7.) Hands on Light

Good light and attention to composition can set photos apart. Light is very important for macro work especially if you need to work with faster shutter speeds. I opt for available or ambient light if I can get it but there are times that I need a little help with flash. Fortunately, the market has many alternatives for macro flashes and flash brackets. Google or Bing Macro Flash and you will see solutions ranging from the major camera companies to home grown devices by enthusiasts. I use a simple and frugal approach when I need artificial light – manual flashes that are hand held and off camera.

Here is the issue with macro and light. In general, the greater the magnification the less light is available. Limited depth of field makes this bad situation worse as photographers tend to stop down for macro.

When you are taking macro photographs even the slightest movement of the subject can create blur. Everything gets magnified in macro. The same holds true if the camera moves. A good tripod and tripod head will take care of camera movement. A fast shutter speed (above 1/125) will help to freeze subject movement. I use a simple off camera manual flash or flashes to ensure a faster shutter speed to freeze the subject.

All of the macro photographs in the light sections 7.) through 10.) were taken with off camera flash.

Read on to 8.) Controlling Flash if you want to learn how to control light from your flash in a manual mode.

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