Let There Be Light!
I define
photography as the play of light upon and through the colors, contours
and textures of objects. Light adds dimension and dynamism to your
images and creates enchanting shadows. Light is to be embraced, not
avoided. So our next step involves learning how to use light in your
macro images, to enhance them and bring them to life.
For example,
in the collage below, you can see that the wildflower indeed is pretty
when shot in shade, but much prettier and more dynamic when the various
forms of lighting are applied.
There are 3 basic forms of lighting in macro photography:
1 - Surface Lighting : Light strikes the surface of your subject directly or at angles.
2 - Back Lighting : Light permeates your translucent subject from behind.
3 - Edge Lighting : Back lighting which illuminates the edges of opaque subjects.
In macro
photography, you'll find that light is magic, and working with it is
enchanting. As you twist, turn and pivot your camera at different
angles, you'll discover that Light Play on your subjects produces
endless effects.
You'll also
discover that low angle sunlight in early morning and late afternoon
produces one type of effect, whereby midday sunlight produces a totally
different effect.
I am always
telling people to "work your subject", and this means to try all
different camera angles, zoom levels, lighting effects and so on. Work
your Light Play from all different angles and watch the endless effects
you can produce with a single subject.
Below are some
sample images I shot with my Canon Powershot SX130 and the Little
BigShot macro lens which help demonstrate how Light Play enhances the
beauty of floral beings.
The Usefulness of Flash
In most cases, camera flash at full power will severely overexpose macro images. However, if you moderate flash intensity it can be a very useful tool. Most newer cameras have an option to adjust flash intensity. For older cameras without this option, you can stack layers of paper and tape them over the flash to reduce the intensity manually.
One instance when flash is useful is when your subject is partially or fully in shade. For example, Sandra Anohina found these adorable caterpillars in twin poses on the underside of a leaf. In her first photo, she used no flash and while the image is a great shot, the same image with low flash is even better! Notice how the black spots on the caterpillars look flat in the no-flash image and how they have depth with flash.
Image Without Flash
Image Using Flash
Here's an example from Sheila Martin, and again, her image without flash is fine, but her image with low flash is finer yet. You can see clearly that the markings and patterns on the insect come to life when a soft flash is applied.
Image Without Flash
Image Using Flash
Another time low flash is useful is when shade is causing a slow shutter or wind is causing motion blur. The flash will increase the luminance and force a faster shutter. In the example below, Sheila Martin (who is an experienced hand held macro shooter) was having difficulty with focus in the first image, but the flash-induced faster shutter solved that problem as seen in the second photo. Also notice the depth and details in the photo using the flash.
Image Without Flash
Image Using Flash
I would like to thank Sheila Martin and Sandra Anohina for contributing such good examples of flash macros to this chapter of the blog.
