PHOTOGRAPHY

 The best lighting for macro photography with the simplest equipment

  Macro photography is great for exploring new worlds that are not visible to the naked eye. You can turn boring ordinary themes into cool themes.

  The single most important component of all macro photography equipment that a macro photographer should know how to fully control is lighting.

  With good lighting, your photos will be sharp, vibrant, and visually stunning. However, if you misuse even natural lighting, the macro image will look dull and boring.

  If you want to learn how to use natural light for the best photos, as well as the best artificial light for macro photography, read on. This article is packed with great information about the best lighting for macro photography.

What is the best lighting for macro photography?

  The best lighting for macro photography can be achieved using three forms of light; Artificial light (also called continuous light), flashlight, and natural light.

  All of these types have advantages that are separate from each other, and choosing one of them is up to personal preference.

  Let's explain each of these types, and how to achieve the best lighting for macro photography with them.

   1. Natural Light

  Natural light is the best lighting for macro photography because sunlight is generally easier to work with.

  All you need is the camera, the lens, and the subject you want to photograph.

  But there are a few things to consider when doing macro photography in natural light such as the best time to shoot, and some simple equipment you may need. Let's find out all these things together!

  The best time to photograph in the sunshine

  Macro lighting can be a challenge when shooting outdoors. You have no control over the angle of the light. This is why it is important to know the position of the sun in the sky.

  Lots of macro photographers take pictures in the morning. The flowers look fresh when covered with morning dew. It is also during this time that the insects begin to appear.

  The only time you should avoid is shooting at noon when the sun is high in the sky. If you see ugly shadows on your subject, it is best to wait until the golden hour, which is the first hour after sunrise and the last hour after sunset.

  On this watch, the sunlight is soft and creates visually appealing images.

  Or you can find a shaded area that absorbs some harsh backlighting.

  Or if possible, wait for a day when the sky is full of clouds.

  When the sun is high in the sky, the clouds act as a diffuser of light, softening it a little.

  Don't let rain thwart your plans. Raindrops can be a beautiful decoration for flowers and insects.

  Take macro photos by the window if you are shooting indoors

  The windows act as perfect diffusers of light when taking pictures indoors. Since it diffuses light from the sun, it creates soft lighting around your subject.

  You can set a table by the window and shoot almost any time of the day. Just make sure the window you choose lets in enough light.

  Sometimes windows can also let in a lot of light and possibly overexposing your footage and harsh shadows will appear in your scene. What you can do is put a curtain over it.

  The best choice for you is to look for a white sheer curtain like the one in the above picture. Or buy something called a Diffuser. What does publisher mean and how do you use it?

Read on to find out!

  Use a diffuser to diffuse the light

  If you have to shoot at home near a window or outdoors when the sun is high in the sky, or perhaps shoot a macro using artificial lighting in between, consider using a diffuser.

  All it does is diffuse harsh light (such as direct sunlight) to create a softer exposure.

  You can buy diffusers of different sizes. They are usually made of a thin, semi-transparent, silk-like material that only allows a portion of the light to pass through. (Available on Amazon).

  If you don't have a diffuser, you can try using a white umbrella instead. They not only protect your subject from the sun but also protect you from the heat.

  Sure, it sounds a little silly but it works. Especially when the sun is shining.

  Use Reflector

  When you are in a place where the lighting is poor no matter what time of day it is. Consider using an inverter.

  In simple terms, a photographic reflector as its name suggests is simply an instrument that reflects light.

  A reflector does not emit light as a flash does, it simply redirects the existing light.

  Since reflectors do not emit light but only reflect it, their primary purpose is to fix shadows.

  For example, if you are photographing a person outdoors in the middle of the day, their face will be full of unwanted shadows.

  Using a reflector will not work if the sun is behind you. So always make sure that you are in the opposite direction of the sun for its light to bounce off the reflector successfully. Keep moving it until it reflects sunlight onto the object you're photographing.

  There are many types of inverters that you can buy in the market. The best ones for macro photography are the little circular ones.

  Its surface area is enough to create reflections and at the same time, it is still small enough to move around when shooting. (Available on Amazon).

  If you don't have a reflector, use white cardboard because it works too, and you can even cut it smaller to fit tight areas.

  Well, that's all about natural lighting. However, what if you want to take macro photos in a studio that does not get sunlight, or maybe you want to take photos in the evening when the lighting is very poor, what should you do about it.

  Simply put, you will resort to artificial light or flashlight depending on the situation in which you are shooting.

  Let's start with artificial light, how to get it, and what is the best artificial light for macro photography you can get!

   2. Artificial Light

  Great alternative lighting to macro photography is to use a simple desk lamp.

  You can use any desk lamp, but the best option is one that has an adjustable neck. This way you can place it at any angle without much effort.

  The lamp you use is also important in helping you get the shot you want. The best option for you is a daylight bulb because it mimics the color temperature of the sun.

  But if you prefer visually appealing images, you can also try a white lamp. If you like warm colors, use lamps that emit orange or yellowish light.

  When using artificial light, feel free to move it around and experiment with the best angles to illuminate your subject.

  Also, don't forget to use a diffuser to diffuse the light, or use parchment paper to cover and diffuse the light.

  It will also be useful if you mount the camera on a tripod. Since desk lamps produce weaker light, you may need to use a slower shutter speed to achieve the correct exposure.

  So the tripod will keep the camera stable to avoid motion blur.

  On the other hand, if you are looking to improve the lighting of macro photography, you should use some dedicated tools, the most famous of which is Ring lights to explain it more.

  Ring spotlights are loved for their ability to evenly illuminate subjects with soft light. It also attaches directly to the front of the lens, so you can get closer to your subject to maximize power.

  The important thing you should know is; Rings of light are very similar to flash rings, the difference is that rings of light can be kept on, while flash rings only flash for a second. We will talk about flash in general in the following paragraphs.

  Here is a list of the best and cheapest light rings for macro photography:

• Bolt LED VM-160

  The Bolt VM-160 is the best macro light ring for the price, delivering high-quality results at an affordable price tag of just $60.

  Because despite having more expensive options (including Canon's own round lamp model, which fetches over $500), the Bolt manages to deliver consistent, nice lighting for amazing macro photography.

  The Bolt VM-160 Ring Light mounts easily to the front of the lens.

  Comes with a series of adapters that mount to the front of the lens: 49mm, 52mm, 55mm, 58mm, 62mm, 67mm, 72mm, 77mm.

  This way, you can use it on multiple lenses without having to purchase any additional kit.

  Although the build quality isn't excellent (it's almost entirely plastic), the ring light gets the job done quite successfully.

  The ring light is powerful enough for most telephoto applications. And you'll love the variable brightness settings, which let you change the lighting to suit your situation.

  The focus ring also comes with multiple color filters so you can heat up and cool down the color of the light in moments.

• Newer 48 Macro LED Ring Flash

  The Neewer 48 Macro Ring Light is a solid option for its very low price, providing decent lighting at an affordable price.

  The Neewer Ring Light comes with adapters that fit most lenses: 49mm, 52mm, 55mm, 58mm, 62mm, 67mm, 72mm, and 77mm lenses.

  It offers several filters for changing the lighting temperature, from blue (9000K), yellow (3000K), white (5000K), and transparent/standard (5500K).

  This circular lamp is made fairly cheaply: it is made entirely of plastic and when held it feels flimsy.

  While the Neewer 48 isn't the best ring light on this list, it too will get the job done.

  Well, now if you are serious about macro photography, want professionalism, want something that is perfect and gives you amazing professional results then flash is the way to go.

   3. flash

  If you need a light that is brighter than regular light bulbs or LED lights, you may need to use a flash.

  The flash is more difficult to use because it is not a continuous light. In other words, you don't see the light it produces until the moment you hit the shutter button.

  There are two types of flashes; Built-in flash and external flash.

  Most macro photographers do not recommend using the flash on the camera to shoot macro photos close to your subject because the lens will block the light, creating shadows.

  They also do not recommend the flashes that are attached to the camera shown in the picture below, because they are also obscured by the lens’s light and create shadows.

  The best lighting for macro photography is the one that comes from the external flash rings which are similar to the light rings we talked about in the previous paragraph but only produce the flash. Let's go deeper into this point.

  Flash Ring

  Flash rings offer something that most of the artificial light sources we talked about above (natural or artificial) lack, which is power.

  This short burst of light can overwhelm other light sources.

  Therefore, flash rings are used to put out more light because the power comes out of the flash only for a split second. This means that it can provide better settings and plenty of light when you need it.

  For this reason, a flash is a great tool for creating exciting effects like black backgrounds, high-level scenes or even freezing motion like splashes of water droplets.

  Because of this very short duration, there is little or no camera shake when held in the hand.

  The design of the macro flash is very similar to the design of the light ring that we saw in the previous paragraphs.

  So the subject lights up evenly because the flash head is positioned on the front of the lens directly in front of the object.

  The only drawback of the flash is that it gives light for a very short time. You can't use it for video or see how lighting changes will affect your photo.

  The flash has many options for manipulating the light to make it work with your photos. Most flashes allow for changes in output (amount of light), focus (low ranges or beamwidth), and quality (use of diffusers and other light modifiers).

  Let's move on to the best flash options for macro photography:

• Needer Macro TTL Ring Flash for Canon Cameras

  The Neewer Macro TTL Ring Light comes with TTL metering for Canon cameras.

  TTL metering allows the flash to assess exposure through the lens – and the flash will light or dim depending on the overall illumination in the scene.

  This can be useful in portrait or macro photography if you find yourself changing conditions often and don't have time to set the correct flash settings frequently to get a good exposure.

  The Neewer ring light works very well. Comes with eight lens adapters (52mm, 55mm, 58mm, 62mm, 67mm, 72mm, 77mm).

  The build quality is good, and the lighting itself is made of flash tubes, not LEDs.

  But this is a flashlight only - you can't use it for continuous lighting (meaning it doesn't stay on like a Bolt) only the flash. So if you need constant light, you can refer to the previous fixed light menu.

• Viltrox JY670N i-TTL

  The Viltrox Ring Light is flash only - it offers no continuous lighting options, just strong light.

  Like the aforementioned Neewer Macro TTL, Viltrox is a flash at a higher price. This is for several reasons.

  First, Viltrox includes TTL metering, which is useful for more advanced flash applications.

  Second, the Viltrox is equipped with fast recycle times (between 0.5 and 5 seconds), making shooting fast in the field.

  The flash itself is made of flash tubes. This means that you don't have to deal with individual LEDs appearing on any reflective surfaces.

  Viltrox also comes with several flash modes, including multi-mode, for using multiple flashes in one shot. And you can easily adjust flash power using flash controls.

  Alongside these advanced features, you'll also find very standard ring lighting capabilities: an LCD screen with controls mounted on the back of the camera and six adapter rings for using different lenses.

  The Viltrox JY67ON flash will only work fully on Nikon cameras. Whereas if you install Viltrox on Canon cameras, TTL metering will not work.

  For photographers who are more serious about macro photography and can't afford to pay the bills, the Viltrox flash is the way to go.

• Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX

  What a single macro flash can do, can do two units of macro flash doubled.

  Usually, insects do not wait for you for long. So you want a versatile flash system that gives you more control over the lighting without thinking too much about it.

  A dual macro flash mounted on the front of the lens provides ambient light from ring flash and more.

  The two flash units can be operated together or independently. Therefore, you can have a sidelight without the need for an external flash.

  The Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX has a guide number of 24 (12 for every single flash), high-speed sync, manual mode, TTL mode, and wireless flash. But it costs about $500 and weighs 585 grams.

   Best Macro Lighting - Conclusion

  You should think about what you are going to photograph before purchasing any kind of lighting fixture. For fixed themes, you may find that the tools you already own will work just fine. Your lighting requirements increase dramatically if you are shooting moving subjects, as you should be able to “freeze” the action.

  Take some time to think about what you're going to photograph the most before purchasing your macro lighting equipment.

  You may find that you already have several tools that you need, or you may need to purchase something specific for your type.

  Most flash units come with a diffuser, or you can build your own with some inexpensive materials. Even a piece of tissue or other clear material placed over the flash can act as a quick and easy dispenser.