First steps in Macro Photography, Mistakes to Avoid?

FYI, here's a Tarantula shot in daylight, Nikon D3 w105mm 2.8 handheld f8, 1/90s.

Dan Fromm said:

Hmm. If you're shooting whole bones its hardly macro. I mean, my femurs and tibias are around 38-39 cm long. If you need to photography an entire bone and want good detail, look into using a 4x5 or larger camera. 35 mm or digital for details of small sections.

Consider getting a copy of A. A. Blaker's Handbook For Scientific Photography.

Click to expand...

That is true, i was mainly interested in macro as a challenge/hobby i am not sure yet if it will be necessary for my thesis at all yet as it hasn't started yet. Thanks for the book suggestion, i will check it out if i get the chance. As u can imagine i wont buy all the great books you guys are suggesting but am looking into them, borrow them if possible and maybe buy one or two if they seem particularly interesting or relevant to what i am trying to achieve.



Awesome Spider Pieter. I know i know, they are also a little big for macro but once you try to photograph their bulbs or the differences between subspecies it will be necessary. What was the ISO if i may ask.

"so thats what i got, i assume that speedlight is a ttl flash but i would prefer to use fixed led lights and a tripod."

The thing about a strobe is it freezes motion and eliminates issues with camera shake, can blast enough light to deal with small apertures etc. Macro has the same issues a long tele lens does with camera shake killing resolution, which can be a problem even on a tripod depending on the magnification. And it sounds like you already have the gear to try some off camera flash work. With an off camera cord SC-17, that SB24 is a powerful tool if you do a bit of research on using it. Especially with the camera on a tripod, you can hold the flash to get the light where you need it. It won't work on the hotshoe for macro. Reflectors (even a piece of white cardstock) opposite where you are blasting light from help fill shadows from using a single light source. That flash was designed to take advantage of what the F4 can do, plus it can be used full manually, just like the camera can, if that is the route you want to take.

https://camerapedia.fandom.com/wiki/Nikon_Speedlight_SB-24

And I should have ignored Dan's taunts with his "mind rot" insults, sorry about responding to him.

Thanks for the response Stephe,

i know that flash has some great uses but as i said before i want to try fixed lights first. I am not disregarding them i just want to try things step by step. There will come the time for it.

Thanks for the link, i will check it out.

Yea, nether of us knows which experiences lead someone to certain conclusions and opinions so i just assume that people have a point, know something i dont, or simpy have different expectations of their work. I can understand that if you have made drastically different experiences those same words might be offensive. Especially if both opinions seemingly contradict each other. I find that in most cases its simply a misunderstanding based on lacking communication.

I just was frustrated by the "mind rot" comment, clearly is saying I'm too stupid to do it their way. For studio work I use manual strobes and for lab type conditions, would do the same. I've been a photographer for 35+ years so yes, I understand how to use a manual flash.

When used correctly, TTL flash is not unreliable/unusable and I've taken hundreds if not thousands of macro shots over the years with film and digital using TTL flash and never had an issue that wasn't an error on my part. I suppose maybe some models or brands might not work well, but both Olympus OM and Nikon TTL flashes works great IF the user knows how to work with it. I do a lot of event photography and use exclusively TTL flash in that environment and it works perfect. BUT you do have to know how to use it and there is more to it than setting the camera on P and turning on the flash. There are times when a manual flash makes sense too.

Anyway, good luck with your adventures into Macro.

When shooting handheld macro with a manual focus lens, especially outside,I often pre-focus at an approximate distance from the object then move the camera (and myself) to improve that focus... I find that it gives me more reactivity to take the shot at the right moment before another breeze moves the subject out of focus.

Anaxagore said:

When shooting handheld macro with a manual focus lens, especially outside,I often pre-focus at an approximate distance from the object then move the camera (and myself) to improve that focus... I find that it gives me more reactivity to take the shot at the right moment before another breeze moves the subject out of focus.

Click to expand...

This 100%. It really works much better than trying to use autofocus.

A few recent examples, all shot handheld.

1/1000s, f/8, with flash

1/1000s, f/8, with flash


1/80s, f/7.1, no flash


1/1000s, f/22, with flash



These few pictures to illustrate 2 things for whoever has not tried close-ups / macro photos:
- the depth of field is really so tiny that capturing exactly the part you want when handheld is hard, and additional light (to decrease the aperture/increase the f/ number) is always welcome;
- whether manual- or auto-focus (there are both here.. guess which ones), it is more about having the focus point right where you want, whether that is adjusted by AF or by setting up focus and moving slightly to adjust that focus point.

If the object of the photograph is not moving and the pictures are shot inside, a good macro stand with strong lights and focus bracketing should be your friends..

This is very late but the first thing to learn is to buy a good-quality tripod. The second is a macro or micro lens of the same manufacturer as your camera body. The third is a dedicated ring flash, preferably from your camera's manufacturer. The reason for that is electronic compatibility.