Pixiq

Going 'larger than life' is not as hard as some make out. In the pre-digital era some folk made a great song and dance about the techniques mainly, I suspect, to make themselves look impressive. Maybe that sounds a bit irreverent – but I have no time at all for ‘poseurs’ and the pretentious (is it a trick of the light that they all seem to have 'target' emblazoned on the "T" shirt ?). I have a strong personal commitment to trying to make techniques of close-up photography possible for anyone who wants to try.

Before the term ‘macro’ gained general (in my case grudging) acceptance as a catch-all term for close up through to extreme close-up, the term ‘true macro’ was encountered for images larger than life-size 1:1 on a sensor (or film) using the sorts of lenses you'd find in a lab.

Believe me, this area of endeavour has a reputation for difficulty that is completely undeserved – in fact, up to about 5 times life-size you can work ‘in the field’. Yes, it’s a bit tricky because depth of field is very small and the slightest vibration is an earthquake. But all it takes a bit of thought and a willingness to be patient and persist when you mess up. And you will mess up (its a way of life for me), but then you get it right and that makes it worth the effort.

Rebekka Guðleifsdóttir  posted some delightful images (Magnifying Glass Macros) taken with a magnifying glass that showed what someone with a real 'artist's eye' can achieve with basic hardware. I am busy writing my next book for Lark which is a ‘macro for all work’ and so keeping it simple and CHEAP is a guiding principle for me, too.

With this in mind, I’ll make a series of  posts taking each method, evaluate its efficacy and, most important, set out how to do it. The rest will be up to you…

This is a realm you can enter either at modest cost (using diopters, reversing rings and coupling lenses...) or with a fat wallet...with little discernible difference.

The latter could involve ‘true macro lenses’ such as the Zeiss luminars, Leitz Photar, a Zeiss Tessovar or a set of Olympus bellows macro lenses…if you could find them. Then there is the unique Canon MP-E 65 mm 1x-5x which is really a ‘true macro lens’ with a lengthy built in extension tube – It is a superb lens but many find it tricky to use. As with so many things macro, Olympus did it first and probably more neatly with a variable auto extension tube (65-116mm) and four macro lens heads, each computed for a particular range of magnifications. Nikon, on the other hand, have always suggested mounting their wide-angles in reverse on a bellows…it works, too.

• For much of my macro work I use a DX body to make use of the ‘crop factor’. Remember, the image is NOT magnified:  the DX sensor just takes a smaller part of it. With a macro lens and x1.5 multiplier/converter you can fill the viewfinder with subjects that would have needed over 2 x magnification on 35mm film (or FX). It is portable and fast in the field - a great start.
• For a bit more magnification I favor stacking lenses – where a lens is reversed onto the macro or other prime lens you are using  and becomes a fabulously well-corrected diopter or auxiliary lens. You can buy adapter rings but I’ll show you how to make your own…very useful if you acquire odd lenses in junk shops or on eBay.
• I get some of my clearest images by reversing a lens onto extension tubes or a bellows. You reverse to get better optical correction but lose electronic lens control. If you go this route then you can use old enlarger lenses, low powered microscope lenses, 16mm cine lenses…you never know what you can do with stuff you might already have when the winter weather keeps you in.
• For high magnification I use an optical bench which is basically a very sturdy metal bar to which camera and subject is bolted…I have just made a very simple version of this that is portable (and cheap!) that works great for image stacking with Helicon, too! It ain’t high tec but it works amazingly well with old microscope lenses costing $10 or less…and its kitchen table photography.

I have just acquired the rights to an old book of mine (The Complete Guide to Close-up and Macro Photography) from which I can now take content and greatly update material:…it went into five languages and sold well before the UK publisher in their ‘supreme wisdom’ wrote me one of those ‘there comes a time in the life of any book…” letters.

This is a table taken from that book that suggests the technique that best applies to a particular magnification range.

So, here’s a taster of what is to come and more with an easy to navigate “Super Macro’ resource on Pixiq:

• Reversing and coupling lenses - making your own adaptors, LM, Raynox and other lenses
• Supports for macro – DIY optical benches and macroscopes
• True macro lenses - photars, luminars and other exotic offerings
• The Zeiss Tessovar – an oldie but goodie
•  Back to basics – so what really is sharpness: how do we maximise it?