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Macro and close up photography | Techniques and lenses

Macro and close up eye

Close-up and macro photography are two of the most challenging forms of photography, yet potentially the most exciting and rewarding, often revealing stunning patterns, textures, colors, and details unseen by the naked eye. Everyday objects can make excellent macro subjects, providing an endless range of specimens. Whilst medical and forensic photographers need to be able to record the finest details in a standardized way in their images, artists and creative photographers will find huge inspiration in the myriad of subjects to be found in the world of close-up and macro photography. New advances in digital equipment have made it much easier recently, particularly as results can be previewed instantly on the camera screen, and, with no film and processing costs, there is now no need to worry about the cost of experimentation. Advances in software too, enabling new techniques such as focus stacking, have led to new standards in close-up imaging that were unimaginable just a few years ago.

Good close-up and macro photography do not come easily though. They require meticulous technique, perseverance, and patience.

The choice of lens is critical, and we will discuss in detail the types of lenses most appropriate for this type of photography, and how to get the best results from them. The lens used will help determine viewpoint and depth of field, which is a critical issue in close-up and macro photography, both in terms of the main subject, and the background behind it. We'll also explore depth of field and various factors behind it, and how to achieve the best compromise between image quality and subject depth.

As with any form of photography, quality and direction of light is fundamental to the success of the image, and this book will deal extensively with light, and how to use and enhance it where necessary.

Flatbed scanners can be utilized to give superb macro images with minimum effort, and the various techniques that can be used with those devices will be explored in detail.

Macro & Close up shooting - Techniques, accessories, lenses and filter
  1. Balancing between depth of field and image quality
  2. Digital SLR close up focusing techniques
  3. Bellows and Extension tubes for Digital SLR
  4. Blurring a background with Gaussian blur filter
  5. About Bokeh and Lens Diaphragm
  6. Camera features for Close up photography
  7. Introduction to Canon MP E65 Macro Lense
  8. Circles of confusion, CofC, blur circles
  9. Extension tubes - Tools to help focus close
  10. Close up versus macro photography | The definitions
  11. 8 tricks to improve the close up picture quality
  12. Close up supplementary lenses and diopters
  13. Equipment for indoor close up pictures
  14. Composition - Simple trick to improve your close up pictures
  15. The in depth definition of Depth Of Field
  16. 3D effect with depth of field
  17. Simple introduction to Diffraction
  18. dSLR macro photography and lenses
  19. Type of electronics flash for different close up applications
  20. Exposure compensation with extension tubes and bellows
  21. Introduction to Extension Tubes and Extension Bellows
  22. The focal length and sensor size
  23. Professional tips to avoid parallax errors
  24. Step by step guide to macro photography
  25. Techniques to make your eBay auction photos look better
  26. An introduction to Image Stabilization
  27. Working with Existing Light
  28. Handling Lighting in Close-Up Shooting
  29. Types of macro lenses
  30. Setting up close up studio | Tools and gadgets
  31. Digital SLR, non SLR and film cameras in Macro shootings
  32. Magnification - How close can I get?
  33. Reproduction ratio - magnification measurement in photography
  34. Magnification ratio in camera
  35. Increase magnification power with extension
  36. Non conventional camera lenses for close up images
  37. Perspective of the camera
  38. Professional guides to perspective control tilt and shift lenses
  39. Getting into Macro photography - An Introduction
  40. Building your own lighting tent
  41. Setting up the background of close up pictures
  42. Tips to setup creative macro images
  43. Reversing ring to improve macro shooting perfomance
  44. Using seamless paper in macro photography
  45. Beginner's guide to use tripod in close up photography
  46. Lighting setup for macro and studio shooting
  47. 6 steps to configure your camera for optimum macro images
  48. Increase depth of field effect by Stacking images
  49. Stacking prime lens | Macro photography techniques
  50. Autoblend for better depth of field | Image processing techniques
  51. About Standard length macro lenses
  52. Wildlife photographer's tool | Teleconverters
  53. Beginner's guide to telephoto lenses
  54. Close up photography techniques
  55. Plain color cloth | Cheap close up background solution
  56. Incandescent lights - Perfect Indoor Macro Lighting
  57. All you need to know about Close up lenses
  58. Techniques to put white cardboard for close up shooting
  59. Wide angle lenses in close up images
  60. Use tripod for better close up shots
  61. Use Zoom Lens for Macro photographic pictures

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