5 Great Macro Photography Tips for Beginners

Macro photography is one of those genre staples I'd like to see all photographers try at some junctures. Here are five quick and useful tips if you're looking to dip a toe in those close up water droplets.

As I've said too many times already, macro photography is what originally lured me into buying a camera. What I've said less often, however, is that I truly believe it ought to be a staple for new photographers to try. Because of the inherent challenges in shooting something with such magnification, the photographer is required to know (or to learn) how to manage narrow depth of field, difficult lighting conditions, and often manual focus and settings. It throws a photographer into a difficult scenario and requires you to manipulate all facets of photography to get out of it with a strong image.

One of my favorite tips for new macro photographers is mentioned in this video and I still occasionally use it myself, though rarely see it talked about: handheld lighting. In this video, Ed Verosky uses his flash and mini softbox not on a tripod or on the top of the camera, but held in his left hand with his camera in the right. Although this can be highly tiring on your arms, it's a great way to experiment with light and creative angles without restructuring your setup, which you seldom have time to do. For an added tip, if I'm working in the same area for a while, I sometimes use a clamp and a lightstand to put up a large white reflector to my right and then hold the flash or LED in my left hand. This will cause both natural and artificial light to bounce back and balance out the scene a little better, often illuminating the background which can so often fall into black.

What tips do you have for new macro photographers?