Fine Art Photography Blog

This miniature world is hidden in day-to-day life, giving you access to an unfamiliar world of fine detail. Along with the lost sense of scale, exemplified by MC Escher, this is a key element in a lot of abstract art.

Definition: “Macro” Photography

Macro simply means shooting close-ups; technically it means “life-size” or 1:1 magnification. The size of the image on the film plane can be as large as it is in real life. This strict technical definition is being eroded; zoom lenses that achieve 1:4 - quarter-sized reproduction - call themselves macro, and compact digital cameras measure their macro ability by how close they can get to the target, rather than how many of the chip’s pixels can be devoted to recording a small topic. So, for simplicity’s sake, in this article we’re talking about close-up photography, which doesn’t have to be specifically at a 1:1 ratio.

Obviously, this is far from”life-size;” the leaf was probably two inches across, recorded on a 35 mm digital camera, with a 135 mm f/2 L, a lens offering a sorry (for this purpose) magnification of 1:5. Some cropping was naturally in order to “get closer” to the subject.

Tips and Considerations

Now that we’ve seen how specialized equipment isn’t strictly necessary, and looked at how close-up photography can be intimately related to the abstract genre, let’s go over some technical issues and ways to deal with them.

Depth of Field (DOF)

Focus does not run deep shooting at close range. You can close the lens down to fight to get some DOF back, although smaller and smaller apertures mean diffraction will become a problem. It also demands the use of a tripod, because f/32 just isn’t hand-holdable. Or, you can go 180 degrees in the other direction, and make artistic use of the effect.

The photo above, with my two cents, was shot using a D60 and a 100/2.8 Macro, at f/2.8 or “wide-open.” This exaggerates the narrow focus, limiting it to the face of the coins, gently obscuring the platform they rest on, and making the fire in the background unrecognizable … while taking advantage of the warm glow it produces. Throwing most of the image out of focus hides clues to the setting and scale, present in the leaf photo above, narrowing the viewer’s attention to the main subject.

Bugs and Creepy Crawlers (Distance and Light)

Nature is a wide and varied source of photo ops. It’s a great deal more difficult to get close enough to most insects to shoot an abstract; this is a special case that demands very specialized gear, like Canon’s MP-E 65 mm 5:1 macro lens. I’m sure other systems have a similar lens, but EOS is what I’m familiar with.

In this case, shooting with a tripod isn’t practical, but you still need to set a smallish aperture for the depth of field you’re looking for. A traditional flash will overpower the scene, and in many cases the lens will cast a shadow. A ring-light that mounts to the front of your lens is the solution here.

Some insects are docile if you approach slowly, but many won’t let you get close enough to see much with the naked eye. Consider using a longer lens; all major lens makers produce a 180 mm macro. Tamron’s has a surprisingly good reputation for sharpness and contrast, but is said to focus slowly. Obviously, for critters who refuse to hold still, this is important.

Other non-macro lenses will “get you close” from a distance; the 300 mm f/4 L IS gives 1:4 or quarter-sized magnification, from about 5 feet. A 2x tele-converter doubles the size of the image on the sensor without affecting the minimum focus distance … meaning you can fill the frame with a subject 70 mm across standing 5 feet away. Closing the lens to it’s sharpest aperture - between f/5.6 and f/8 - will leave you room to crop a bit tighter.

Repeating Patterns

Patterns and textures are standards in abstract photography the way Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong are in jazz. This can be an especially powerful technique when you take away the viewer’s sense of context.

This is a tight crop from a photo of a Canada goose.

Conclusion

Of course there are plenty of opportunities for abstract photography outside the macro realm, but the small world, Alice’s Wonderland, is full of opportunities for creative, unusual, and sometimes even dizzying photography.