Macro Photography

ByParichay Chakrabarti Posted on24/01/201514/07/2023

As per Cambridgeincolor site, macro photography can take the viewer to new and seldom seen vantage points. However, macro photography also often demands more careful attention to photographic technique.

Macro photography is an absorbing activity: to be able to reach into ‘near space’ and record an image that is not easily visible to the naked eye is an attractive option. There is nothing more satisfying than to make a huge print of an insect, mineral specimen or any small object that is normally so tiny to the naked eye and captured with the technique of macro photography.

Macro used to refer to the capture of an insect or whatever, that resulted in an image on the 35mm film frame (24x36mm) that ranged from 1:10 to 1:1 the size of the original subject. For its part, the term micro referred to a film image that was larger than 1:1 life size; microphotography could easily give you a 35mm film image of an ant that was itself larger than the original ant.

In macro photography, a sharp image of a tiny object requires the lens to be positioned much closer still, with the lens moved even further out than for normal photography.
For example: if I photograph a 4 meter long house in our camera’s sensor which is 1 cm long, then the magnification ration will be 1cm / 400 cm or 1:400 which can be found in macro lenses body like 1:5 etc. If we shoot a 1cm fly and its projection on the sensor measures 1cm as well, the magnification is 1:1. The 1:1 ratio has an important meaning for macro enthusiasts. Technically speaking, macro photography means shooting at a magnification ratio of at least 1:1. Therefore, a ‘true’ macro lens has the ability to produce a magnification ratio of 1:1, or higher.

Now the question is obvious that our normal lenses or prime lenses like 50mm f/1.8 is also 1:1 so is it a macro? No. it is not a macro lens. Because macro lenses can focus a subject more closely than the normal lenses. When shopping for a macro lens, however, you’ll want to look carefully at the magnification specifications; most ‘true’ macro lenses will actually have ‘macro 1:1’ prominently displayed on the barrel. That removes any ambiguity.