5 Tips for Taking Macro PhotosSammi Goble offers practical advice for capturing detailed and abstract macro images with the Tamron Macro lens lineup. |
Article by Jenn Gidman Images by Sammi Goble |
Sammi Goble has dabbled in photography since she was a kid, receiving her first point-and-shoot camera when she was 10 years old. Two years ago, the 21-year-old moved up to DSLRs and started seriously making pictures, apprenticing under her uncle, professional photographer David Guy Maynard. "I shoot as much as possible and whenever I possibly can," she says. "I know the more I shoot, the better I'll get." |
One of Sammi's specialties is macro photography, capturing the native creatures and plant life found near her home in central Florida. Read on for Sammi's quick tips on how to successfully achieve your own macro images. |
Select a true macro lens to achieve the look you want in your images. |
The 90mm VC is the lens I'm using the most right now. That lens also helps me to get up close and personal but puts a little more space between my subject and me. The Vibration Compensation (VC) feature is especially handy since I have carpal tunnel syndrome. My hands are often shaking, but the VC helps stabilize the image so I can keep doing what I love-taking photos. This has become my lens of choice now at that focal length. |
Capture your subjects in their best light. |
Focus on your subject, not distracting backgrounds. |
You really need to make sure your subject is sharp with macro photography. For bugs and other small creatures, focusing on the creature's eye is your best bet; for flowers or plant life, aim for the center of the flower. If you're still not getting all of the creature or flower in focus, try adjusting your camera position so that the camera plane is more closely lined up with your subject's plane. |
Often I'll blur out the background as much as I can to isolate my subject. To get a shallow depth-of-field with that nice bokeh effect, pay attention to your F-stops: A lower F-stop creates more of a bokeh than a higher F-stop does. |
I also take more abstract macro images this way. I'll look for vines or other plant life that isn't going to fly away from me while I'm taking pictures. I simply shoot wide open at F/2.8 using the 90mm VC. I like the look and feel of these types of photos. |
Experiment with different angles. |
Freeze motion with high shutter speeds. |
For instance, I have a hummingbird feeder right outside my front porch, so I've been taking a lot of pictures of hummingbirds. Their wings beat up to 200 times per second to keep them hovering in the air the way they do, so I need a ridiculously high shutter speed-around 1/2000th of a second if the lighting is right. |
To see more of Sammi Goble's work, go to kawasakifanatic.wix.com/sammigphotography. |