The Canon Rebel T3i is a great macro photography instrument. Macro, or close-up, photography is at the top of many “I want to learn how to do this” lists, but, for some reason, it gets pushed to the back burner. Well, there is no time like the present to get started. With your T3i, it is ever so effortless.
You may have a dedicated macro lens – terrific. However, if you don’t have one of those expensive lenses especially made for close-up work, have no fear, you can use extension tubes! With an inexpensive set of extension tubes, you can transform almost any lens into a macro lens. Basically, extension tubes increase the distance from the camera sensor to the lens so you, can move your camera closer to the subject of your picture.
As you will discover, taking extremely close photos reveals details that are not normally noticed. At a casual glance, we would not normally see all the detail in most small objects. That’s what makes shooting macro so special. There are so many moments of photographic amazement.
On a personal note, yours truly actually became hooked on photography when I took my first macro shot with an old point and shoot camera. That’s when I began to take pictures of every bug that would stay in the view finder long enough. And when there was no bug available, I took pictures of flowers. I didn’t realize that there are so many other interesting subjects to shoot in the tiny world of close up photography. Actually, almost any small object is worthy of your attention, including parts of your clothing like buttons and zippers as well as things like eyes and fingers. There really is no limit to what can be photographed.
Now that you are convinced to get started, here are a few hints:
*Start your engine. This seems quite obvious, but lots of us are inclined to get bogged down with the learning process. Yes, there are many classes and tutorials available online and off line, but just go out and take some pictures. You will learn as you go, and it will be so rewarding. Photography is a skill that is best learned “on the job.”
* Don’t worry about mistakes. This goes along with the first hint. Mistakes are an important part of the learning process. They may actually lead to some amazing surprises. Something you messed up can lead to some of your most outstanding images.
*Use a tripod. Close-up photos are prone to give the photographer lots of blur when trying to hand-hold the camera. In addition to the tripod, you can benefit from using the shutter release timer on your T3i, or you can get an inexpensive remote shutter release.
*Use Live View and focus manually. Canon has added a very helpful feature on the Rebel T3i when it comes to macro photography. When in Live View, you can use digital zoom. Digital zoom is used to get a closer view of the subject so you can focus more accurately. At 5 times the magnification (or even 10 times), you can see clearly to focus. This one feature is what sold me on the Canon Rebel T3i.
That’s it. Pretty simple, right? These tips are meant to get you out and shooting.
