Macro photography

Macro—a Seasonal Addiction

By Lorraine Gibb LPSNZ

I describe myself as a “butterfly photographer”, flitting from subject to subject and taking photos of anything that attracts me.

Floret of Queen Ann Lace Astrantia

Astrantia

My macro photography equipment includes:

- Canon 7D with three macro attachments

• 60mm f/2.8 macro. I have the aperture wide open (f/2.8 - f/5.6)

• 50mm with Marumi extension tubes (31mm, 21mm, 13mm) individually added to the 50mm but sometimes using all three at once and often at f/1.4. The combination of all three gives extreme softness to the point of becoming abstract.

• Lensbaby Composer with macro glasses, generally using an aperture between f/2.8 and f/5.6 but sometimes using no aperture at all. With my very old Composer, the aperture is controlled by inserting rings ranging from f/2.8 to f/22. If no ring is inserted, it gives nil aperture.

These three macro options give me so much scope and variety.

Other camera equipment for general photography includes:

• iPhone 11, a decent camera which does handle macro, but I rarely use this function. I use the Portrait Mode occasionally; it will focus on a flower (or similar) and give a nice soft background.

• Sony RX10 Mk4, my go-to camera, is a fixed lens general-purpose camera which I love but seldom use for macro work.

I’m certainly not a purist macro photographer, but I admire those who are. Image sharpness is not my priority in macro photography, and I rarely use a tripod. However, I occasionally prioritise sharpness and have even focus-stacked with some success.

Dandelion

Helebore