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161
THE EXPANDED GUIDE
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MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY / MACRO LIGHTING
›
Working distance
›
Improvization
Working distance is the distance required
to obtain the desired reproduction ratio
with any given lens. It is directly related to
the focal length of the lens: with a 200mm
macro lens the working distance for 1:1
reproduction is double what it is with a
100mm (roughly, 19.6in. or 50cm rather
than 9.8in. or 25cm). The extra distance
can be a big help when photographing
living subjects, especially mobile ones. It
can also be helpful with delicate subjects,
living or not, which might be damaged by
accidental contact.
Tip
Working distance and the minimum
focus distance of a lens are normally
measured from the subject to the
focal plane, or the position of the
sensor. A 9.8in. or 25cm working
distance therefore means the
subject, or the bit of the subject
you’re focusing on, can be less than
3.9in. or 10cm from the front of the
lens. Other paraphernalia like lens
hoods or ring-fl ash can reduce this
gap even more.
»
MACRO LIGHTING
Of course, many fine close-up and macro
shots can be taken using available light.
However, you’ll often find that your own
shadow, or the camera’s, can intrude.
Many subjects (like the interiors of flowers)
can create their own shadows too. For
these and other reasons, you’ll soon start
to want more controlled lighting. This
usually means flash, but regular
Speedlights are not designed for ultra-
close work. If mounted on the hotshoe,
short working distances mean that the
lens may throw a shadow onto the subject.
This is even worse with the built-in flash,
which is essentially useless for real close-
up photography.
Dedicated macro-flash units aren’t cheap,
and may be unjustifiable when you only
shoot macro occasionally. Fortunately, you
can do lots with a standard flashgun, plus a
flash cord. With basic units, you’ll lose the
advanced flash control, but it only takes a
few test shots to establish settings that you
can use repeatedly (keep notes of what
you try). Also essential is a small reflector,
like a piece of white card—place it close
to the subject for maximum benefit. This
setup is cheap, flexible, and can deliver
very polished results. Also, a flash diffuser,
like a HONL, can give excellent results.
Nikon D5300 Ch5 158-167 P2 RY.indd 161Nikon D5300 Ch5 158-167 P2 RY.indd 161 19/02/2014 16:5719/02/2014 16:57
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