View source for Commons:Macro

'''[[w:Macro photography|Macro photography]]''' is a really interesting field for Commons, being the best way to provide accurate photographs of small animals, plants, minerals or various other small objects. This page will introduce to you some helpful tips helping to provide better macro photographies. In macro photography, the quality of your images will be according to your material (camera + lens), your stability (camera + subject), the light, and the time of shoot. You can also choose some special setting (ISO, Time, ...), build a macro-studio for better background or light, and eventually make image editing.
{{Commons 2.0}}

== Materials: digital cameras ==
Make macro photographies is highly depending of configuration you have:
* the camera's sensor ;
* the objective (lens).
* a good stability (ex: tripod)
* a good light 

Notice that some compact cameras achieve ''"correct"'' macro shots for 2cm subject. Bridge cameras can achieve this, too. Therefore, you can do very good macro photography with cameras as inexpensive as 200-400US$. In order to achieve even sharper images with subjects such as small bees (1cm or less), semi-professional cameras ranging between 600 and 2000US$ will be needed.

Some macro pictures from Commons and the camera which provided it:
{| 
! width="340px" | Result 
! width="340px" | Camera
! width="340px" | &nbsp;
|-
| colspan="3" |
<gallery widths="300px" heights="300px">
Image:Hogna_radiata_(AF)-top_01.png|40mm Hogna radiata (body = 20mm), adult female, top view... (click to enlarge)
Image:Canon PowerShot S5 IS-face.png|...taken with a ''Canon PowerShot S5 IS'' (about 400US$/300 Euro)
</gallery>
|-
| colspan="3" |
<gallery widths="300px" heights="300px">
Image:Schnepfenfliege_Rhagio_scolopaceus2.jpg|Rhagio scolopaceus...
Image:Canon EOS 40D and 85mmf1.8.jpg|...taken with a ''Canon EOS 40D'' (about 1,300 US$/1.000 Euro<ref>[http://www.dpreview.com/news/0708/07082010canoneos40d.asp Canon EOS 40D, previewed]</ref>)
</gallery>
|-
| colspan="3" |
<gallery widths="300px" heights="300px">
Image:Dragonfly_compound_eyes02.jpg|Dragonfly's head (6mm)...
Image:Eos_20d_v_sst.jpg|... taken with ''Canon EOS 20D'' (about 1,500 US$/1.200 Euro)
Image:Sigma_150_macro.jpg|Lens
</gallery>
|-
| colspan="3" |
<gallery widths="300px" heights="300px">
Image:Caliphrodae head.jpg|Head of a fly (2.5mm), taken with Canon MP-E 65mm Macro f/2.8 by combining a [[:en:Focus_stack|focus stack]] of 32 pictures. 
Image:Canon EOS 40D and 85mmf1.8.jpg|...taken with a ''Canon EOS 40D'' (about 1,300 US$/1.000 Euro<ref>[http://www.dpreview.com/news/0708/07082010canoneos40d.asp Canon EOS 40D, previewed]</ref>)
File:Canon MP-E65mm.jpg|5x loupe lens Canon MP-E 65mm Macro f/2.8 
</gallery>
|-
|}

== Important points when shooting ==
;Moving or static subjects?
[[Image:Schnepfenfliege Rhagio scolopaceus.jpg|thumb|right|This image illustrate the trouble of focus in macro photography. You can see that the flat is sharp ''only'' in one ''thin'' layer. Closer or farther is blurred (click to enlarge). [http://vimeo.com/32067654 Related video]]]
They are two kinds of macro photography: 
* when the subject is moving; 
* when the subject is stopped. 
In most cases, people take macros of insects or small animals. These subjects move continuously, resulting in pictures with annoying blur. Some people thus prefer to shoot death models, or to cold them down so they move into sleeping mode.

; The sun [light]
Lighting is a ''very'' important for macros.

;Time
The solution is use a shorter exposure.  In most cases, macro shots of insects must be less than 1/200 sec. This means that '''macros need good light'''.  The more light you have, the less time the shutter will be open, and better your picture will be.

;Focus
In macro, the focus is limited to one layer at a particular distance from your lens. Parts of your subject closer or farther that this will be blurred.

== Macro-studio photography / Light Box ==
[[Image:Foodfotografie photokina 20080925.jpg|thumb|right|Example of professional macro-studio used by a professional food photographer. For lower price: a cookie box filled with white paper can do a great job too<ref>Creare your Macro box: [http://photo.net/learn/macro/ Macro @ Photo.net]; [http://www.somelifeblog.com/2008/10/photography-macro-studio-light-box.html Photos: Create a Macro Studio Light Box / Tent for Free!]; [http://www.flickr.com/photos/gordoncoale/sets/72157602563285011/ PVC light tent] ; [http://acebalasador.multiply.com/photos/album/26 My DIY Lightbox]
<br />Example of overview: [http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3111/3112887656_4d062f9fc4.jpg ex. n⁰1] [http://www.flickr.com/photos/vulnerablechaos/2951109472/ ex. n⁰2]; [http://www.flickr.com/photos/anirbanbrahma/2417067378/ ex. n⁰3]; [http://www.jhprophotos.com/client/images/cameracolor.jpg ex. n⁰4]; </ref>. See also: [http://www.akelstudio.com/blog/product-photography-lighting-it-is-simple-when-you-know-how/ Macro studio].]]
Smart technical macro are especially good for wikipedia, easing recognitions, and providing by few images a [almost] perfect representation of the photographied subject. 
For such technical macro, some tools are helpful. You may need: 
#a correct macro camera;
#a cleaned up background with an accurate scale ([[:Image:Macro A4.svg|Image:Macro '''A4'''.svg]] to print on a white '''A4''' page)
# catch your subject;
# <u>a good sun</u> (that's in fact a really important point!). 
#Then, put your subject on the white page, take your picture.
''{{info}} '''Insect tips''': Live beetles are easy to shoot. Most other live insects are likely to flee, you need to come closer very slowly. Others are simply too much active to be shot that easily. I personally put such insect in a box, and put the box in the refrigirator (~5°C !). One hour later, the insect [still alive] doesn't move or moves really slowly. I have 2 mins to take my photographies before letting it fly away.''

The background provides a scale by small light-blue dots (accordingly, I intentionally kept them). I then improved the light (Gimp), and added a more readable scale (in grey).

See also: [http://fr.scribd.com/doc/222198001/Pat-8676045 Amazon's Photo Arrangement] (cleaner [http://www.diyphotography.net/can-close-studio-amazon-patents-photographing-seamless-white/ Images])
=== Gallery of tools and examples ===
Tools use: [[:Image:Macro A4.svg]], [[:Image:Macro scales.svg]], [[:Image:Canon PowerShot S5 IS-full.png]], an Hogna radiata and a good sun.
<center>
<gallery>
Image:Macro A4.svg|1. My A4 printed page for the background
Image:Canon PowerShot S5 IS-face.png|2. My 300€'s camera
Image:Macro scales.svg|3. (if need): Gimp, Inkscape, and this scales are my tools for image editing
Image:Hogna radiata (AF)-top 01.png|4. The final product, well named: Hogna_radiata_(AF)-top_01.png (see naming conventions)
</gallery>
</center>

== Last graphic improvements: light, clean ups and scales ==
These tutorials will be using '''The Gimp''' and '''INKSCAPE''', two free graphic software largely available. See [[Commons:Software]] for download.

{| class="wikitable"
! Task || In natural context || On white background (image editing easier)
|- valign="top"
! Crop and rotate
| colspan="2" | Crop and rotate are 2 really basic things to do. Start your image editor program such Photoshop, Gimp, or other. Drag and drop your image into it. And look around to first rotate, and then crop your image as you want. That's really easy to do.
|- valign="top"
! rowspan="2" | Color improvement
| In natural context, your light is highly depending of your situation. Accordingly, your image may need a last light improvement. But they are there harder to make.
| If your picture is abnormally yellow or blue, etc., it will be need to get a little light improvement, to restore the true white.<br />
|-
| colspan="2" |
;Tutorial ([[:fr:Wikipédia:Atelier_graphique/Didacticiels_graphiques/Didacticiel_de_correction_de_couleur_de_lumière|fr]]'')
# Open your file in GIMP
# Pick up the color of a pixel which should be white ;
# In the main windows: File > Dialogs > '''Layers'''. Or simply (Ctrl+L).
# In the Layer windows: Create a new layer > Foreground > Ok. This new layer hides your image, That's fine.
# Choice which effect you want: 
#* Divide : make the white pixels whiter ; 
#* Soft light : enlight all ;
#* Burn : make the dark pixels darker ;<br />You can also play with opacity of this layers. If you find it's too effective, take its opacity down (60%, 30%,...).
# Save
|- valign="top"
! Extract the background
| 
:{{info}} being destructive, extraction of natural background should be avoided.
<small>If you take a picture in natural context, wanting to extract the background will probably be a really bad idea which will [in most cases] greatly affect  your subject. Extracting the background is always possible, but extracting it AND keep your subject intact will ask hours of pixel-after-pixel image editing.</small>
| In most cases, since the background is already white, this step is not need. If your picture is abnormally yellow or so on, make a "Color improvement" (see upper) will be enough.
|-
! || With natural or white background || With [[:Image:Macro A4.svg]] as background (provide a scale)
|- valign="top"
! Add the scale
| 
With a natural background, without scales on your photography, you have to "remember", or to "know" and state the size of your subject. When you know:

|
With the white [[:Image:Macro A4.svg]] when shooting, your picture itself provides the scale. Then :
# Open your image in Inkscape ;
# drag and drop [[:Image:Macro scales.svg]] in your Inkscape window ;
# select which scale you want to keep, delete others ;
# If your photography's blues doted lines are not horizontals:
#* Select your scale, and make a duplicate (Ctrl+D). 
#* Rotate the duplicate to follow the blue doted lines of your image ;
#* Ctrl+enlarge this duplicate to have the accurate length ;
#* rotate back the duplicate to the almost-horizontal position ;
#* enlarge the former scales to have the same length than the duplicate ;
#* delete the almost-horizontal duplicate.
# place the scale in the bottom right of your image.
# export in PNG or JPG (full quality)
|}

=== Software ===
* [[:en:Focus stacking]]

== Naming conventions ==
:''Draft proposal: [[:fr:Projet:Identification]] > [[:fr:Wikipédia:Atelier_identification/Nommage_des_photos_d%27animaux]]

== Notes ==
<references />

== External links ==
* [http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/07/how-to-diy-10-macro-photo-studio.html Make a Macrostudio], example of self build Macrostudio.
* [http://photo.net/learn/macro/ Macro @ Photo.net]
* [http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1041948/1_image_stabilizer_for_any_camera_lose_the_tripod/ Pseudo-tripod for 1 US$], to get more stable.

[[Category:Close-up photographs]]
[[Category:Tutorials]]