A neat trick for macro photography
Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 5:12 pmThis may not be all that new to some but it is something I have discovered for myself and I thought I'd share.
I do a lot of macro photography in the back yard. I normally have the camera on a monopod which means I really only need the one hand to hold the camera and my left hand is usually free to focus. Typically, I will set the focus at one point and just rock the camera forward or back to fine tune the focus. If I'm shooting something small on a leaf even the slightest bit of wind is enough to mess things up. Even without the wind and with the monopod, there may be slight movement so I will often hold the leaf or part of the branch and then brace my finger(s), hand or arm against the camera or monopod to steady things. Doing this means I can focus very accurately... BUT... there was a drawback. Once I'm holding the leaf, I can't "zoom" the focus...
What I mean here is that for close macro work, you effectively zoom by moving the lens closer or further away from subject. In order to do this you need to refocus for the new distance. When I'm holding the branch or leaf with my left hand I'm unable to focus. Enter the AF-ON button. I can activate this with the thumb on my right hand. On the D300, custom setting a5 lets me set autofocus to ONLY work of the AF-ON button. This means when I need to "zoom", I use the AF-ON button to refocus and then use the rocking forward or back to fine tune the focus.
I just went out and tried it with a couple of jumping spiders and it worked perfectly, especially when the spider jumped on my hand and I was able to "zoom" in to fill the frame.
The last 3 shots in this thread, Garden Jumping Spider, were taken using the technique.
I just have to remember to switch it back before my next dive.
I do a lot of macro photography in the back yard. I normally have the camera on a monopod which means I really only need the one hand to hold the camera and my left hand is usually free to focus. Typically, I will set the focus at one point and just rock the camera forward or back to fine tune the focus. If I'm shooting something small on a leaf even the slightest bit of wind is enough to mess things up. Even without the wind and with the monopod, there may be slight movement so I will often hold the leaf or part of the branch and then brace my finger(s), hand or arm against the camera or monopod to steady things. Doing this means I can focus very accurately... BUT... there was a drawback. Once I'm holding the leaf, I can't "zoom" the focus...
What I mean here is that for close macro work, you effectively zoom by moving the lens closer or further away from subject. In order to do this you need to refocus for the new distance. When I'm holding the branch or leaf with my left hand I'm unable to focus. Enter the AF-ON button. I can activate this with the thumb on my right hand. On the D300, custom setting a5 lets me set autofocus to ONLY work of the AF-ON button. This means when I need to "zoom", I use the AF-ON button to refocus and then use the rocking forward or back to fine tune the focus.
I just went out and tried it with a couple of jumping spiders and it worked perfectly, especially when the spider jumped on my hand and I was able to "zoom" in to fill the frame.
The last 3 shots in this thread, Garden Jumping Spider, were taken using the technique.
I just have to remember to switch it back before my next dive.