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Tip for the point-and-shoot digital camera: In macro mode use the digital zoom function to get closer to the subject

Now that may be quite an obvious statement but it is one photography tip which this amateur photographer discovered quite by chance while taking some macro shots of a lady beetle.

My digital camera is of the simple point-and-shoot variety and I was honestly surprised to find it has this capability. DSLR photographers, who have a huge array of tools and accessories to use on their cameras, may or may not find this relevant…oh, for a DSLR of my own!

Discovering the zoom in macro

I was clearing out some dying spinach from its pot in the garden when I spotted two ladybugs crawling around the stems of the plants. Any further thoughts of gardening went to the back of my mind and all I could think about was capturing those bugs as ’still life’. I got out my digital camera (making sure it was set to a high resolution), sat it on a tripod and set the mode to macro. Of course, the ladybirds decided this was the perfect time to hide behind the spinach leaves. I felt I wasn’t getting in close enough, even on the super macro setting.

For some reason I hit the zoom button and found that the digital zoom function kicked in and I could focus in tightly on the ladybugs. The camera zoomed straight in passed the spinach leaves that were hiding my little subjects. Eureka!

Make a difference with the digital zoom

Using the zoom made the ladybirds enormous. The trick is knowing how far to zoom in. If you zoom too far then the photo might end up with a grainy look (which, by the way, can still be a nice effect). I tried out different zoom lengths and waited until I downloaded the photos to my computer before selecting the best results (the back-screen of the camera is just too small to tell for sure if your photo is a Nobel prize winner or a miserable failure. I think I managed to shoot something in between).

It wasn’t until I was in the post-production phase that I noticed the spider in the top right corner.

Use a tripod when taking macro shots

The tripod came in extremely handy while I was taking these photos. In fact, with the digital zoom on, I don’t think I would have been able to keep the camera steady enough without one. It’s worthwhile investing in a tripod if you don’t have one. I used my new favourite Gorillapod Tripod for these shots.

Know your camera

One thing I have learned about photography is that it really pays to know how your camera works. It was only this weekend that I finally read my camera manual cover to cover. I have owned this camera for over two years and only ever dipped into the manual it to read about a specific setting here and there. Actually, there is a great article over at idigitalphoto about getting to know your camera to improve your camera technique.

The camera manual didn’t mention zooming in while in macro mode. I guess that’s why I haven’t read through the entire manual before because while it explains what the functions are, it doesn’t tell you the most effective way to use them. It would probably spoil the fun of learning photography through trial by error anyway, don’t you think?

Experiment with camera settings

So, if reading the camera manual didn’t teach me about combining the macro setting with the digital zoom function it might have been the nudge I needed to experiment with the camera more than I have and try out new ideas.

You might already know about using the macro setting and the digital zoom together on your point-and-shoot camera. To me, this insight into photography felt like I had discovered something as amazing the earth not being flat!

I’d love to know the accidental photography tips you have learned along the way.

• See other related macro posts

External links

• Macro Photography Tips for Point and Shoot Compact Digital Cameras
• Extreme Macro Photography on a budget

I just bought a Gorillapod Tripod for my digital camera and I have to say it is one of the best camera accessories I have bought. This tripod is so much fun to use - I’ve been bending it around chairs and posts, the window sill, table legs…I can’t wait to take it out this weekend and see what weird and wonderful things I can suspend it from.

It works as a regular tripod, but it has these flexible tripod legs that can be twisted and turned to grip onto any number of things.

I read about these tripods a while ago. Today I was walking through the local shopping centre where I passed by a camera shop and saw one in the front window, just crying out to be bought.

The Joby website says

“…it is the only tripod malleable enough to provide you with the perfect shot while wrapped around a tree branch, ranging from a pole, or perched on a jagged rock. The possibilities are endless!”

Is this true, I wonder?

UPDATE 7 November: So far I have found this to be an excellent tripod - make sure you add one to your Christmas wish list!

I took some photographs this afternoon using the macro setting on my digital camera. The macro still remains one of my favourite camera settings. I used a fairly high resolution so that when I downloaded/uploaded them to my computer, I was able to zoom in further and crop the shots with iPhoto. Can you guess what it is that I photographed?

Could this be a spider’s web, perhaps?

Or an alien from outer-space?

A tribal totem?

By the way, I’ve been experimenting with the new iPhoto on my computer. You can do so much with this version.

Have you guessed what the images are?

It’s a dragonfly! Sadly, the dragonfly was either injured or at the end of its life span. It was beautiful…

A dragonfly in macro

Click the images below to view the larger size.

Similar to a helicopter. I gave this one a colour-boost.

Here you can see the “alien from outer-space” on the shoulders, the upside down “tribal totem” at the base of the tail and the “spider’s web” wings.

It looks like the dragonfly wears a helmet.

My cats were quite enthralled to watch me take photos of this dragonfly.

Adding effects to your photos

Adding effects to photos with the new iPhoto is incredibly easy. I blurred the edges slightly in the photo directly above. To the other photos, I added a vignette (Edit photo -> Effects -> Vignette).

I find the vignette boosts the macro effect, drawing the eye towards the centre of the photo away from the corners.

The colour boost also emphasises the splashes of blue on the dragonfly’s body.

Shooting with a higher resolution

Taking detailed photos using a higher number of pixels gives you more room to play with and manipulate them during post-production.

I don’t know how common it is these days, what with the massive storage space available on memory cards, but it seemed to be common practice, for us amateur photographers, to change the digital camera settings to take lower resolution photos in order to get more onto a memory card. While this approach allows you to take masses of photos, it doesn’t give you a lot to work with at the other end. As I said, this is probably not much of an issue anymore.

If you are still using the lower resolution setting on your digital camera, try a higher setting and see the difference.

Related post:

• Using the zoom function in macro mode

A lunar eclipse happens when the earth is between the sun and a full moon.

Last night, 28th August, was the lunar eclipse and it was a truly amazing sight. My neighbours set up their telescope, and with a set of binoculars, various cameras and a few drinks we were comfortably set up for a couple of hours to view the night-sky. What a great way to experiment with night-time photography!

Through the telescope

The moon looked spectacular through the telescope. It was extremely bright at first as the shadow appeared, and so I used a low exposure -2.0. With the camera lens directly against the telescope eye-glass, I was quite surprised at how well these turned out.

Only the eyes and nose of the Man In The Moon are visible here. I set the exposure quite high.

After this it became difficult to get a photo of the moon through the telescope using the camera. I played around with the light levels in the new iPhoto on this next one to give you an idea of what it was looking like.

Using the tripod

I changed tact and set the camera to the ‘night’ setting, put the exposure up as high as it would go and popped it onto my tripod. The blood red (or rather, orange) moon looked quite surreal - it took on a 3D quality as the colour changed.

I put the large image sizes on Flickr.

How did your photos turn out?

I have a small tripod for my digital camera which extends to about 30cm. I use it quite a lot. It comes in especially handy for photographing text-based items. Even the tiniest movement results in a blurred item which is no good for reading print. I occasionally wear the hat of ‘unofficial photographer’ at my workplace, shooting images of archival records that contain very beautiful, albeit occasionally illegible, 18^th Century handwriting. It requires a tripod.

Stop your own shadow creeping in

Using a tripod for photographing items close-up also helps to prevent your own shadow from creeping into the shot. All the lighting in the world won’t help you if you find you are having to hover over a desk (or the floor) to directly line up your camera over the subject for a close-up. My shadow always appears (well, I’m conscious of it) just when I am ready to click. Using the tripod allows me to set up the shot (and set the timer) and then move aside. No more shadow. I can also properly angle the camera at 90 degrees while it sits on the tripod for a direct shot over the subject.

Other tripod uses

Another way in which I use my tripod is simply as an extension of the camera itself. It is a really useful way to hold the camera. Gripping the extended tripod legs together in my hand turns it into a handle of sorts. This holding technique worked well when I was experimenting with my macro setting. It feels as though you are able to move the camera in closer to the subject.

How else do you use your tripod?

Use it across ‘the ages’

Today I discovered the tripod also fits my vintage camera. I love this. I love that modern accessories can be used on older equipment.

It also fits a Pentax ME-F SLR I’ve been experimenting with.

All this for around $25.00 can totally improve your photography.

Related post

• Who else has a Gorillapod tripod?