Close-ups - the best tips
Close-ups are a special area of photography where you can get the most out of them with our tips.
1. Multiple close-ups: compare sharpness
When you start taking close-up photographs, you first need to develop an eye for the right focus.
- Therefore, you should first take several pictures and compare them on the computer. Often you can not see on the small displays of the cameras whether the right object is in focus.
- Cameras with a large, good display and good focus, such as the Panasonic FZ1000, make your work easier.
2. Correct illumination of your close-ups
Proper illumination of the object is particularly important for close-up photographs. If you don't necessarily want to invest in a special flash (e.g. a ring flash), you can take advantage of the sunlight with simple means and direct it at the object.
- Use a bright umbrella, cardboard, or just a piece of white paper. This reflects the light and directs it onto the object. This creates a diffuse illumination - perfect for macro shots.
3. Select the correct lens for close-ups
An important point is of course always the right lens. Each lens has a certain focal length, which defines the distance to the object. That is why there are also special macro lenses that have particularly short focal lengths. This allows you to get close to the object to take perfect detailed pictures.
- Before you buy an expensive macro lens for beginners, you should first try a reversing ring. This is considerably cheaper and more suitable for beginners.
4. Take close-ups with a tripod if possible
Close-ups are usually (especially) small objects.
- In order to be able to photograph this exactly, you should either have a very steady hand or simply use a tripod. So your camera is fixed and you can concentrate fully on the picture, the illumination and the focus.
5. Large aperture produces depth of field in close-ups
Basically, you should try out the various settings of the aperture.
- With a small aperture, i.e. high f-number, you can separate the object from the background using depth of field. This is a very popular stylistic device.
- So you are not distracted by the detailed background in close-ups and it focuses the focus on the object.
6. Use the self-timer and mirror lock-up for close-ups
Not only the self-timer is helpful to avoid small camera shake, you should also turn on the mirror lock-up for the same reason. Then the camera only triggers shortly after the mirror is folded down.
- Open the camera menu and switch the tab to "Individual function" (Canon).
- There you will find the setting for mirror triggering under number 9. Turn this on.
Also read which lens you use for what.