Macro photography: Tips for capturing tiny details
Create stunning macro photos of small objects with the correct macro lens and Lightroom.
“Nothing is really small; whoever is open to the deep penetration of nature knows this.” - Victor Hugo
Macro photography is the craft of photographing small subjects such as insects, leaves and flowers. Masterful macro photography captures tiny worlds in glorious detail. Hyper-focus is a big element of this technique and it requires special lenses and detailed editing.
Shoot larger-than-life images of the small life all around you using lenses, composition and Adobe Lightroom.
How to choose the right macro lens
When choosing the best lens for macro photography, you should consider two factors: focal length and magnification. Lens focal length determines how much of a scene will be captured in a photo, while magnification specifies how large the elements of the picture will be. Longer focal lengths result in a narrower field of view and higher magnifications. That's what you'll need for macro photography.
Macro lenses have focal lengths ranging between 90 and 105 mm and a magnification of 1:1, meaning that the subject appears to have reached "life-size" magnified form.
Make stunning edits
Once you’ve captured your macro shots, try key editing functions to make your photos stand out:
- Cropping: Frame your subject in a compelling manner, magnifying details and minimising background distractions.
- Brush or radial adjustment: Selectively sharpen focal points of your subject to enhance details and focus.
- Vibrance: With vibrance, you can create a stronger contrast between your subject and the background. Increase the vibrance of your subject to make its colour pop. You can also reduce the vibrance of the background to emphasise your subject.
Discover other editing possibilities with Lightroom and Photoshop. You can combine countless effects and adjustments to take your macro photography to the next level.