Lilahpops

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

Flowers make great photographs and are a popular subject for many photographers. The hoya plant is the perfect subject to experiment with the macro setting on your digital camera.

I don’t recall ever seeing a hoya plant until a few months ago, when I discovered it on a visit to my parents’ house. Hoya is a new addition to their garden and completely compliments the home-made pergola (reminder: I will get a photo of that on my next visit).

There are many species of hoya, some are climbers and some are more shrub-like. They have shiny deep-green foliage and beautiful flowers which look amazing close up.

Try the macro setting on your flowers

The photos below show two varieties of hoya plant, one grows well in a hanging pot and one grows as a climber. The macro setting on your digital camera is usually identified by a flower image (like a tulip). Just get up nice and close to your subject – the camera won’t focus if you are not close enough. Your digital camera my also have a ‘flower’ setting which you can combine with the macro setting and is used to accentuate the bright colors of the petals.

The hoya flower up close

When magnified (or macro-fied) the hoya flower petals are furry and detailed and look similar to the ‘hair effect’ in a 3D animated movie. I only took a couple of photos at the time and am keen to get back and take some more macro shots.

Check out the photos below (links take you to larger Flickr photos) – there are ants crawling around on one of the flowers.

Have you photographed hoya plants using the macro setting?

I have yet to experiment with all the settings on my camera, but I’d have to say the macro and super macros settings are my current favorites. I love getting in close to a subject and have spent many hours practicing macro photography on all manner of things.

The super macro setting on my camera goes as close as 60mm which produces some wonderfully detailed results. Bees buzzing around the lavender in my backyard make great subjects. I will usually also set the Continuous Shooting Mode to help capture their movements from stem to stem. And there’s an element of danger too – a fear of bee stings!

Insects, flowers, bees, handwriting…anything really. All it takes is a bit of time and a lot of fun experimenting.

If you are interested in learning more about macro photography you’ll find there are some great books available. Here a just a handful:

• Macro Photography Photo Workshop
• Closeup Shooting: A Guide to Closeup, Tabletop and Macro Photography
• Photographing Flowers: Inspiration*Equipment*Technique
• Digital Macro Photography

Someone once told me to always take two photos of a subject. It was good advice. You can’t always be sure you have captured ‘the moment’ taking just one photo. You may not have lined up the shot as you would have liked; your hands may have been shaking; or your subject may have been blinking. The differences between the two photos can be quite noticeable.

Digital cameras give you immediate results, but it’s wise to remember that the back-screen view on a camera is rather small compared to the actual image size and it can be difficult to determine if a photo is a winner until it has been downloaded to a computer (sometimes the photos that appear unsuccessful on a camera screen turn out to be the great ones ones, so don’t go deleting until you have downloaded!)

You can still follow the ‘two shot rule’ with your digital camera, but did you know you can go one step further and take more than two shots with just one click of the button?

Multiple photos with one click of a button?

Yep, that’s right. There is a setting on your camera which will take multiple photos. My camera calls it Continuous Shooting Mode and will shoot photos for as long as I hold down the shutter release button or until it uses up all the space on the memory card.

I’m always curious to see the results of the continuous shooting mode, especially if the subject was moving during the shoot. Do you remember drawing (or seeing) pictures on every page of a notepad and then flicking through to get a little moving cartoon? Well, it’s just the same when you take these multiple shots. And if you’re putting together a digital slide-show of your photos then the results of the CSM can really enhance the presentation with an impressive movie-type effect.

How does it work?

Find the setting on your camera – you might need to check your manual. The setting on my camera is near the timer settings. You’ll know it’s selected because your screen will display a small rectangle with with double/triple lines on a couple of sides so it looks like a rectangle on top of a rectangle etc. All you have to do now is pick a subject and simply point and shoot. You may feel a small delay between shots. It doesn’t matter if some of the photos are blurry as it will give you the impression of motion (Note: you will probably not be able to set your flash in this mode).

If you are after the perfect shot then this multiple technique may give you better odds than the ‘two shot rule’. And it doesn’t cost you anything, you can always delete the ones you don’t want, after downloading of course.

Example of the continuous shooting mode

One of my cats generously agreed to model for this CSM example. This is a fairly quick Photoshop mock-up of the result. I numbered the individual images 1-6 so you can imagine the effect of viewing them in quick succession (I hope to add in the movie-effect at some stage). The image link takes you to Flickr.

Give it a try yourself, I’d love to see the end product.