I’m thrilled to bring you a live tutorial on shooting macro photos—no macro lens needed.
This session is tailored for beginners and I’ll guide you through the process of capturing stunning close-ups using just your standard camera. Once you’ve mastered these techniques, you might want to explore a macro lens to take your photography even further.
Make sure to read through to the end—there’s a little surprise waiting for you
Let’s dive in! You don't always need a specialized lens to capture beautiful macro photographs. With the right approach, your standard smartphone camera can deliver sharp, detailed close-ups.
Here's how to get started:
Find the Right Subject
Begin by selecting a subject large enough to showcase intricate details. Great options for macro photography include butterflies, grasshoppers, moths or dragonflies, all of which have fascinating features that can make your photos stand out.
Approach with Patience
Once you've found your subject, approach it slowly and with care. Patience is essential, sudden movements can startle your subject, causing you to miss the shot.
Set Up Your Camera
Getting the focus right is the biggest challenge in macro photography. Cameras often struggle to focus at close distances due to the minimum focusing distance. Here’s how to overcome this:1. Open your camera app.
2. Point your camera at your palm: Hold your palm close to the camera and move it back and forth until it focuses. This will help you find the minimum focusing distance.
3. Lock the focus: Once the camera locks onto your palm, long-press the screen where your palm is. This will lock the focus, and you'll see 'AE/AF Lock' on the screen. Your focus is now fixed at that distance.
Get Closer to Your Subject
With the focus locked, slowly approach your subject. As you get closer, align the camera with your subject and move the camera gently back and forth until it comes into sharp focus. Since your focus is locked, the subject will snap into clarity once it’s at the right distance.
Capture the Shot
When your subject is perfectly focused, press the shutter. Congratulations, you’ve captured a crisp, sharp macro photograph!Alternatively, you can use the Pro/Master Mode to manually set the focus for more control.
Here’s a live video, demonstrating the steps mentioned above for your reference.
Live Demonstration
Now let's do live post processing using the Snapseed app.
Live Post Processing
I hope you have watched both the tutorials. Now here's the before and after.
Presenting you the final image.
Here is one more shot which I had taken.
By following these steps, you can create impressive macro images without any additional gear. I hope you found this tutorial helpful. If you have any questions, drop them in the comments below. I can’t wait to see the detailed macro photographs you’ll share with the community. Best regards,
Dr. Ramdas S Pai
