How do I take close-up macro photos?

Everything you know about depth of field applies at macro distances multiplied several times over. That single fact explains why close-up photographs are hard and what all the techniques are for.

What you'll need

• A macro lens, extension tubes, a close-up filter, or a phone macro mode
• A tripod (optional)
• Something to diffuse a flash or a torch (optional)

Step by step

1. Understand the magnification problem.True macro means one-to-one — the subject is projected onto the sensor at life size. At that magnification the depth of field at f/8 can be under two millimetres, and any movement of the camera or subject is magnified in the same proportion.
2. Choose how to get close.A dedicated macro lens is sharpest and easiest. Extension tubes fit between body and lens and cost little, at the price of losing infinity focus and some light. Close-up filters screw onto the front and are cheapest and softest. Reversing a lens on the body is the enthusiast's free option.
3. Focus by moving, not by turning.At high magnification the focus ring changes magnification as much as distance. Set the focus roughly, then rock the whole camera gently forwards and backwards and fire when the subject snaps into focus. A focusing rail on a tripod does the same thing precisely.
4. Stop down, then stop.f/8 to f/16 buys you the depth you need. Past about f/16 diffraction softens the whole image noticeably, and at macro magnifications the effective aperture is smaller than the marked one, so it bites sooner than you expect.
5. Deal with the light.The lens is close enough to shade the subject. Light from the side or behind, use a small torch, or use a flash bounced off a card or diffused through paper. A ring light or twin flash exists precisely because of this problem.
6. Stop the subject moving.Outdoors, wind is the enemy — a few millimetres of sway is enormous at this scale. Shoot early when the air is still, shelter the subject with a piece of card, or clamp the stem gently. Indoors, wait for everything to settle after you touch anything.
7. Consider focus stacking.Take a series of frames with the focus point moved slightly through the subject and combine them, so the whole thing is sharp. Some cameras will shoot the sequence automatically. It only works on a completely still subject on a tripod.
8. Watch the background.At macro distances the background is a wash of colour, and its colour and brightness make or break the picture. Move a leaf, or put a card of a chosen colour behind the subject a few centimetres away.
9. Use your phone's macro deliberately.Most phone macro modes switch to the ultrawide camera, which focuses very close. It works well in good light and produces a much deeper depth of field than a real macro lens, which is sometimes exactly what you want and sometimes flattens the subject.

Tips

• Insects are torpid early in the morning and after rain. It is much easier to photograph a still one than a fast one.
• A white plastic milk bottle cut open makes an excellent flash diffuser at close range, and costs nothing.
• Water droplets, frost, fabric, rust, feathers and the inside of flowers are all more accessible than insects and teach the technique faster.

Common mistakes

• Using a wide aperture for close-ups — At macro distances f/2.8 gives a sharp zone measured in fractions of a millimetre. The eye of an insect is sharp and the rest of its head is not, and it usually looks like a mistake rather than a choice.
• Relying on autofocus at high magnification — It hunts constantly because the depth of field is smaller than its own precision. Manual focus plus rocking the camera is faster and more reliable.

If it doesn't work

Questions people ask