Where to Begin? Six Steps to Building a Rock Solid Macro Photography Foundation
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- čas přidán 5. 08. 2024
- Where to Begin? Show Notes
Check out this article on my website... www.allanwallsphotography.com...
... and be sure to download your free copy of "Recommended Macro Lenses". It covers everything you need to make a wise choice in step #3!
This video is brought to you by my ultra-cool Patreon supporters and my equally-cool donors.
The #1 question that I get asked... "Where do I start?". It's a big question, and hopefully this video will offer a clear answer.
I have broken the answer down into six critical steps for getting the best possible foundation for becoming a successful macro and closeup photographer. I go through the steps, telling you why I think they are so important, and explaining what each of them involves.
The lenses I discuss in the video can be found by following these links (as an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn from qualified purchases made through some of these links)...
The killer Nikon 105mm f/2.8 macro lens - amzn.to/3cWjeUr
Canon's answer - the 100mm f/2.8L - amzn.to/3q8qY9t
My Tamron 90mm f/2.8 - amzn.to/2Z1CyY7
Laowa's amazing wide-angle macro - amzn.to/2Z21bE6
My favorite short focal length macro - amzn.to/2Z3dqQQ
And Canon's answer - amzn.to/3a41RPy
Laowa's awesome 100mm macro lens - amzn.to/3a5HykV
The brilliant Sigma 105mm - amzn.to/3a5L0Ms
Sony's stunning mirrorless macro beast - amzn.to/3jzY8wd
Irix, the only 150mm on the list - amzn.to/3rCzo9x
Be sure to download my lens recommendations (the link to the article is above).
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for this. I'm involved with a macro discussion group and some of the newbies are floundering a bit. This is just the type of resource I can direct them to that will give a much-needed structure to all of this. Bravo!
Relatively new to photography and I'm so happy I found this channel. Everything is so well explained and clearly structred. Thank you.
Another excellent video! All that advice is totally on point. I'm glad you're going to put together what is effectively an online course. Thank you Allan!
Thank you for your awesome presence in your method of teaching. Your great sense of humour, confidence, and knowledge are inspiring and grounding. At risk of sounding too wishy-washy, I feel like I've found the teacher I've been imagining I need. Also glad to hear my Tamron was a good choice. Cheers.
Hi Allan!! It's good to see you again!! Thank you very much for this great information, I really apreciate it and always learn new things from your experience. Regards from Mexico! Take care!
Best channel on Macro Photography, bar none.
I don't think so! But thank you very much for saying that! I work hard at this.
Hi Allan!! Thank again for share all your knowledge and experience. Like told you before in an e-mail, it is a big surprise to me how I done some of the steps form this process just as you does. Now, after 10 years to work to other people, I am ready to go by myself for the biggest thing. I appreciate all your videos!
Thaks a lot again Allan!!
Everybody who's getting into Macro and very deep macro, shoot follow you on youtube. Starting (as a landscape photographer) with macro, after seeing every episode, i now can say i've learned everything i need to now from your channel te get started, and to go a little deeper. I've learned so much on your channel about all the pitfall's you going to be dealing with, getting into macro. And a lot of them i have recognized and i was able to tackle them. Thank you so much Allen. I hope there will be lots of future content.
Hi Allan, I’m very serious and grateful at following every suggestion that you offer.
Also when I started learning the acoustic guitar, my friend helped me pick a Tanglewood for £204 which I could just afford and even today with the help of 3 x D’Addario humidifier bags all year round, it sounds absolutely beautiful, which is why I always buy the best… I’m really excited to have you teach me Macro Photography and look forward to exciting times ahead
Thanks for laying a great foundation. While each of the steps has a "learning curve", the steepest curve for me will be the editing and processing as part of photo stacking. I will look forward to all of the expanded videos, but especially on photo stacking. Thanks for laying out a path to follow.
Another useful and enjoyable video. You are my favorite photography-philosopher 👍
I don't think I could ever say enough good, nor recommend you more highly Allan. Thank you for being such a great teacher, and for your willingness to share your vast knowledge. Photography has been my passion for nearly a half century. I have "played around" with macro a good bit, but your contagious passion is now leading me deeper. Thank you for that!
What a delightful message - let's see if you still feel that way after three Mitutoyos and a Stackshot!
Thank you Allen I just found you on CZcams. And I’ve been listening-to and watching videos and they’re quite well done. I’m looking forward to listening. I am interested in many aspects of macro photography, small insects, spiders, etc. I started using the macro lens by taking pictures of my flowers in the garden and see what insects were pollinating them, etc. I think it’s utterly amazing that we can take pictures of such wee things. I joined a photography club and actually hadn’t taken pictures before so this has been a huge learning curve, but I’m enjoying all the steps. Again thank you for your videos, Tess.
I used your photography methods to learn how to use my camera, a kit quality lens, flash and flash a few years ago. Last year I digitized my family photo film and picture collection using your methods. I even built a macro cage like you suggested! I still use it as it solved my quality issues. Today I maand also made me a Lightroom convert. Thank you for
I'm SO excited to have found your website as I hope to learn macro photography. Thank you for presenting and encouraging us to enjoy the world of macro too.
Ditto ,I shall be subscribing to Alans Patreon site in the next few days.One can tell what an excellent teacher he is.
Thank you Allan for sharing your knowledge and experience. Great advice. My favorite one: "pace yourself" !!
It's true! Thanks Juan Carlos.
Hi Allan,
a quite good video not only for macro beginners! You give some food for thought even for those who do macro photography for longer time i think.
And to all who appriciate your videos and have so much benefit from this like me: become a Patreon of Allen! A few dollars or euros per month don't hurt but help him to carry on. That's my honest opinion. Really.
Great package showing the composite skills and gear for us to get better at this fascinating and challenging universe of capturing the small... Thanks Allan. And while I have all of the gear and a small percentage of the skills, I am in most need to learn the use of my off-camera flash equipment (2 Godox with trigger).
Thanks for elaborating about the importance of focus stacking! I simply refuse to spend that much time using all kinds of editing software, so my macro photography career ends here, right now. You saved me from wasting my time trying to learn this type of photography, and instead I can find something better to do🙂
I was gifted an old Nikon AF Fisheye Nikkor 10.5mm 1:2.8 Dx, which i believe is a macro lens due to its close focusing range.
interesting view.... thanks for this.
nicely done, I've been learning macro for the last 12ys or so, great tips you gave, the stacking I find is 99% table top work I don't find it always possible to stack from a field shot so PS works for me
Thanks for the in-depth video. For 3rd party flash units and remotes, we prefer the Yongnuo line for our Canons. They're truly awesome - even under "on-the-equator" tropical work and continuous extreme temps & humidity.
.
~Alexa
Maybe Allan Walls Acoustic in the making? :-) Thanks for sharing your macro expertise.
Allan, why do some macro photographers advise to first set the lens to infinity, leave it alone, then begin to focus by moving the camera (or subject) ? Why infinity? I ask because my lens has no infinity indicator - so I'm a bit befuddled.
Please advise, thank you!
Coul you make a video about Macro Lenses? Can Macro Lenses focus to infinity? 85mm is good for portraits, too. Portraits with a 85mm Macro Lens? As I purchased 6 years ago a Tamron 70-200mm for events there was an equivalent macro lens, much cheaper. Why?
I noticed you talked about all the different types of Macro Lens available, but you didn't mention IRIX at any point, have you ever used a IRIX macro lens, if not why? And if so, what did you think about it? I have 3 macro lenses, a Canon 60 mm, a Tamron 90 mm and a IRIX 150 mm "Dragonfly" Macro. Even though the IRIX is manual focus, I find I use it way more than my other macros. Even when it comes to focus stacking.
Top notch as always. I have used the 40mm an it was fantastic at getting me started. I can also recommend the 60mm from nikon also a great lens. I haven't used all the other lenses but what I use now is a Irix 150mm 2.8 dragonfly. What an amazing lens for the price I Highley recommend people to check it out. Allan do you have any experience with the irix lens or have an interest to try it out. I would love to here what you think of it.
Hi Callum, check out my list of favorite macro lenses - your Dragonfly is on it! www.allanwallsphotography.com/blog/sixsteps
@@AllanWallsPhotography thankyou I shall check it out! 👍
I just love your great sense of humor! So loveable! :-)
Question for you: Laowa + either Raynox or Nisi Close-up lenses ? Bad or good ide?
I can't find any that have compared the Raynox DCR-250 vs Nisi 58mm or 77mm
Raynox is the go to for macro
Depending on the Laowa in question, either not great idea or bad idea. The Laowa ultra-macro lenses are not macro lenses in the conventional sense of the word (same with Canon's MPE-65). These kind of magnifications are only possible by sacrificing resolution. Too much to go into here, but with a lens that is already stretching the diffraction limits of lens optics (putting it nicely), adding a magnifying glass is not going to increase the image quality, though it will make the limitations more apparent. I know that sounds a bit snobbish, but I don't mean it to. Spend that money on an old manual aperture prime lens and reverse it on some cheap extension tubes - that will will give you a better 4X image every day of the week and you will have enough cash left over to buy a DCR 150 and a 250.
@@AllanWallsPhotography So the Raynox DCR 250 is so much better then the Nisi Close-Up lens ?
Can't see anyone that have compared those 2.
Being new into this fantastic world of photo, is not easy to navigate in.
I do have bought a Laowa 65mm for my Fujifilm X-T3 ... giving me great quality so far (using it for my negative film copy)
There is no bug outside here (winter season) so have to wait tell spring, before hunting for bugs :)
Slightly off topic but I think relevant, I'm looking to upgrade my camera body soon and I'm debating between mirrorless and traditional DSLR.
I mostly do focus stacking and I thought perhaps mirrorless would be better because of the lack of vibration. What is your opinion on this matter?
From a practical standpoint, it makes perfect sense and I know a lot of photographers who swear by mirrorless. But I am a latecomer to mirrorless, having owned a Fuji X-T2 for a little over a week. So I haven't tried to yet! I'll need to get my hands on a selection of X-mount adapters first. I having been stacking with F-mount cameras for as long as I can remember. You can be certain that I will be making a video comparing the two formats, from a macro perspective, in the near future. By the way, I'm not switching formats, I am just giving mirrorless a long overdue try.
What about the Nikon 28-105mm 1:3.5-4.5D
An intriguing video, Allan. I've been experimenting with extension tubes for the last year or so - and had great fun - but now I´m eyeing up the Tamron 90mm macro lens (the f017 model). Would you recommend this lens for a (Canon) crop sensor camera?
I like the fact that it has image stabilization, which would be useful for other photographic genres.
It is a fantastic lens. I have been using it since it was first released. It is designed for full frame cameras, but it is also very capable on a crop frame body. Of course, it doesn't feel like a 90mm macro lens on an APS-C camera - the field of view is what you would expect from a 135mm macro lens on a FF body. You will be very happy with this great 1:1 macro lens!
@@AllanWallsPhotography Thank you Allan. It's been a toss-up between the Tamron and the Canon 100 f2.8 IS, but I´m leaning towards the Tamron. I think I´d pay the same for a new Tamron as I would for a 2nd-hand Canon. All my research leads me to believe that the difference in image quality, autofocus etc between the two is minimal.
@@AllanWallsPhotography I've just ordered the Tamron. I can't wait to get my hands on it.
👍👍👍
Hey Allen thank you for the videos
I'm on the fence sigma 105 or laowa 100 x2 I'm shooting coils on a tripod with a focus rail d5600 nikon.
Appreciate it boss🎩
Sigma 105 every day of the week!
@@AllanWallsPhotography Oh thank you sir your the best 👌 👍
Please show me how to build a macro studio in all its glory
I have a question that is hard to asnwer exacty. If I am taking photo's of whole 4"x6" circuit boards and would like to use a prime lens. (Zoom lens can add complications.) What focal length of a prime lens would be the optimum to use? I tried a 60mm, but I had to be back 5 or 6 feet to get the whole board in the photograph. I think a 35mm macro lens would have to be at ~11 inches away. I was thinking a 28mm macro lens wold be better, but there is no 24 or 28mm macro lens for a Canon EFS camera that has a APS-C sensor. There is also a 50mm, but the distance would be further away than tbe 35mm macro lens. I think the further away you are, the less detail will be in the photo. The advantage of being further away is you can see better around the edges of small objects better. - What has better detail when you zoom in on a photograph? A 35mm at 11 inches or a 50mm at 3 or 4 feet? Where is the trade off? The knee in the curve.
Interesting question. You are right about some of these points. In order to get the maximum resolution in the image you need to set up the shot in such a way to fill the frame at the closest focus distance with enough light to use the lens at its sharpest aperture (around f/5.6). The quality of the glass matters as does the stability of your platform and the quality of the light. But what does not matter is how far you are from the subject. As long as you are as close as the lens allows and you can fill the sensor, you have the maximum resolution. Any macro lens or any short focal length prime lens on some extension will fit the bill. Then you have to select the best lens you have access to. The boards are relatively flat, I presume? If the components are mostly SMD the distance won't matter, and even if they aren't the amount of flattening between two different short macro lenses will make no difference. The problem is going to be the size of your subject. A 4x6" board has a width of 150mm - six time wider than your sensor. So at the minimum focus distance of 12" you will see only a fraction of the board. So you are going to have to back way off anyway. In other words, there is no need to use a macro lens unless you want to shoot a pano for a very high resolution image. I would shoot it with a 24-70mm f/2.8 - the sharpest lens I own - I would be several feet away but the image would tack sharp. The difference between a modern pro-level zoom and a prime is not nearly as big as you might think. So the correct answer is use the best lens you have, set it to its sweet spot aperture, put it on a sturdy tripod and light your subject evenly and well. Get as close to the subject as you can without cutting any of it off and take your pictures. The focal length will only determine where the camera needs to be, nothing else.
If we photograph fauna and flora then,
step 1 has to be discourage and avoid the use of pesticides.
I have been dabbling with Macro for about 2-3 years and yet to succeed ;-). I use a Canon 80d and a tamron 90mm macro lens but usually I am out in the field for nature photography and often try free hand macro which fails due to the obvious issues, too much wind, poor light and no tripod.
Buy a ring flash (or similar flash device) and you can overcome all three issues (wind, light, and no tripod) in an instant - with fast shutter speeds, you will outpace the wind, get the light you want and make a tripod unnecessary. And you will start making very successful images!
Rawtherapee is the software that I use to edit the photos and its free.
Can you please do a video on how to do a hand held photo stack ?
Do you suggest to get a flash to stop motion ? (I shake a lot and its difficult to get a sharp shot of the subjects only by using natural light.)
Hi Alijo, I will look into this editing software and see if it is capable of focus stacking. I do recommend using speedlights to prevent motion blur, I use it in almost all of my macro photography. The lights I use can be found in this article ... www.allanwallsphotography.com/blog/sixsteps
Affinity photo is a Photoshop alternative that can be used to stack photos.
One Macro project I have is: reproduction of the thousands and thousands of diapositives I have. With a full frame it is a 1x1 project. I'm still studying. It seems, the preparation of the dias is important. Could that be a subject for a video?
Ok, I'll buy a Macro Lens.
You are right, software and learn to use it is key in digital photography. But there is and always was a bunch of very powerful free or inexpensive software. I use RawTherapee instead of Lightroom, with that I'm done in 98% of my work. Instead of Photoshop I use Gimp. I use a lot of specialized software, every one has it's advantage: renaming in great batches, archiving (Digital), rectifying fisheyes, etc., etc., even displaying photos on the screen I have for very good reasons a special software. Same for video, in the latter I work since 30 years. Without Adobe. It's a miracle how the make people pay so much.
Hi Ricardo, I have heard from a lot of people who are very happy with RawTherapee, but I have not given in a try. I was asked to do a video on its stacking capabilities, so I will be downloading the program today to give it a try. I have been using Adobe for a long time and really do love how well the apps work together. It is expensive, but I use Premiere, After Effects, PS, LR, In Design, and several of the there apps on a daily basis, making it a pretty good deal for me.
@@AllanWallsPhotography As far as I know RawTherapee has no stacking capabilities at all. It's not a Editor, it's a Raw Developer. Stacking is basically possible with Gimp, an more sofisticados with the G'mic plug in. For sofisticados stacking I would look for dedicated software. There are freeones and others you pay once, not a monthly fee. Astronomers do a lot at stacking.
I own a Nikon D7200 with the following lenses AF S 50mm 1.8 - AF S 18-55mm 3.5 - 5.6 VR - AF S 18-70 mm 3.5 - 4.5 G - AF S 70 - 300 mm4.5 - 5.6 VR An old TOKINA SZ-X 80-200 4.5 - 5.6 VIVITAR 28 mm 2.8 Wide Angle (with a reversing ring) Nikon Series E 28 mm 2.8 ASAHI Pentax Super TAKUMAR 135 mm - 3.5 A set of KENKO auto focus extension tubes Have I got any equipment to start macro and can you get further away if from your subject if you put the extension tubes with the NIKON AF S 40 mm Micro lens
Hi Stu, Yes, you have plenty of gear for macro - your 50mm f/1.8D, reversed on your Kenko tubes will give you fantastic images. You can add extension to your macro lens, but I am not a big fan of that technique... you get much sharper images using the 50mm on extension. I like the 40mm f/2.8 Micro Nikkor, but generally use it without extension.
@@AllanWallsPhotography Thank you Allan I'll hang in there one old fart to another. Keep up the videos very entertaining Stu
What do you think of the 150mm 2,8 sigma
I love it, and I can't believe I forgot to add it to my recommendations. It is extremely sharp and has a nice long reach. The AF was not that great, but I never used it, so it was no big deal. Talking about deals, this lens is available on the used market at some very good prices. Thanks for reminding me - I'll add it to my list of recommended lenses.
@@AllanWallsPhotography great. I already use the zeiss 100mm and Nikon 60mm 2.8 but as I am upgrading to the d850 from the d810, I want a longer autofocus lens for 1:1 and an option for photostacking with the 850s automatic stacking feature
@@DSG0805 A word of caution about the D850's focus stacking - it is not designed for macro scale stacking. It works beautifully for landscapes, all the way down to product shots, but at the kind of step lengths we use in macro, it won't do what you are looking for.
@@AllanWallsPhotography thank you for letting me know. Actually at product/ still life reproductions that is perfect, but I understand macro would be hard. I do have the manfrotto rail. It does pretty well.
Can't believe your science teacher wouldn't give you Plutonium! What is the difference in using a focus rail for a camera lens set up &, using a bellows set up with a stationary lens & moving the camera? Or do you move the lens & keep the camera stationary? Thanks anyone for any replies in advance!
Good question! Moving the camera and lens on a rail is the most effective way to shoot very small subjects. You can do the same thing with camera, bellows, and lens together, again for small specimens. If you subject is larger than a peanut, it is often better to use a technique called rear-bellows focus. This is more effective for larger subjects because it prevents the perspective from changing, which can confuse your stacking program. In that method, the lens holds its position while the focusing is done by moving the rear support of the bellows, with camera attached, towards the front of the bellows and lens (which remain stationary). It is a good technique to have in the bag.
@@AllanWallsPhotography Thank you.
@@AllanWallsPhotography interesting. I move all completely, camera bellow y lense fixed together. I will try this out. 👍
A lot of the reason macro isn't catching on is that everytime someone mistakenly calls a close up shot macro you get a bunch of photographers screaming at the top of their lungs, "That's not macro!!!". If I was new, that would put me off as well.
Me too, Mike. The only reason we define closeup, macro, extreme macro, etc. is so that we know what kind of magnification and equipment are involved. But if I said anything in this video that made you think I was one of those shouty photographers, it was unintentional, because I am definitely not one.
@@AllanWallsPhotography Absolutely not. I did not mean to imply that you were. I love your channel, and your approach, which is extremely practical.
I sometimes(most times) have difficulty with tact. It is hard to get my thoughts out in the way I probably should, and I sometimes come off the wrong way.
What I was trying to say is that there are those like that, and they are loud, lol. A better approach would be to politely give some advice, like a mentor would, and explain to them the differences in an encouraging way. I think there are not enough encouragers/mentors in Macro photography.
Your attitude is actually a model for that, btw. Note: I and Mike Baker are one and the same. I have a couple of channels for different things.
Be wary of rabbit holes..........they breed faster when shooting macrophotography.......
I also got expelled from Boy Scouts
Well done us! I hope you were as relieved as I was to be out of that outfit. We need to form an international society of scout escapees.
Exclusive club- Boy Scouts ...died!!!! Except Paulo the one eyed taxi driver, he would make a terrible macro photographer...where are these stories coming from? I don't care keep them coming! I don't even know why I came here anymore...macro photography right! ok then...back to the video ...cry laughing
What is this macro photography? Photos of ants?!?!