South Africa's largest Damselfly species.
Macro photography can be a really fulfilling way to broaden your photographic skills and know-how. After all, you may only get out to photograph wildlife a couple of times a year, yet the perfect subjects for macro might be lurking right there in your garden or kitchen. The difficult part of macro is the extremely narrow depth of field, where a fraction of a millimeter can make or break the shot. In the past I remember crouching down and using the movement of my body to bring the camera into the right place, trying to press the shutter release as the subject’s eyes came into focus. Difficult to say the least, and the results were mixed.
With my new Canon 550D I knew I had live view, which I didn’t rate as being that big a deal, likening it to the live view we’ve had for a long time on point-and-shoots. Only recently did I learn how live view can transform your macro photography. Armed with this new knowledge, I went down to the Lowveld Botanical Gardens here in my home town and searched for some macro subjects. Eventually I found this critter, a Glistening Demoiselle. I set up the tripod, inching closer slowly so as not to spook it, and, when I had found it through the view finder, switched to live view. I then zoomed in up to 10 times, and focused using the zoomed image, attaining a super-sharp focus before using my cable release to take the shot.
Live view is a great way to check your focus, and can be used in landscapes as well. It also has the same effect as ‘mirror lock-up’, thereby reducing vibrations as the shutter is released. So get familiar with your camera’s live view function – it will transform your photography!
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