Macro photography is awesome and you will immediately realize that once you totally shift perspective and start seeing the miniature world. If you manage to do that, your photography might change completely.
The beauty of macro photography lies in the fact that it gives you access to an entirely new and different range of subjects to choose from. Small animals, insects, plants and flowers and small objects are all in the menu. Believe me when I say it feels very good to see a “portrait” of a firefly on a large scale print.
You might be tempted to think you need a lot of expensive gear to shoot macro photography but that really isn’t the case. In fact, most of today’s cameras, even lower end compacts have a dedicated macro mode that lets you bring the lens to just a few inches away from your subject. Obviously it’s not going to be very easy with living subject, but it’s a start if you can’t afford proper gear yet. If you already own a DSLR, consider investing in a macro lens. They’re far from being the most expensive type of lens and you can get a used one in great condition for a couple of hundred dollars. The best macro lenses have a 1:1 ratio which means they show the subject in real life proportions. But if you’re just starting out you’ll be fine even if you get a lens that doesn’t have this spec. The most important thing when using a macro lens is to shoot wide open. That way you'll get that nice bokeh and blur the background.
As with any new genre you approach, you’re probably not going to take award winning shots right from the beginning. It takes time and a lot of practice, not to mention shooting a wide range of subjects before you take the first shots you’re going to be really proud of in the following years.
To make your first steps in macro photography easier, we recommend the Macro Edition LightBox Photography Cards. You’ve probably heard about the immense success the original LightBox Cards had and how the project far exceeded expectations and its goals on Kickstarter. Photographer Paul Michael Kane, the man behind these brilliant little shots of creativity has created a brand new deck of cards designed specifically with macro photography in mind. This new product has 52 brand new photo assignments for macro and close-up photography that will help you find the perfect subjects for your next amazing shots.
Click here for more details about the brand new LightBox Macro Photography Cards.