WORLD OF PHOTOGRAPHY

Close-Up Photography Basics

Close-up photography provides unique opportunities to produce creative and dramatic photographs. This type of photography, also referred to as macro or micro photography, directs you to new types of subject matter and situations requiring special techniques and perspective.

To obtain a clear understanding of what constitutes close-up photography, one must understand how it is defined. Contrary to its name, the distance from the camera to the subject does not accurately define the level of close-up photography. Instead, the subject to film magnification rate, often expressed as a ratio, provides the best definition. This ratio compares the subject’s actual size to the size of the subject captured on film. The term ‘film’ refers to either the negative or slide in the camera when the photograph is taken. This ratio does not refer to the size of the subject on a developed print or a projected slide, which is irrelevant. When the size of a subject’s image captured on film is equivalent to the subject’s actual size, the magnification rate is 1:1, or life size. For example, if a small coin were photographed at a 1:1 magnification rate, the actual coin would be the same size as the image of the coin on the negative or slide. When the size captured on film is one-half the actual size, the rate is 1:2. In this example the actual coin would be twice as large as the image of the coin on the film. One-fourth actual size is 1:4, and so on. While there is no official cutoff for close-up photography, remember that the subject to film magnification rate provides the most accurate definition.

The lens determines the level of magnification that is obtained. Every lens has a maximum magnification rate. Every lens also has a minimum focusing distance. This is the closest distance the lens may be to the subject while maintaining clear focus. The maximum magnification rate is obtained at the minimum focusing distance. A true macro or micro lens (different manufacturers use different terms; I will use the term macro lens) is specially designed to offer a short minimum focusing distance. These lenses usually offer a maximum magnification rate of approximately 1:1 or 1:2, compared to a maximum magnification rate of 1:4 or even worse for many non-macro lenses.

Subject: Phalaenopsis Orchid
1:8 magnification rate	1:1.25 magnification rate