Basic Camera Modes – Macro Photography

This bee macro shot was taken with a non-macro lens - Sigma 18-250mm (click on the photo to see it full-size)

At Photography Classes Atlanta, the Macro Mode spot on the dial is one of the favorites. Macro photography is also known as Close-Up Photography. This mode is accessed by selecting the little section of the button on your dial that looks like a little flower.

Macro photography has the power to convert.

When you see the intricate details in an image that you had no idea were there, you will be amazed. Your amazement will lead to further photos and experimentation, and Voila! You will be an addict.

When you choose the Macro mode on your camera, your camera will select the proper aperture and shutter speed for that type of picture. The lens will adjust so you can focus at a much closer distance, as well.

If you are using a Digital SLR camera, combining the macro mode with a dedicated macro lens will give the best results. However, if you do not have a macro lens, you can still get great pictures, just because of the power of a digital SLR. The image sensor is larger than those on point and shoot cameras, thus giving more detail to the pixels. While special lenses can be very expensive, there are some that cost a bit less. There is a short list of macro lenses for Canon digital SLR cameras at www.canoneoslenses.org.

There is one caution you must be aware of when using a compact digital camera with macro images. It is not as common as in the past because of the advance in camera technology, but here it is. If your compact is equipped with an optical viewfinder and a live view LCD screen, be sure to use the LCD to compose your macro photo. The reason for this is that the optical viewfinder on compact cameras does not see the exact image that will be recorded when you press the shutter button. Compact cameras do not see the image through the lens like a digital SLR camera does, so what you see is not what you get, especially when viewing extremely close images. Using the LCD screen solves this problem. The thing is, most newer compact cameras don’t even offer an optical viewfinder anymore, so this issue will be obsolete soon. And if you have purchased a camera recently, you are probably saying, “What is he talking about?” The bottom line is this, if you have an LCD that shows the picture you are about to take, you will get the picture you expect.

Digital SLRs already have this problem covered simply because of the way the image is seen and focused using the “through the lens” technology. However, many newer digital SLRs are also now offering the live view feature in which you see the image on the LCD screen.

Lighting Up Your Macro Photography Images

Using a light diffuser disc or even an umbrella at the beach can help alleviate harsh shadows of the mid-day sun.

When taking close-ups, you will have different situations with lighting than you do with normal photographs for a couple of reasons. One of those is simply because of how close you are to the subject. The second is due to the small size of the objects that are the subjects of macro photos.

Think about it. When the shadows change by a yard or so in a landscape photograph, you will barely notice it, but if the shadow moves an inch on a flower that you are about to photograph, it changes everything about the composition. Then, too, light changes are more intense as you get closer to the subject. You really need to be aware of what is happening to the light as you get ready to shoot the picture. Waiting a few seconds for a cloud to move one way or the other could make a major difference in the outcome.

Another thing to watch is the quality of the light. Bright sunlight can be your worst enemy because of the harsh shadows it creates up close. On the other hand, while shade or overcast skies make it easier to get a more evenly lit image, the colors are not as intense.

The direction of the light also has a huge effect on the results. Make sure you are aware of the where the light is coming from. Many photographers like to shoot with the sun at their back, but using side lighting or back lighting can give really nice results, too. If you choose your position with light direction in mind, you can get some very dramatic effects. The hint here is that you should take control rather than letting the light control you.

It does not matter whether you are using a compact (point and shoot) camera or an advanced digital SLR with a macro lens, accurate focus is the key to great macro photography. This is because of something know as “depth of field” which, in the case of macro, is very shallow. This simply means that if your focus is off just a hair, the photo will be messed up. Some photographers prefer to use manual focus so they have the control of the exact point in the subject where they want to focus.

You can also deepen the depth of field by using aperture priority (instead of macro mode) and set the aperture to a higher number, such as f/13. In this case, you must be aware that setting your aperture to a high number slows down the shutter speed of your digital camera. This brings another factor into play – camera steadiness. A tripod is really a great accessory to have for your macro photography work.

Macro Photography – Powerful Images

Macro photography is a whole world unto itself. There are plenty of photographers who are really good at it. Look for websites that are devoted to macro photography, or look on www.flickr.com and type close-up or macro into the search box. You will love the results, and when you try to duplicate their shots, you will learn a lot about close-ups, as well as delighting your viewing public.

Click on any macro photo to see a larger image. Notice the wonderful detail and nice depth of field rendering the backgrounds blurry.

What Is The Big Deal About JPEG vs RAW?

One of the first things you should do before you take the first picture is to select the right file format. If you are using a digital SLR, you will have more choices than if you are shooting with a more basic digital camera.

The use of RAW formats has become much more widely accepted, however, there are still some photographers who do not know the difference between the two formats. And then there are those who know the difference and are strongly in favor of one or the other.

The goal of this post is to explain the difference between JPEG and RAW in a way that makes sense. In fact, the video is probably the best way for you to learn about both RAW and JPEG.

What is JPEG?

JPEG (also known as JPG) is The Standard digital format for graphic images produced by a digital camera. The camera uses software to process a digital image in-camera and produce a usable file that can be printed or posted on the Web. The processing of the image in the camera results in a “lossy compression” that discards certain unnecessary picture information in order to produce a picture with good quality and a smaller file size. Most digital images that are printed or saved to the Internet on website like Facebook are JPEG images.

What is RAW?

RAW is a non-standard format used by digital cameras to record the picture information of an image file. It records all the information about a photograph without any in-camera processing, and without any loss or compression of the image. RAW images must be “converted” to a format that is usable by print programs or web graphics, and in most cases, this will be a JPEG file format.

JPEG vs RAW

From the descriptions, it appears that RAW would be the best way to go. However, there are plenty of photographers who either don’t know about RAW or who resist the transition to recording RAW images in their digital cameras. There are some rather compelling reasons for both choices.

1. + JPEG is how it has always been done and photographers are quite familiar (and satisfied) with this format. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
2. + JPEG takes up much less storage space. In fact, RAW uses twice as much or more storage card space and computer hard drive space.
3. + JPEG saves time. Many die-hard JPEG users contend that they don’t want to spend the extra time processing RAW files, and processing is definitely necessary. You can’t print or post a RAW picture. It simply must be converted.
4. - JPEG – when saving an image in the JPEG format, you lose data every time you save. So, if you open your image 6 times and make changes, and save it each time, by the 6th time, you may be able to see the degradation of the image… not good.
5. + RAW images preserve all the data that enters the camera.
6. + RAW images can be used to get the entire dynamic range of color and contrast from the image using computer software such as Photoshop.
7. + With RAW, you can still get a great image even if you got the settings wrong in-camera when you took the picture.
8. - RAW – Images must be converted using some kind of software. Photoshop is the logical application, but if you don’t have an updated copy, your software may not support your newer digital camera.

Should you switch to RAW?

Many photographers and advanced amateurs are using RAW planning to switch. They claim it is a no-brainer because of the retention of all the data from the camera. Others are resisting. They either don’t want to spend the extra time that is necessary, or they think their work is good enough that the extra insurance of having all the pixel data is not needed.

On a personal note, the article by Gavin Seim mentioned below says it all. There are plenty of times that I actually forget to change the settings on my camera before I start to shoot. This is not the recommended way to start. You should ALWAYS check your settings when you pick up your camera. But sometimes we forget. The one thing that is certain is that my digital SLR is set to RAW format. So, if (and when) I forget to check my settings, I will normally be able to salvage the picture I wanted by using Photoshop with the RAW image I get from my camera.

Watch the video.

In the video, there is a reference to a blog post by Gavin Seim. That post can be viewed at “JPEG vs RAW – Let’s Settle It With A Single Example.”