Who doesn’t love a close-up shot of a flower or bumble bee? Some of the most beautiful aspects of nature are quite small and require special tools to capture them in a meaningful way. Whether it be of a cute little insect visiting our garden, or miniature figurines you paint and sell, we need a camera that can focus close and deliver good, quality results.
Before you panic, hear us out. We don’t need to get carried away with complicated lenses and accessories, and can just enjoy yourself with a simple compact, point and shoot camera. Many of which come well equipped to capture stunning pictures out of the box, but that’s only scratching the surface of what makes these small cameras so popular.
Other than their compact size, one of the cooler aspects of smaller cameras is their inherent close-focusing abilities. Because point-and-shoots typically contain lenses with extremely short single-digit zoom ranges, they can often focus closer than the average equivalent lenses found in larger format, interchangeable lens mirrorless and DSLR cameras. Although larger-format cameras require dedicated macro lenses to capture life-size close-ups, most point-and-shoot cameras can focus down to a few centimeters from the front lens element, right out of the box. That makes capturing macro stills and video easier than one might expect.
It’s important to note the closest focusing distances of point-and-shoot zooms are invariably at the widest end of the lenses zoom range. What that means is, as we zoom in, we hurt our ability to focus on close objects, so turn that zoom switch to the left until it won’t zoom out any more before starting.
With that in mind, it’s important to note that wide-angle lenses often introduce distortion factors that can make photographing certain subjects challenging. If that’s the case, it’s often a good idea to back away from your subject a bit and zoom in to a longer focal length and simply crop off any unwanted edge detail after the fact for a tighter composition. Depending on the model, some point-and-shoot cameras have a “Super Macro” or “Microscope” mode that automatically zooms the lens to a longer fixed focal length to maximize image quality and magnifying power.
Setting up Your Camera for Macro Photography
The steps involved in optimizing your camera settings for macro capture can be as simple as the press of a button. Assuming your point-and-shoot camera has a macro focusing mode (and most do), it’s commonly set by clicking on a flower-petal icon that’s nestled among the camera controls located on the rear of the camera (see your owner’s manual for the specifics). Once in macro mode, your camera will be able to focus down to its closest focusing distance.
If your camera has an image stabilization system, you’re definitely going to want to turn this on. As we magnify our image, we also magnify any shake that is present while we’re holding the camera, so some form of support is essential to capturing a clear, detailed image. This setting can be found in the menu, so reference your manual as needed.
In addition, note that the closer you focus on your subject, the narrower your depth of field becomes. This means that our area of apparent focus, or the sharp area of the picture, becomes smaller. In the case of macro photography, focusing accuracy becomes quite critical, especially at wider apertures. Depending on the ease and usability of your camera’s focusing system, you might also want to shoot in Manual mode, which can often be more accurate and far less squirrelly at closer camera-to-subject distances. Though do so to your comfort level. Auto can do an excellent job, especially for stationary subjects, but experiment to your heart’s desire.
If your camera has a tiltable or variable-angle rear LCD, this is the time to make use of that feature. Rather than creeping around on all fours or trying to peer at the camera screen in an awkward position, being able to twist and turn the screen to a position that suits your stature is a far better means of going about your business in a comfortable manner.
Technique
Once set-up for macro photography, we’re ready to start taking pictures, but hold on. Many of the same issues we run into when using our smartphones will still occur. While our point and shoot camera is capable of capturing better quality images, many of the challenges macro photography faces are due to technique, and not the camera itself. Without any further ado, let’s find out how.
Focusing
Isn’t focusing a technical function of the lens and camera? Yes, but with a point-and-shoot camera, we can better control when and where our camera focuses. For instance, much like a smart phone, many point and shoots feature a touch screen that we can use to simply touch on the area of a scene we want to focus on. Where these camera differ is that the point and shoot won’t automatically refocus without being told to do so.
For cameras without touchscreens, we simply need to half press the shutter button to activate autofocus. To move our focus point, use the rear dial or arrow buttons and place the point where you want it. Once in place, it’s not going to move until you tell it to, or until you power the camera down.
Get Low
Shooting from your subject’s perspective is a great way of immersing your audience. This makes for a more engaging image and one that makes your viewers feel as if they’re in the subject’s world. Additionally, this can aid us in getting those smooth, blurry backgrounds we often desire in our photography.
Move Slow
When photographing any living creature, from birds and bison to spiders and insects, it’s important to move slowly. Sudden movements can startle even the smallest critters, so thoughtful movements are key to getting as close as possible. Think about how you’d like it if a giant device was held just inches over your head for a prolonged time.
Watch the light
Photography is the act of “painting with light”, so as you can imagine, light plays a significant role. A general rule of thumb is to keep your primary light source, A.K.A. the sun, over your shoulder. That way, everything in front of you is well lit, so long as you don’t block out the light with your shadow. If that does occur, don’t worry, we’ll have a solution for you shortly.
Additionally, it’s best to shoot in the first and last hours of the day, as the lighting at these times is at its softest and warmest. You’ve likely heard of this time frame, better known as golden hour. Why is it so special? Color and intensity aside, the sun is low in the sky and highly directional. This means we can photograph a subject with few harsh shadows to worry about.
Macro Accessories
Macro shooting handheld can be easy, but more often than not, it brings some unique challenges to the mix. If you’ve tried taking close-up shots with your phone, you’re likely already familiar with some of these challenges, from wind to the ability to finely focus on the subject itself and not its surroundings.
Tripods
In a perfect world, we should be able to handhold cameras in a rock-steady manner under the most trying circumstances, especially when it comes to macro photography. But there’s one big problem, and we addressed it before. When you magnify an image, you also magnify any movements you’re making when holding the camera, meaning a little shake can look like an earthquake through the viewfinder.
Alas, even the steadiest hands have a bit of shake, especially after the third or fourth cup of coffee. As mentioned before, we can always turn on image stabilization, but even this setting has its limits. If you’re looking to get serious, a tripod is essential to keeping your camera still no matter the lighting conditions.
Choosing the best form of camera support for macro photography depends greatly on what and where you’re shooting. Full-size tripods are fine and dandy except they’re big, heavy, and counterproductive when trying to keep things light with a compact camera. Alternatively, we can use a small tabletop tripod, which keeps our kit portable while providing the sturdy shooting platform we need.
Portability aside, the advantages of tabletop tripods is that they allow you to position your camera in extremely close proximity to your subject. And unlike bulkier, full-size tripods, a tabletop tripod is less likely to be compromised when your subject is located in a hard-to-access location.
Self-Timer
While not technically an accessory on its own, another useful tool at our disposal when using a tripod is the self-timer function. This allows us to press the shutter before stepping back, removing any and all forms of camera shake. The resulting images will be sharper, so long as what we were trying to photograph isn’t moving either. It’s also worth noting that many of today’s point and shoot cameras are available alongside accompanying apps for your smart devices. These allow you to transfer images easily to your phone or tablet but can often be used as a remote to trigger your camera without touching it.
Flash
You see a beautiful flower along the side of trail, and you crouch to take a pic. Just when you get into position, your own shadow blocks out the light from hitting it! Sure, you could move to the side, but it’ll never look as good as it did when you first noticed it from the trail. What do we do to get the shot without compromising? We add some light of our own.
Lighting is what it’s all about, and if our light is poor, our picture taking experience is going to be a doozy. A dark scene not only makes it difficult for any camera to find focus, but it’s also nearly impossible for us to see what we’re doing. For that reason, many cameras come equipped with a pop-up flash. This adds light when needed and can save our image from a drab, blurry mess, into a brightly detailed photograph.
Close-Up Filters
While not compatible with all point and shoot cameras, some compact cameras, like the larger bridge cameras, have threaded filter mounts on their front elements. This allows us to use additional macro tools like a close-up filter! These often come in sets and can be easily screwed on to the front of the lens for greater magnification. You can even use these without setting your camera to its dedicated macro mode, as they do the work of magnifying all by themselves.
Put it to Practice
Macro photography is one of the most exciting genres of the art form. Whether you’re just looking to experiment, or you have a specific type of image in mind, it’s a great way to express creativity and to share a close-up look at the world around you.
As with all aspects of photography, the more you do it, the easier it’ll become. To learn more about point and shoot cameras, macro photography, and all things photo, video, and pro audio, check out our other guides on the B&H Explora page!
