length can output. After enough practice, you will be able to select objects that can present more interesting detail as they will be in an expected scale.

6) Use Backlighting

This improvement relates to #2, artificial light. Backlighting can be used to either emphasize the outline of your subject, or even reveal detail within your subject. The latter can be very exciting. You can backlight your subject with any of the options we discussed back in #2. Flashlights, lightbulbs, and wireless flashes will all work. Diffusing the light won’t be as important here. Experiment with different back lighting setups to see how this can bring much more depth and information to your images.

7) MFD Practice

This point relates to #5. If you have a new macro lens or are just starting macro photography, this is a great exercise. To utilize your gear to the fullest, it’s a good idea to get accustomed to your lens’ limits. After all, being as close as possible and revealing unseen detail is what macro photography is all about.

Set your lens to manual focus and turn your focus dial to the minimum focusing distance (MFD). Now using the viewfinder, take pictures of your subjects as you normally would, but physically move in and out to achieve your desired focus. After doing this for a while, you will have a good idea of what your lens’ limit is. Your will also know what type of details you are able to extract from your subjects.

Once you feel like you’ve had enough practice, move back to autofocus to make your life easier again. The only difference is now you will know a good working distance and detail expectation before you start taking photos.  This is an important skill to have as a photographer!

8) Clean Your Subject/Environment (If Possible)

I learned this habit from product photography. If you are setting up an artificial scene, always clean up your subject and environment to the best of your ability. Small dust particles or other imperfections are annoying to see in an image. These imperfections can be removed in Photoshop, however I like to reduce my editing time any chance I get. Especially such a tedious editing task such as dust removal. Dust in large quantities can also be overwhelming to tackle in post and reduce your desire to even use the images.

This may seem like a small tip, but this can make an enormous difference in your images. The details count, and this is one way to make your image stand out above the rest.

9) Don’t Rush

Macro photography of nature and small animals is very popular, and rightfully so. Mother Nature can have some of the most interesting details when she is viewed closely.

Insects in particular are a very active subject. It is easy to become frustrated with such active animals not lining up for a perfect shot. Patience is always your ally here. This tip actually applies to any type wildlife photography. Patience might be one of the most important characteristics of a wildlife photographer. The longer you are out there taking photos and observing, the higher your chances will be of capturing a unique moment.

10) Invest in sharper optics

I left this tip last because lenses can be serious investments. I also know not everyone is in a place to get new glass. However, with that being said, a quality macro lens can make a significant impact on your images.

When I got my first quality lens – a Canon 100mm F/2.8 Macro – I was absolutely blown away by its quality. This is still the sharpest lens I own to date. Your images will be sharper and even provide better color due to the upgraded optics.

Image sharpness at the macro level always produces a much more satisfying image. Not only are we revealing details at the macro level, but we are revealing it strongly with terrific sharpness. The combination can produce incredible images!

High end optics also come with bonuses such as dust and weather protection, so they can last longer than normal lenses. I highly recommend saving for a dedicated macro lens if this is a genre you will be following in the long term.

Be careful though. Once you get accustomed to a quality lens, gear acquisition syndrome (GAS) can kick in hard!

I hope this helps in improving your macro images, and take them to the next level! If you have any tips that you’ve discovered with your own journey in macro photography, please share in the comments below!