Macro Photography Workshop

Macro Photography • Photography Tips

Nadav Bagim is an Israeli photographer who loves doing macro photography; he’s in love with the world of bugs, insects, and all sorts of other life forms that creep and crawl just inches from the ground. Though the passion for these creepy crawlies was there right from his childhood, love for macro photography happened only after he picked up a camera. Immediately his childhood love for these bugs became a source for fascinating macro photos. In this video Bagim shares his love for macro photography, what drives him to shoot this genre, and some invaluable tips and tricks for budding macro photographers:

“The thing I like most about macro photography is the ability to create whole new worlds using just simple household objects.”

Definition of Macro Photography

In Bagim’s own words, “The classic definition of macro photography is when you’re shooting something at life size. Meaning, the object size in reality is the same as its size on the camera sensor.”

Macro Photography

The image below further demonstrates what macro photography is. For true macro perspective, the image of a subject should be at least a 1:1 (or life-size) reproduction on the camera sensor. Anything else is just a close-up shot.

Macro Perspectives

Thus, in the collage below, the image on the left is a macro photo (true life-size) reproduction of the bug and the image on the right is merely a close-up.

Macro vs. Close-up

Tips for Shooting Macro Photography

Macro subjects, especially creepy crawlies, can be a difficult thing to photograph when they’re in their natural environment. Wind, movement of the insect, and a million different things influence the outcome. Often these elements are difficult to control. Bagim’s approach is to use a softbox.

He makes a softbox out of a cardboard box, cutting off the sides and replacing them with white sheets so that when he fires a flash light is diffused and spreads uniformly everywhere.

Softbox for Macro Photography

Equipment

You can buy a common macro lens for your DSLR and that should give you a 1:1 macro perspective. To start off that’s a good lens. However, soon you will realize that you’re unable get larger than life perspectives. That’s when you would be forced to look for additional tools. As a reference point Bagim uses a 100mm macro lens, a combination of extension tubes, and a reverse mounted macro lens. This combination allows him to achieve four times larger than life size magnification.