Come on! Admit it. Most of us have never touched a piece of photographic film. I guess that statement is mostly true- if you’re under the age of 35. Those of us over the age of 35 likely haven’t touched any film in close to two decades.

We all know the roots of photography lies in the black and white photograph. Think of the newspaper photographers of the 1950s with their gigantic press cameras and flashbulbs. Or, even go further back, and you have the portraitist photographer of the 1800s, who used 100-pound cameras, and dangerous flash powder, to expose the image.

In days gone by, the black and white photographer had to use a special film, special chemicals, and a rinse-wash-dry cycle in two separate phases: the process took at least hours and sometimes days.

Want to explore macro photography? Our guide will help you get started in no time. No special equipment necessary!

Macro photography, or taking larger-than-life-size pictures of very small subjects, is a fascinating, absorbing branch of photography through which you can explore the details of the world around you (and come up with some fantastic images in the process).

Once impractical for many because it required a substantial investment in equipment, macro photography is now accessible to everyone who owns a DSLR or even a digital point-and-shoot camera.

Micro, Macro or Close Up?

The terms macro and micro are both commonly used in this aspect of photography, and though the literal meanings are opposite (micro means small and macro means large), they both refer to the same thing: making a small object look big.

True macro photography is done using a dedicated macro (for Canon products) or micro (for Nikon products) lens, which has the capability of achieving at least a 1:1 magnification.

Close-up photography is similar to macro photography in that it makes small objects look large, but it’s done by photographing objects at a very close range with a standard, non-macro lens.