FIELD MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY TECHNIQUES

Discover the fascinating world of macro photography and learn how to capture images of bugs, insects, plants and fungi in the wild

- Geraint Radford

The world is full of fascinating creatures and plants that can capture our imagination and inspire us to spend more time exploring our natural environment, whether that's local woodlands, a nature reserve, or your back garden. There's nothing quite like noticing a weevil upon a beautiful flower, a bee covered in raindrops, or an adorable wolf spider, dancing his heart out to impress a potential mate.

Macro is an awesome genre of photography that allows us to develop some handy skills to improve our overall techniques and enhance the other types of photography we enjoy. For instance, focus stacking plays a role in high-magnification photography, where depth-of-field is limited. This can be a useful tool for landscape photography too.

Field macro photography presents us with a few challenges, but with the correct approach, equipment choices, and a few techniques to make life easier, it soon becomes second nature. Typically, we are working outdoors in the elements, all of which can provide us with unique photo opportunities and should be celebrated... with the possible exception of wind!

I see macro photography as a form of wildlife photography only on a much smaller scale. Composition, light, and the well-being of our subjects are especially important. Be prepared to lose many images, it is part of the process and the photographs we keep will be all the more special.

When exploring the macro world, I prefer to shoot handheld because a tripod limits my creative options. Worse than that, it takes up vital biscuit space in my backpack.

Gain depth-of-field, even at extreme magnification

Working at or beyond 1:1 reduces our depth-of field, obscuring the intricate details of our subjects