What is Macro photography, you might ask? Well, for the uninitiated*, MACRO photography is close-up photography to the max (unlike Mackerel-photography which is pictures of fish…“Don Corleone, I have bad news, Bruno Tattaglia shoots with the fishes….“). The only thing closer is true Microphotography which requires that you have a scanning electron microscope in your closet. (*Disclaimer: when I say “uninitiated” it doesn’t mean you don’t know anything, it just means you haven’t tried it yet.
In life, pretty much everything except for breathing must be learned. Even keeping your pants unsullied is a process fraught with trials and tribulations… just ask your parents.)
While the definition of macro-photography differs (depending on the manufacturer, the camera sales-person, and the person finally taking the picture) if you can get 1/2 life-size or bigger (1:1, 2:1 etc) then you’re pretty much assured that the local camera buffs won’t point and make snide remarks when you show them your Macro-shots. The “ratio” (1:2, 1:1, etc) refers to the size of the object on the “film” with 1:1 being life-size, 2:1 double-life size etc.
With a good close-up attachment-lens (like the Nikon attachment lenses, or the similar Hoya and similar close-up lenses) you can take some incredibly great close-up photos. Screwed on the front of a decent lens, they offer a great introduction to the world of Macro-photography (and will also work for mackerel-photography in case that’s the way you’re headed).
Even many of the newer point and shoot digital cameras have great macro-capabilities. I’ve seen some truly awesome photos taken with a SONY 3x-zoom point and shoot. ( another disclaimer, I think we should have Hal David , and Burt Bacharach write a song that goes something like this: “What the world needs now, is another 3x-zoom point and shoot…” NOT! ). My friend had some photos with that camera (the SONY 3x P and S), that were taken underwater near Catalina using only the built-in flash and the available macro capabilities, and there were close-ups of fishes (macro, not mackerel) that were truly awesome on range, clarity, and color.
Using either the screw-in lenses, or a good macro-equipped camera will bring the joy-of-macro (not exactly the Joy Of Sex, but close) into your house. This brings up another great advantage of macro-photography , you can do it all over your house and your garden. You can practice your photography at all hours of the day and night, even in your Jammies, and the skills you develop will help all of your photography… even mackerel.
Next Post: Exploring even closer in macro-photography.
HTB