Tuesdays with Nate | Macro Photography

I proposed to Becka with this ring exactly 1 year ago today with this ring

If there is one thing in life that I’ve gotten pretty good at, it’s playing drums. A close second is my macro photography. I particularly enjoy doing ring shots at weddings. We get a lot of people asking how we do it and what we use, and insisting that there is some secret we’re not telling. The truth is, I do most of our rings shots hand-held because time is usually of the essence at a wedding. Our sharpest rings shots usually come from weddings where I had time to do an actual setup for the shots. To do great ring shots, or really any macro photography, there are a few things you need…

Right equipment – There are hundreds of lenses, gadgets, lights, and tools you can use to get great macro shots. They can be extremely pricey, but you can take great macro photos without spending a ton of money.

Lenses- You might be surprised at how well you can do with your telephoto lens. Try backing up and zooming in as far as you can, setting the focus manually to the shortest focal distance, and moving closer slowly until your subject comes into focus. Most photographers have a 24-70 that does pretty well too. However, a true macro lens projects the image onto your sensor at the exact size as it is in real life. That’s what they mean by a 1:1 ratio. We use the Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro.

Tripod – A good tripod is invaluable. Ours can lay sideways, and the legs spread out to nearly horizontal, so I can position the camera close to the ground or a table. Because of the shallow depth of field associated with macro photography, a tripod is essential to keep things in focus.

Camera Remote – No matter how solid your tripod is, even the slightest jiggle from pressing the shutter button can prevent your image from being as crisp as it could be. Also, having a shutter release and a tripod allows you to take long exposure macro shot (good for rings and still life, not so much nature.)

Lighting - A macro ring light, although not a tool I currently use (or an afford at the moment), is a great way to light close up subjects evenly. At weddings, you will very rarely find yourself with adequate lighting for rings. I sometimes use a flashlight, or bounce my flash off of a nearby wall. Also, try putting your subject directly on or near a light source (bottom lit table, lamp, flashlight).

Timing and focus - Once you have your gear picked out, and your shot set up, you’ve got to take the shot. Patience is key.  When hand-holding the shot, you will see your subject coming in and out of focus ever so slightly. Take two or three slow breaths while you dial in your focus to be precisely where you want it, exhale, hold your breath and fire off as many shots as you can until you have to breath again. I’ve come pretty close to passing out at weddings, but it’s worth it.

Setup – Finding unique ways to show your subject can make your shot really special. Take the time to look at your environment and think out of the box. We’ve used champagne, seashells, sandspurs, fruit, magazine ads, bullets, and more in some of our shots. (You can see some of our favorite ring shots from last year here.) Of course, when you feel stuck, you should have some go-to ideas for what you’re going to do. Find unique ways to stack or balance your subject, or something fun to put it on that adds unique elements to the photo, like color or reflection. Details from the reception decor are good go-to inspiration too.

Scale – The most important thing I look for in creating unique ring shots is something that brings the size of the subject into reality. And if you’re taking a super close up picture of something small, other small things look equally as cool under the lens. When I first tried to take a picture of Becka’s engagement ring, my first instinct was to do it with her favorite pair of shoes, with the beautiful red soles. I might as well have taken the picture on red construction paper. When I was close enough to show off the ring, the shoes were lost in the scale and turned into a red blob, when I tried to show off the shoes, the ring was tiny by comparison. Of course if you want to show something bigger off, you can always use a different lens. Becka likes to use the 50mm 1.2 sometimes to take a wider ring shot.

In conclusion… A good macro lens, a tripod, lighting, and creativity are all you really need to pull of some incredible macro images. Here’s a few shots of Becka’s garden showing my simple setup. Just substitute rings for flowers and you get the idea…

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