Photo How To

There’s a bunch of photographers out there who’d like to shoot macro images once in a while, but not often enough to justify purchasing an expensive, dedicated lens. Today we’re going to show you how to get started shooting close-ups on the cheap.

Since technologies of database management (direct mail) and Internet marketing (websites) have cut into the advertising agencies’ “lock” on buying media space as the only way to sell products and services, the industry has scrambled to reinvent itself. As a result, photographers have felt an impact on their advertising photography businesses.

When Olympus and Panasonic launched the Micro Four Thirds system they offered adapters that enabled the use of regular Four Thirds lenses. Smart move, because it immediately expanded the library of available glass. The goal of Micro Four Thirds is smaller and lighter SLR cameras. The unanticipated benefit is compatibility with tons of lenses we all thought we’d never use again.

Camera sensor sizes can be confusing for the uninitiated because of the various options available. Pros and enthusiasts typically use cameras with either full-frame, APS-C, or 4/3 sensors. But there are a number of smaller options too, usually found in compact cameras, super-zoom models, and even our phones.

If you’re reading this page we assume it’s no mystery that the term “shutter speed” describes the length of time your camera’s shutter remains open when you take a photograph. That’s half of the exposure equation, the other being lens aperture, that determines how much light hits the sensor (or film) in your camera.

Earlier this week we posted a simple primer explaining how a camera’s metering system works. In the quick video below, pro Brian Worley examines the Shutter Priority mode and demonstrates when and how you can use this setting as a creative tool.