Macro and close-up
Macro photography reveals a world that goes unnoticed by the naked eye: the structure of a leaf, the eye of an insect, the weave of a fabric. Getting that close changes the rules: depth of field shrinks to millimeters, any vibration is magnified and light is scarce. Get close to the mug in the simulator and look for sharpness.
What true macro is
A photograph is macro when the object is reproduced on the sensor at life size or larger, which is expressed as a magnification ratio of 1:1: a 10 mm insect takes up 10 mm of the sensor. Macro lenses are designed to focus at very short distances and reach that scale with great sharpness.
To get started there are cheap alternatives: close-up lenses that screw onto the front of the lens, extension tubes that move it away from the body, or the macro mode on many phones. Every lens has a minimum focus distance: if you get closer, it simply won't focus.
Depth of field shrinks to millimeters
At 1:1 and f/2.8, the sharp zone can be barely a millimeter deep: a fly's eye in focus and its head already blurred. That's why macro is shot with the aperture stopped down, usually between f/8 and f/11.
Stopping down further doesn't always help: at f/16 or f/22, diffraction softens the whole image, and in macro it appears sooner because the effective aperture is smaller than the one shown. Specialist photographers use focus stacking: several photos focused at slightly different distances, combined into a single sharp image.
In macro, work between f/8 and f/11 and focus by moving the camera, not the ring.
At the same macro distance, with two apertures.
Stability and light
At such short distances, any movement is magnified: the wind moves the flower and your pulse shifts the plane of focus. Use a tripod, rest the camera on something or, handheld, rock gently back and forth and shoot in burst mode when the detail looks sharp.
Since you're working with the aperture stopped down, you'll need light. An overcast day gives soft, even lighting, ideal for flowers and insects; if that's not enough, a small flash with a diffuser freezes motion. Watch out for your own shadow and the lens's: just a few inches away, it's very easy to block the light.
Your turn: the small world
You don't even need to leave the house.
- Look for textures: a leaf, the skin of a fruit, the weave of a sweater, water drops on glass.
- Get as close as the minimum focus distance. On a phone, try macro mode or a clip-on close-up lens.
- Take the same photo at maximum aperture and at f/8 or f/11.
- Compare how far the sharp zone extends and decide which one tells the detail better.