![]() If you prefer to handhold, then you’ll need to carefully adjust your shutter speed until you get a sufficiently sharp shot. I find tripods to be restrictive and cumbersome, so I tend to go with the second option, but it’s really up to you if you like the idea of slow, deliberate macro photography, grab a tripod and see how it goes. You can continue to handhold while increasing the shutter speed.You can stabilize your camera by using a tripod (and probably a macro focusing rail, too, for added convenience).So while you can often handhold a portrait shot at 1/80s, try it with a macro lens at 1:1 magnifications and you’ll end up with consistently blurry photos. You see, as the lens gets closer to the subject, it magnifies detail, but it also magnifies problems such as camera shake. Many photographers don’t know this, but a higher lens magnification is a recipe for camera shake disaster – unless you take specific steps to combat it. Use a Fast Shutter Speed to Prevent Camera Shake So if you’re in a situation where your shots keep turning out too dark, try decreasing your f-number while leaving your shutter speed and ISO constant. (That’s where techniques such as focus bracketing and a good focus stacking software come in handy, which will let you keep your files sharp throughout while avoiding insanely narrow apertures such as f/32.)īy the way, widening the aperture won’t just narrow the depth of field it’ll also increase the amount of light hitting the camera sensor, which will in turn increase the exposure of the image (all else being equal). So at high magnifications, even an f/16 image will have a pretty narrow plane of focus. Unfortunately for photographers who love detail and sharpness, the closer the lens is to the subject, the shallower the depth of field. But if you try it and decide that it’s not your cup of tea, that’s completely fine – increase your aperture and see whether you prefer a deeper depth of field effect. Personally, I’m a big fan of the shallow depth of field look. (Pro tip: If your backgrounds aren’t blurry enough, even with an aperture of f/2.8, try increasing the distance between your subject and the background.) Simply dial in your lens’s widest aperture setting, then have fun setting your point of focus on your subject and creating beautiful, bokeh-filled backgrounds. Which is why, if you’ve never tried using a wide aperture for macro photography, I highly recommend it. So with a low aperture setting such as f/2.8, you’ll often get a narrow plane of sharpness and therefore a heavily blurred background, like this: And the higher the number, the narrower the aperture, and the deeper the plane of sharpness. ![]() The lower the f-number, the wider the aperture, and the smaller the plane of sharpness in the scene (known as the depth of field). I’d like to start this section with a couple of important definitions:Īperture refers to a hole (i.e., a diaphragm) in the lens, which opens and closes depending on your f-stop setting. Use a Wide Aperture for a Shallow Depth of Field Effect ![]() The key is to avoid your camera’s Auto mode, which lets your camera do all the work and will frequently result in failed opportunities. Both options give you a huge amount of control, and both options are popular among professionals. ![]() Honestly, whether you decide to use Aperture Priority mode (plus exposure compensation) or Manual mode is all down to personal preference. Usually, this is enough to create a well-exposed shot, but in cases where the exposure needs work, you can make manual adjustments. And by adjusting your aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, you can ensure the exposure bar falls smack-dab in the middle of the scale. Your camera will offer some sort of exposure bar, which you can see in the viewfinder. (Yes, it can get a bit overwhelming at first, but you get used to it!) Instead of letting you choose some settings while your camera chooses other settings, Manual mode gives you complete control over settings, so that you choose the aperture, the shutter speed, and the ISO all at the same time. Manual mode takes camera setting control a step further. If the image doesn’t look quite right (e.g., it’s too muddy and dark), you can use exposure compensation to make the necessary adjustments. You then take a test shot, and if the image looks great, then that’s it, you’re done. You see, Aperture Priority mode lets you dial in a particular aperture and ISO, while your camera chooses a corresponding shutter speed for a beautiful exposure. That’s where Aperture Priority mode and Manual mode come in. It’s just about taking control of your exposure variables – the aperture, the shutter speed, and the ISO. So what’s the secret? How do the pros consistently nail exposure across dozens of different lighting conditions?
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