Macro photography is close-up photography. The lens is typically optimized to focus sharply on a small area and magnifying it.

Depth of field is extremely small when focusing on close objects; a small aperture (high f-number) is often required to ensure sufficient depth of field. This requires either a slow shutter speed or bright lighting for correct exposure; in all but the brightest natural lighting if a prolonged exposure is not advisable, auxiliary lighting (such as from a flash unit) is required as a ring flash or a flash diffuser like the one discussed here on DIY photography.

How to:

• Using a lens specifically designed for close work and with a long barrel for close focusing, called a macro lens.
• Extending the distance between the lens and the film or sensor by inserting either extension tubes
• Placing an auxiliary close-up lens in front of the camera's taking lens. Inexpensive screw-in or slip-on attachments provide close focusing at very low cost
• Reversing the lens using a "reversing ring"

You can buy a reverse ring, or you can fit your second lens (if you have one) on the lens you have on your body camera as i did and have macro capabilities for FREE:

That’s my sony a300 with the standard lens dt18-70 and my old manual Zenit lens: Mc Helios 44m-7

I just reversed the Helios lens and attached to the DT lens

That’s all!

Don’t forget to switch to Manual focus!

This is an example of what i did with that DIY:

Actually my Helios lens is all manual, so to use the aperture from that lens, i needed to have the aperture switch in the back of the lens always pressed but putting on it some glue or some rubber!

Other infos:

- Here is another cheap way to have an homemade macro lens at Photocritic

- And here another usueful way to build your own reversing ring from a Body Cap, its basically the same way i did macro reversing, but instead of using 2 lens, you will use a body cap, a filter and some glue!

- Another really cheap way of doing macro from Zuco

Thanks to wikipedia for macrophotography explanation.

Hi all!

I am a freelance photographer from italy!

Actually i never wrote any blogs…maybe because i was (and i am) too lazy to write one…but i just had the need to write it, to get all the experience on DIY photography in a single web site: how to build up stuff for Photography, without paying with your flesh!!
Every credit to the original author will be given in that site.
Without them, we won't have such useful DIYs!

So, i’ll post DIY photography and design links, and maybe some news bout tech…who knows?

So, stay connected!