The Forge

Fun with Macro Photography!

Did you know that if you own a DSLR you most likely already have a Macro capable lens?

What is Macro? Macro is extreme magnification- think of all those cool bug pictures in National Geographic!

Sure there are expensive lenses made for just that purpose, but with a simple trick you can dip your toe into macro photography with what you have on hand. How you might ask? Easy, just take your lens, and reverse it! That’s right: take off your lens and turn it around and hold it against the camera! While you may lose some functions such as setting Aperture (more on that later) and Auto-Focus (not really useful for macro photography anyways), you can get some cool looking pictures without spending a dime! Freelensing!

Doing it this way normally means that your depth of field (the part of the image that will be in focus) will be tiny, which is a cool effect but not always desired. One trick to set the Aperture manually, on Canon DSLRs at least, is to put the lens on normally, set the Aperture to something like F11 or whatever is desired, HOLD the DOF Preview button in front and while still holding the button detach the camera lens and flip it around. This way the lens will be locked to the Aperture you just set.

An easier way to do this is premade filters that attach to the front of your lens and allow it to be mounted backwards. Yes they really make these and they’re cheap! Here’s a 58mm attachment for EF that will fit the normal 18-55mm Canon kit lens: $8 bucks at Amazon!.

Now you’re wondering how do I focus when everything is out of focus? Easy! The method most people use is to simply move the camera back and forth, instead of trying to manipulate the focus ring. Just go back and forth until whatever you desire is in focus. Of course this is easier with a tripod and takes some practice but it’s not hard to get the hang of.

And that’s all there is to it. If you’re feeling adventurous, be sure to give it a shot and toss me a link to your results!

* All shots taken with a Canon Rebel XSi, 18-55mm Kit Lens (reversed), Flash, and handheld @ 1/200 shutter, varying ISO
** Not responsible for any damage caused by following this blog!