Shooting Macros
Many digital cameras come with a built-in lens for macro photography. There are a few things to remember when shooting macros:- Flashes are often disabled or unusable when shooting with a macro lens. Plan to light the subject from another source.
- Any camera shake or other movement is greatly magnified when shooting macros. Using a monopod or tripod is a good idea when possible.
- The depth of field in macro photos is extremely shallow. It is necessary to choose the area of the subject on which to focus, and it is generally a good idea to take multiple shots of the same image to ensure that at least one has the desired focus.
Merging Macros
One method of getting greater depth of focus in macros is to shoot two macros and merge them together. Since it is essential that the two photos be as nearly identical as possible, a tripod is a must. The other requirement is that the camera allows the focus to be set manually in macro mode. An ideal setup is one in which there are specific locations at which the focus can be set (such as top, bottom, left, right, center).Merging macros can be done as follows:
- Set up the camera on the tripod.
- Focus the camera on one of the areas that will have the focus.
- Shoot the first photo while keeping the camera as steady as possible.
- Set the focus to the second area while moving the camera as little as possible.
- Shoot the second photo while keeping the camera as steady as possible.
- Download both images and open them in an image editor that supports layers.
- Copy and paste one image in a new layer over the other.
- Erase or mask out on the top layer the areas that are blurry in that layer, but in focus on the bottom layer. Turning the visibility of the top layer on and off can make it easier to see what needs to be done. Cloning may be necessary to correct misalignment in the photos.
- Flatten the image when done.
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| Near Focus | Far Focus |
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The two photos were merged to create this final image:
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| Final Image |
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