Nikon® D5000 Digital Field Guide

Chapter 11. Macro Photography

In This Chapter

• Preparing your shot

• Tools of the trade

• Using ring flashes

• Outdoor macro

One of the most popular and interesting types of photography has to be macro photography. It is also referred to as close-up photography, although technically speaking, you don't necessarily need to be to close up to get a macro shot.

Macro photography often involves images of insects because most insects are so small that photographing them any other way doesn't allow you to see the details that you can get with macro photography. That being said, of course, insects aren't the only things you can take macro photos of. Macro photography is used for making many different types of images, from small product and food shots to abstract close-ups of all different types of subjects.

Preparing Your Shot

To do macro photography, you need to be able to focus closely enough so that the image your lens projects on the sensor of your camera is the exact same size as the subject that you are photographing. The relative size of the actual subject to the projected image is defined in terms of a ratio. So if your image size is the same as the subject size, you have a ratio of 1:1.

Strictly speaking, the true definition of a macro image is one that has a ratio of 1:1 or better. These days, however, the marketing gurus at the camera and lens manufacturing companies have broadened the definition of macro lens to encompass any lens that allows you get a ratio of 1:2, or half size.

Note

Nikon's ...