5. Taking a picture of small subjects
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Bringing your camera into focus
- 3. Getting a well-shaped image
- 4. Expressing the texture of a subject with high fidelity
1. Introduction
Taking a full-screen picture of a small subject is called taking a close-up or macrophotography. Compared with standard photography, close-ups present unexpected difficulties: focusing problems, shakes, and the challenge of reproducing the shape and texture with high fidelity. Therefore, mastering close-up techniques will rev up your interest in photography significantly. In this issue, I would like to introduce all the basics of taking a beautiful picture of small subjects.
2.Bringing your camera into focus
Have you encountered a focusing problem when getting close to a small subject and taking a photo of it? With a digital compact camera, you can get close to a small subject and focus by switching to the macrophotography mode, in which the flower icon appears on the screen, but there is an approaching limit. Even lenses attached to an SLR camera have a limited close-up range.
Let's find the most frequent causes of a failed photo
<01>
This photo is out of focus.
<02>
This photo is in focus.
Any camera (lens) has a focusing limit-focusing is difficult if the distance between camera and subject is too short. It is called the "Shortest Shooting Distance." If you take a picture within the shortest shooting distance, the resulting photo will be out of focus. In the automatic focusing mode, no picture is taken even if you press the shutter release.
Well, I will now describe how to focus on a very near subject. Try it according to your purpose and budget.
Try to use a close-up lens!
The only way to get closer to the subject is to mount another lens on top of the standard one. This accessory is called a close-up lens.
The close-up lens is a simple convex lens, which is like a reading glass attached to a camera. In other words, you mount a close-up lens when it is difficult to focus on a near subject, just as you would wear reading glasses to correct farsightedness.
Like reading glasses, close-up lenses having different magnifications are available on the market. A magnifying glass can temporarily substitute for the close-up lenses just as you can get a larger view of a subject through the glass.
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You simply mount a close-up lens onto the top of a lens.
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You can get closer to a subject.
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Focusing is accomplished.
Try to use a macro lens!
A lens designed to shoot small subjects is called a macro lens. Nikon named it Micro-Nikkor. This lens is especially designed to provide superior image quality, usefulness, and performance. Like standard lenses, macro lenses having different focal lengths are available. I will describe how different focal lengths change the resulting pictures in "3. Getting a well-shaped image."
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A macro lens is longer than a normal lens having the same focal length.
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It is farther than <04>, but . . .
<08>
The subject is enlarged further and just into focus.
Try to use a close-up ring!
When shooting with a macro lens, there is still an approaching limit. To get closer to a subject and enlarge a small part of it, you need to use an accessory called a close-up (intermediate) ring.
The close-up ring is a hollow barrel inserted between the camera and the lens. This barrel pushes the lens forward, which makes it possible to focus on a smaller subject.
Some models disable the automatic focusing (AF), automatic exposure (AE), and other functions, so you need to take the picture in the manual mode. If you have a digital camera, it displays the results right after shooting, which allows you to adjust these settings by trial and error.
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A close-up ring is placed between the body and lens.
<10>
You can get closer to the subject and take a picture.
<11>
You can enjoy magnifying photography rather than close-up.
3.Getting a well-shaped image
When you get close to a small subject to take a photo, the resulting image may appear distorted somehow. In this case, use a telephoto lens to shoot it from a distance. You will find the shape of the enlarged subject is beautiful.
This means that "Macrophotography = Approach" does not hold. You need to keep this principle in mind though it may be hard to understand, but it is very important.
Compare the following two photos and find the differences
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The shape looks deformed and a little larger.
<13>
Lines facing each other are almost parallel, so the shape looks beautiful.
I took both photos of the same subject at the same size. Compare and find the differences.
First, the bottle shapes are different. Secondly, the roses on the background appear different. Which bottle shape is beautiful? Which bottle looks larger?
Try to get close to a subject and take a picture with a wide-angle lens
Digital compact cameras or zoom lenses with the macro function allow you to get close to a subject for macrophotography. In most cases, the focal length of the lens is relatively short and in the wide-angle mode.
Getting close to a subject makes the perspective extreme and the shape distorted. As a result, the subject's volume looks large.
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I took this photo with a wide-angle lens (35 mm).
<15>
The shape looks distorted and the background is wide.
Try to use a telephoto lens and take a picture from a distance
A telephoto lens having a long focal length allows you to enlarge a small subject even if you are far from it. This technique makes the perspective weak and the shape beautiful.
Shooting a small subject from a distance with a telephoto lens goes against the image "Macrophotography = Approach" but provides photos that make a good impression on the viewer.
Note that "Focal Length" is completely different from "Shortest Shooting Distance."
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I took this photo from a distance with a telephoto lens (105 mm).
<17>
The shape is beautiful and the rose on the background is large enough.
Take care not to shake your camera with a telephoto lens
If your camera shakes a little during macrophotography, the resulting image is blurred significantly because a small part is enlarged. Accordingly, you need to take some measures for preventing such a blur, for example, high ISO sensitivity and the use of a tripod.
With a lens having the vibration reduction (VR) function which moves the lens slightly to synchronize it with camera shaking, the useful shooting range expands.
Many blurred photos result from shaking rather than from being out of focus. Therefore, take great care to avoid camera shake.
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Camera shake, not out of focus.
<19>
VR Micro-Nikkor 105 mm.
4.Expressing the texture of a subject with high fidelity
<20>
The subject does not appear gold.
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The surface is smooth, glossy, and beautiful.
It is very difficult to take a photo that can show a glossy subject with high fidelity.
To do this, you need to consider how to shine light on the subject. No special devices are necessary; any lighting source can be used.
The most important thing is the size of the light-emitting surface. First of all, I show you how a diffuser made from a plastic shopping bag can change the gloss. A simple idea improves the quality of the resulting photo surprisingly.
Let's take a photo with the built-in speedlight
The built-in speedlight emits high-intensity light instantaneously, resulting in a photo without camera shake. However, the small lighting area causes a bright reflection on the glossy surface of the subject and a dark shadow is cast on the background. Therefore, shooting with the built-in speedlight makes it difficult to reproduce the texture of a subject with high fidelity.
One solution to this problem is a diffuser that increases the light emitting area, which improve the resulting photo dramatically.
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I took this photo with the built-in speedlight.
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The surface of the subject directly reflects light from the speedlight, and its dark shadow is cast on the background.
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The diffuser scatters light from the speedlight to form a large surface lighting source.
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The gloss of the surface is smooth and no shadow appears on the background.
Let's take a picture with indoor fluorescent lamps
Indoor fluorescent lamps are not suitable for photography. However, you can get a photo of what you see-looking natural-by fixing your camera to a tripod.
The concept "Darkness = Failed Photo" is wrong. You can take a beautiful photo under indoor fluorescent lamps as long as you pay attention to camera shake.
<26>
I took this photo under fluorescent lamps only.
<27>
The photo is beautiful enough, but the reflections of the lamps are eyesores.
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I covered them with a diffuser.
<29>
The gloss of the surface is smooth, and the shape appears more beautiful.
Let's take a picture with a desktop lamp
Using a desktop lamp that can be moved freely allows you to adjust the light shining on a subject. Set the white balance depending on the light source you use, such as an incandescent bulb or fluorescent lamp. This setting can reproduce the color tone of a subject correctly.
<30>
Take a picture with a desktop lamp. The other indoor lamps should be turned OFF.
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Change the lamp position to move the position of the reflection.
<32>
Use a diffuser.
<33>
The gloss of the surface is very beautiful, and the subject looks more three-dimensional.
Finally
Macrophotography enlarging a small subject increases the fun of taking an extraordinary shot. Devise various ways to get as beautiful a photo as possible rather than an ordinary one. In this issue, I have described focus, shapes, and texture, which are the basics of beautiful photography.
