# Macro Photography Help!



## faile486 (Jul 10, 2012)

Hi!  I'm attempting to improve my jewelry photos for my Etsy site.  I need to be able to take high res images, but when viewed at higher resolutions, they always look grainy!  I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong.  I'm shooting at 100 ISO, I've tried using a macro lens and a regular lens (zoomed in as far as possible), but when I view the images at 100% they are REALLY grainy.  For the most part, the images are fine for Etsy, but I'd still like to know what I'm doing wrong.


----------



## Overread (Jul 10, 2012)

We'll need a few more details before we can give feedback on this; 

1) What camera and lens(es) are you using? If possible show different examples with the different setups that you've used. Are you shooting handheld or from a tripod? If you are tripod shooting are you using mirror lockup/timers?

2) What lighting setup are you using? 

3) What settings are you using - aperture, ISO and shutter speed.

4) What (if any) editing are you performing on the photos? Are you brightening them extensively - adding contrast etc..?


The more info you can give the more we can get an idea for what you're doing and then we can hopefully point out where there might be areas you can improve upon for a best possible result.


----------



## faile486 (Jul 10, 2012)

1) What camera and lens(es) are you using? If possible show different examples with the different setups that you've used. Are you shooting handheld or from a tripod? If you are tripod shooting are you using mirror lockup/timers?
​I've only got one camera, a Canon Digital Rebel T1i, and this was shot with a 50mm 1.5 ft macro lens.  I am shooting on a tripod, but I'm not using a timer.  I'm using remote tether.  I'm not sure what mirror lockup is.

2) What lighting setup are you using? 
​I've got a EZCube with Khul lights, the 120 and 30, plus a LED sparkler.  All are daylight balanced.

3) What settings are you using - aperture, ISO and shutter speed.
​F22, 100, 1/6 (for the attached image, not sure about older ones)

4) What (if any) editing are you performing on the photos? Are you brightening them extensively - adding contrast etc..?
​I'm using Lightroom and Photoshop.  Mainly increasing contrast and level adjustment.

I think I might have figured it out accidentally...this is a shot I took an hour ago.  Not sure what was different between this one and the others I'd been taking though = /


----------



## Overread (Jul 10, 2012)

Ok there are a few areas you can improve upon here:

1) The aperture you're using is too small. Yes it gievs you a good depth of field, but if you want a higher amount of clarity you'll have to use a wider aperture (smaller f number). For macro I generally stick to around f13, maybe f16 on occasion. Even at f16 you'll see the photo getting a little softer and at f22 softer still. This is because diffraction kicks in somewhere around after f8 on most lenses. Thus softens the end result of the photo - however most lenses remain usable up to around the f13 mark - thereafter the drop off in sharpness becomes much greater.

2) Shooting tethered with a tripod is a good move and with the lights you have and the shutter speed you shouldn't have many problems. That said make sure you're shooting on a stable ground surface - carpets and some other floorings can shift as you move your body near the setup - a hard firm floor is important for keeping everything static as you shoot.

3) Mirror-lockup - this is a mode where the camera flips the mirror inside the lens and then waits before actually taking the photo. It helps remove minor shake from the slap of the mirror. If you're using a remote cable you'll have to press the shutter button twice; once to flip the mirror and again to take the photo (remembering to pause for a second or so between the two presses). If you use a timer in the camera it will give a 2 second pause between the two stages.
This mode and how to enable it will be detailed in your camera manual


----------



## faile486 (Jul 10, 2012)

How about this?  Apature: 8.0, Shutter: 1/60, ISO: 100  Levels adjusted, dust removed.  No other editing.


----------



## Bynx (Jul 10, 2012)

It might just be its a low res file but there is some strange pixelation in the shadows and the out of focus section at the top. I never get that kind of look.


----------



## Overread (Jul 10, 2012)

faile486 - I would be right in assuming that these are all 100% crops or fairly strong crops of the original photos? With the 50mm macro you shouldn't have any problems getting the camera to focus close enough to take the shot you need at the magnification you need. However chances are you'll want to use manual focusing not auto focusing (Because at closer distances AF tends to hunt more than get a lock).


----------

