Macro Photography for Beginners - Complete Tutorial
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 มิ.ย. 2024
- In this tutorial I will teach you how to photograph insects, how to pick a good macro lens, what camera is good for macro photos, and everything else you need to know to get started with macro photography.
My Laowa Macro Lens Buyer's Guide: lensguide.micaelwidell.com
Some good budget macro lenses:
- Meike 85mm • Meike 85mm 1.5x Macro ...
- 7Artisans 60mm mk2 • 7Artisans 60mm f/2.8 m...
- TTArtisan 40mm • TTArtisan 40mm f/2.8 M...
Products I use for daily macro photography: 👇
🔎 My favorite macro lens: bit.ly/mwlaowa60 (I always buy Laowa lenses from their website - best price, good service, and fast, free shipping worldwide)
💥 Flash: amzn.to/3xhpc9E
🔋 Flash batteries: www.gpbatteries.com/products/...
📷 Sony A7III Camera: amzn.to/2xM776q
✊ I use a Sony Grip extension: amzn.to/2xHKsrR
🎗 This is my camera strap: amzn.to/2XMi4iSMy
The diffuser around my lens is of the brand DÖRR. I have noticed they are not sold in all countries. I bought mine from this Swedish website: www.cyberphoto.se/foto-video/...
More regular content from me in these places:
💌 newsletter: mwroll.com
🌄 instagram: / mwroll
🐦 twitter: / micaelwidell
🎖patreon: / micaelwidell
🖼 nfts: foundation.app/@micaelwidell / opensea.io/collection/resting...
💬 discord: bit.ly/widelldiscord
💌 newsletter: mwroll.com 🌄 instagram: instagram.com/mwroll
🎖patreon: patreon.com/micaelwidell 🐦 twitter: twitter.com/micaelwidell
🖼 nfts: foundation.app/@micaelwidell / opensea.io/collection/resting-raindrops
💬 discord: bit.ly/widelldiscord
A neighbour of mine is a highly talented photographer, and - still in the days of analogue photography / slides - my wife and I were invited to his house in the evening. He showed us some slides projected onto a screen which consisted of macro photographs of a single bloom of a red amaryllis : they were ASTOUNDINGLY BEAUTIFUL, and he used music to accentuate the impact of the individual images !!! His equipment was from Leica and it was possible to see even the microscopically tiny hairs of the flower on what looked like a bright red ski slope. Truly very impressive !!!
Sounds lovely
Good advice and pretty much how I shoot. The only thing I would add is that a high megapixel camera will enable the user to crop in more and therefore shoot from further away. This helps with depth of field, working distance and enables the use of autofocus in many cases. I have shot with 12 MP, 24MP and 42MP cameras and all are ok but the 42 MP does have advantages. Having said that, I got great results even with the 12MP camera.
Great advice - I used to get obsessed with getting super close but with enough pixels you can lay off back a bit and just crop away which helps a bunch of things as you say👌
Don't shoot the insects💀!
All you said is sooo true
Thanks so much for this video. As many others have said in the comments, I too am familar with "regular" photography but was looking for some good advice on how to get started with macro photography. Well done!
Absolutely great video. Your calm and nice way of talking and your positive charisma made it easy to follow these essential tips. It helped a ton. Thank you so much 🤘🏼
I'm just starting out in macro photography and found this video very helpful. Thank you!
thanx much Michael, doing something different, I do lots of street & urban photography, now I'm dipping my toe in macro photography, and you gave me a good starting point!
Great video, your video's from a few years ago helped me get into macro photography. I stopped for the last 18 months and am now getting back into it, so this was a great refresher video and I learnt a few new things too, especially around aperture as I would tend to stick to F10 for most of my shots with the Lawoa 100mm x2 lens
You are the best! Very useful tips and i got laowa lens as per your recommendation and it is amazing. Thank you and keep up the good work Micael.
I started with regular photography about a year ago and tried a closeup shot here and there but never studied macro. Thank you so much for this video! I'm not sure what shooting I will do but I came away with a great understanding of the basics. Thanks again!!
Thankyou Micael for this video and the focusing tip! I was getting down but just makes me try harder.
Down to earth practical tutorial explained in a very relaxing mode. Thank you Micael.
Great video for beginners. Clear, step by step and in very nice manner. Thank you very much!
I'm an experienced photographer but a complete newbie when it comes to macro work. I found your video very helpful so thanks very much for taking the time to make it!
Brilliant advice. Thank you for sharing your tips on Macro photography. Much appreciated 👍
Thank you for taking the time and presenting your very important tips. It is greatly appreciated.
Loved the video.
Your experiment showing how an extension tube works was amazing. I always wondered how extension tubes were so cheap but your experiment showed me how simple they are and why you lose so much light when using them.
Awesome overview! I have been wanting to try macro but wasnt sure how to go about it. Now I have a place to start! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much for this video. I bought a macro lens about 3 years ago without much of a clue how to use it. After some miserable attempts it ended up in a drawer. After watching your video I hauled it out along with my speed light and used some of your tips. Results, while not perfect, have certainly got me hooked on this type of photography and photography in general now I have a base that I can work from to improve. Thanks again.
Thank you for all this advice, I could listen to you all day.
A great video about Macro, I will definately be watching more of your videos x💕
Thank you Micael, your videos helps me a lot with my experience of macro photos !
Great refresher course. Thanks Micael
My husband and I watched this together Friday night. It was both instructive and entertaining. I especially enjoyed your section about what was weird with macro photography. By the way most of the bugs that stay still for you tend to be predators: tiger flies, ladybugs, spiders, ambush bugs, and so forth. Or they have really good defenses-stink bugs are slow, but no other bug in its right mind would ever wish to eat it. 🤢
Thanks for taking the time to make this vid, really helpful. I sat here nodding at each point you raised. Especially around DOF being so short.
Great tips (not just for beginners). Thanks Micael.
Every fall I think about giving macro a serious try then don’t. Going to try harder this fall (fungi). This video was great and changed my thinking on several points. Thanks! Subscribed and looking forward to going through your other vids.
I consider myself "experienced" as a photographer but not in macro. I can say this whole videos echoes my thoughts on macro and also a wonderful, easy to digest instruction into the discipline. Thanks much for the video and taking the time to explain why you don't need to spend a million dollars to get into another style.
Great tips! Thanks. I found setting the iso to auto and knowing the strength of my flash works well to see the subject in the view finder and get low iso images
Super video, Micael! I'm not a raw beginner, but I learned so much from watching this. In fact, I learn a lot from watching every one of your videos! Thanks for your hard work on these, and keep 'em coming!
Happy you like the videos :)
Thank you for this video! I really appreciate all the information. I saw it from start to end. Thank you!!!
What a great video! I did macro photography back in the olden days of film and have re-entered the subject with my new Sony A7Rv and a Godox V1s. Wow, how the topic has evolved with mirrorless cameras. I set up my camera and flash using your suggested starting point settings. I nailed the exposure on the first test shot! Thanks Micael. Yes, I liked and subscribed. Happy shooting!
Happy to read this :)
Alltid lär man sig något nytt av dig. "Setting effect off" är någonting jag inte visste. Tack för det tipset Micael
Thank you. I enjoy greatly watching your lecture on Macro Photography.
thanks for the good info! especially regarding flash and diffuser. I own an Olympus camera with 60mm macro lens and I have just attacked the macro 250 to it and works very well. Now I need to invest in a flash and diffuser. Your video helps to know what I need. Appreciated!
Thank you Micael. Very much appreciated.
Been into macro photography for a few years now but always find it good to get back to basics every now and again just to pick up one or two tips that may have been forgotten - a very clear and well presented tutorial there Micael. 👍
Happy you like it 🙂
Brill vid, and thanks. I got a sony A6000 with the 16-50mm kit lens, I bought two AF extension tubes 16 mm and 10mm, £10. I had problems with the depth of field , and you explained it perfectly.👍👍👍 BTW a better flash than the Meike MK 320, is the Godox TT 350. it's just as small as the meike 320. It has a GN of 35. full range of head movement, including backwards. Sync up to 1/8000. TTL/Manual/Multi. each mode can be used as a master or slave. It has a deffuser protector cap and the normal pull out deffuser/white bounce card on the flash head. At this present time on Amazon UK, the Godox is cheaper than the Meike. Again a brill and I'm subscribed 👍😊
I started doing macro about a year ago with some luck your videos have helped. I got extension tubes with no electronic on it so you can’t use a new lens because you can’t set your aperture. I have an old Pentax 50mm 1.4 and got a reverse mount for it.
Fabulous video, something that has always been on my bucket list but never attempted until now
I use my Canon 60mm and 180 Macro all the time. I enjoy seeing what I get.I started out using Canon 20D and when the Canon 90D came out I started using that. I still use both depending on what lens is on what camera.
Excellent. I’m just starting macro photography and this is a great starting point. Thank you.
Possibly the best breakdown of this subject that I have seen on YT. Well done.
Thank you, this comment warms my heart :)
Thank you sir. Only getting into macro now that I have the necessary tools. and knowledge 👍📯 I prefer photographing objects, angles and structures; from small to large, inside and outside the household, with special attention to constant lighting the subject. Keep on going Micael!
Michael, this video is valuable to beginners and the experienced. Thank you very much.
Happy you like it 😃
Thanks a lot for explaining the macro in very simple and practicable way.
Micael, thank you for this video! I’ve been making macro photos for more than 10 years and am “self-taught”. Either I got good results or not so I just shot lots and hoped one would meet my exacting standards! Back to basics with this excellent video and I can correct my mistakes! Many thanks! I’ve watched many of your videos and this one is essential for beginners in macro photography. I’m showing it to my Camera Club before we go out to find insects!
Thanks for the kind words!
I have been looking for such a great easy and comprehensive video. After hours and hours of searching, this is by far the best. Thank you so much!
Happy to hear that!
Thanks Micael, very interesting video with lots of tips. Would like to get into this aspect of photography. Definitely will be checking out your other videos.
I love your channel - so helpful.
To try macro photography on the cheap, you can flip a normal lens around. Decades ago, I cut a hole in a lens cap and I cut another hole the camera body cap. After gluing these two caps together I could mount the lens on the camera backwards.
These days, a 3D printer could easily make an adapter without destroying your lens cap and camera cap.
This video has got me interested in trying macro photography again. Thanks for all the great information.
Thank you so much for explaining all of this. I tried the recommended base settings with my 50mm prime and extension tubes. Results are so much better than I had up to now. The biggest mistake I was making before was not using a flash and diffuser and shooting wide exposures. Have only tried on plants so far, can't wait to go find some little beasties in the garden.. Thanks!!
Happy to hear that!
This was an amazing lesson, thank you so much 😊
Thank you for explaining macro photography for beginners. Many years ago, I was big into photography when digital photography was non existent. Getting the itch again and want to get back into it. Lately, I've been fascinated with fungi macro photography. It's like another world. I already have my Fujifilm XT-3 and just need a macro lens. Subscribed!
Great to hear!
What a fantastic video. Thank you for putting it together. 👍🏻🙂
Thankyou soo much ! Just starting with macro photography
I copied / emulated your flash setup using the Godox X2T-S TTL (wireless controller) + the Godox TT600 (flash unit) using a diffuser and the difference in the quality of insect and flower macro is absolutely astonishing. I've only had it setup for an hour but took some great sleeping bee shots. Thank You!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nice 😊
The setting for making the viewfinder bright for Olympus is "simulated optical viewfinder" or S OVF. A monopod is a good compromise between easy setup and steady camera. Another option for more steady (but harder setup) is to use a tripod with one leg all the way up so it's a bipod. Very stable left/right and up/down and you can still tilt in and out to change focus and working distance
Great tips! Thanks
@MicaelWidell I bought a Macro lens and I was getting frustrated. But after watching your video, I now understand it and having fun now. You have a new Subscriber, Thanks!
Glad I could help!
Thanks so much Micael. An excellent overview. I particularly appreciated your tips on settings and tripods. I have a lot of trouble keeping a lens steady (big clunky DSLR) so I'll practice more as suggested and hopefully my flash will compensate. Only challenge then will be using hi-speed drive and not 'burning' out my flash. I'm hoping that with 1/16th power that my recycle times won't be an issue. Something to be said for caterpillars At least they don't fly away :-) Thanks again, very well done!
Thank you for sharing this wonderful presentation👍🏻
Absolutely loving your channel, your lessons are great and your photographs an real inspiration. Thank you🙂 (have just purchased a LOAWA 100mm macro 😃)
thank you! 😊
Fantastic video so much detail and easy to understand for beginner
Went out the other day to take some shots figuring bits out as I went along but after watching this again afterwards it all makes sense now.
Thanks so much truely helpful
So happy to read this :) Thanks!
Thank you so much for such a in depth video. You are like a macro photography guide to me. I am feeling encouraged. 👌😁
Happy you liked it :)
this tutorial is very helpful and useful. thank you for sharing your knowledge about macro photography.
amazing tips, thank you so much!
I commend you for this excellent presentation! Outstanding tips!
Thank you for the great and very helpful tips 🙏
Very helpful to have everything in one place!
Very detaied and simply explained video. Thank you!
Thank you. Cool easy advice.
Excellent tips. Thank you.
Awesome. Thank you for making this video
Very fine and gentle way of talking. It is a happy experience listening to you... Thanks and congrats.
Excellent video, simple but very useful tips!
Excellent video and content, thank you!
Excellent advice. Many thanks.
Thank you Michael!
Professional. Thanks man very useful tutorial 🙏🙏🙏
Good explanation ! Subscribed 🎉...looking forward to test it
Awesome video, thank you for sharing! Really interested in getting into Macro photography and this was a great introduction. I subscribed to your channel and looking forward to watching all of your other videos! Best
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great video! Thank you!
Another great video. Thanks Michael !!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for this great video ☺️
Thank you for great overview! I'm just starting with macro (with a really limited budget kind of - got a cheap Lumix GF3 body + already had extension rings and dozen different vintage soviet lenses for M39). In terms of lenses, it seems literally anything can work great. Even cheapest lens in my possession (Industar I50U-1 designed for photo enlargers selling for like 60 cents in a box) gives interesting results.
Yes! Together with extension tubes, pretty much ANY lens will give you great results, as you mostly never shoot wide open anyway, and most lenses are very sharp between f/5.6-f/11.
i used to use extension tubes but I had better results with a reverse lens adapter. i used a 24mm or a 50mm reversed and worked very nice for hobby. it was tricky to focus and to adjust aperture but it's a very cheap way to start.
Gread idea for this video! Thanks
this is an incredible beginners video Micael! You covered everything. GG
Thank you 😊
Helpful. Thank you!
Appreciate your beautiful way to educate the beginners 👍😊❤
thanks for the tips!
Your speed of light comparison was so great
You're the best, thanks!
Very informative. Thank you.
You have no idea how much the title of this videos excites me. ✌️❤️ Thanks for making this.
Hope you enjoy the video :)
Very informative video, thanks for that. Now time for practice
This is an excellent video Michael. Thank you so much.
Happy you liked it 😃
So much good information here. Great overview! Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
Great tutorial, thank you!
good stuff! Very helpful. Thank you