When you walk through the forest, chances are you'll see mushrooms with their brown caps, green moss that looks inviting, maybe even a running deer. But there is a whole hidden tiny world that the human eye cannot see so easily, and this world is truly fascinating.

Do you know what nanopainting is? Using this technology, sculptures are created that are less than one millimeter in size. In this post, BigPiccha will pamper those who love everything tiny: ten miniature things created by human hands. Among them are a microscopic snowman and a mini Bible!

Many of us like to look at all sorts of blades of grass, droplets and generally everything that comes to hand through a microscope. But what we will show you will not just come to hand, and if such a meeting suddenly happens, then you need to escape from there at the speed of light

Ebola virus. It multiplies very quickly. The virus causes hemorrhagic fever. Human mortality rate is 42%

It's quite strange to admire the beauty of mold, but from the right angle it can actually be interesting to watch. At the very least, you are unlikely to find porcini mushrooms outside of forest areas, but mold fungi will find you anywhere where you leave your food for a long enough time. So maybe we should take a closer look at these ubiquitous creatures?

What you see in these photos may look like rare plants or exotic landscapes, but in fact it's... bacteria that nestles on your teeth, as well as other microorganisms that live on your gums or on your toothbrush.

“I'm always surprised when I look through the camera's viewfinder and see things that are usually invisible.”

Miki Asai is a natural photographer. Looking through a macro lens, she tries to show how beautiful our little world is.

Judging by paleontological finds, the division of living beings into kingdoms occurred more than 3 billion years ago. One of them is the plant kingdom.

These photographs of flowers and plants were taken using an electron microscope and then colored. At high magnification, familiar plants look completely foreign, alien.

Interactive photos.

There is such a variety of snowflakes that we can safely say: no two are alike. Some even believe that there are more variations in the shapes of snowflakes than there are atoms in the Universe. A professional photographer tried to convey their beauty, perfection and diversity. Let's see.

Are tarantulas beautiful? Very. So says photographer Michael Pankratz, taking macro photographs of spider legs.

Nature has done its best, and up close the shaggy legs of spiders look really very beautiful and not at all scary.

The Nikon small world microphotography competition is the oldest and most respected competition of its kind in the world. These are demonstrations of the beauty, complexity and perfection of nature observed through a microscope.

The winners of the competition have just been announced. The jury looked at 2,000 of the most interesting photographs of the invisible world from 88 countries.

We are talking about insects, friends – yes, yes, don’t be surprised. These are the most unknown ones, because, despite the fact that on Earth they make up 90% of the total number of all animals and there are from 2 to 10 million different species, only a little over a million are more or less known to us. Can you imagine how many of them are still crawling and flying that we have no idea about?

What you see in these photos may look like rare plants or exotic landscapes, but in fact it's... bacteria that nestles on your teeth, as well as other microorganisms that live on your gums or on your toothbrush.

These macrophotographs were taken using a microscope, which scans the sample with a focused beam of electrons. The photographs were then digitally or hand-colored so that individual elements could be distinguished. These photographs belong to the Scientific Photography Laboratory in London and are used for research and educational purposes. They clearly show us the consequences of poor oral hygiene.

Steve Axford is a photographer from Australia. His passion for professional photography is very unusual and very rare. He photographs mushrooms. Moreover, he is not just an ordinary lover of hiking in the forest and leisurely macro photography, but a real traveler and seeker of the rarest and most beautiful species. Even experienced biologists who study plants and fungi do not have such photographs. Each of his expeditions is designed so that through the lens of his camera he will again see another creation of nature, which always exceeds all expectations.

If you want to photograph wildlife, you should always have several ponds in mind. The water attracts wildlife and frogs are easy to find. You can even look for a pond with floating duckweed, from which the heads of these amphibians stick out.FujifilmS5,TamronSP 180mmF/3.5Di 1:1 Macro. Exposure: 13 pp., ƒ/16,ISO 100.

Mastering the art of macro photography and close-up nature photography takes time and patience, but knowing the answers to the questions “when?”, “where?”, “how?” will increase your chances of finding stunning subjects, creating a winning shot. For photographers who have limited time or budget for travel, working close-up opens up unlimited possibilities for capturing the area around and inside the home. There are four parks within a 20-minute walk of me that are teeming with great things to see, and my garden is filled with flowers and plants that attract butterflies, dragonflies, and other small critters. All you need is some gas, a park pass, and a book to help you identify the subjects you've chosen to photograph.

Throughout the four seasons, the life cycles of flowers, plants and insects vary by month and sometimes by day. Of interest is not only the process of photography itself, but also the study of the constantly changing environment. If you can’t go outside, you can study the nature of your region, going even deeper into this activity.

Our hobbies are often limited by work schedules and family activities, making it difficult to find time to shoot. With macro photography, you can take photos at any time of the day. Unlike wildlife and landscape photographers, who are often tied to ideal light in the early morning and late evening, macro photography enthusiasts can effectively control the available light regardless of the time of day by using diffusers and reflectors.

When to shoot

With the environment constantly changing throughout the year, we have a stunning variety of subjects to shoot with. The tiny landscapes of the macro world replace each other with amazing speed, so knowing when to be in nature is the key to success. Spring gives us forest primroses, and open fields - tall summer and autumn flowers. Some wildflowers can bloom for quite a long time, while others last only a few days or open only at certain times.

Flowers are the most popular subject of macro photography due to the fact that they are common and easy to find. Walk through wooded spring areas as well as open summer and fall fields.NikonD7000,TamronSP 90mmF/2.8Di 1:1 Macro. Exposure: 1/60 sec., ƒ/22,ISO 3200.

Books about the life cycles of flowers, plants and insects in your region provide useful information about nature's "schedule" that will allow you to be in the right place at the right time. There are also various online resources and sites of local conservation centers where you can find something worthwhile. Another option is to contact your local environmental organization and get answers to any questions you may have.

The seasonal cycles of wild flowers, plants and insects can vary depending on the area. For example, in Michigan, fall color starts in the upper peninsula and ends in the northern lower peninsula, followed by the southern lower peninsula. Contacting local nature photographers can provide similar information for your area.

For example, on a cool summer morning, when the temperature fluctuates between five and six degrees, dragonflies and butterflies freeze as their body temperature drops. Therefore, they will not fly away if you get close and set up a tripod for shooting. Simply find a field that has plenty of the insects you want during the day, and then go there on a cold morning and carefully look for them in the long grass.

In my northern region ( We are talking about the state of Michigan, where the author lives - approx. translator) As December approaches, ice begins to form around the banks of small flattering channels, creating stunning abstract patterns, but as the ice thickens, these patterns disappear and the ice turns white. Knowing the “natural schedule” of your area will increase your chances of success.

Where to shoot

Knowing where to shoot is just as important as knowing when to shoot. I traveled a lot for my business and almost anywhere I could find a local park, nature center or botanical garden to shoot at. Wherever you live, there should be places to take photos. If you don't know the area well, use the Internet to find a suitable place.

Leaves are a great subject that photographers often forget about. Autumn is the ideal time, as during this time the leaves take on amazing colors.FujifilmS5,TamronSP 180mmF/3.5Di 1:1 Macro. Exposure: 1/16 sec., ƒ/16,ISO 1250.

The best way to learn about shooting locations is to set aside a day or two to explore the local woods and fields. A detailed journal that highlights places with interesting subjects will be a useful tool for the future. I have studied various places around me, so I know when and where flowers, plants and insects appear.

I also pay attention to feathers, pieces of shell and patterns in the sand created by the wind. The marshy area has unique flora and the ponds attract animals such as frogs, turtles and dragonflies. The open fields are teeming with insects that are ideal to photograph with a macro lens. Flowers can generally be found anywhere. If you are lucky enough to live near a botanical garden, you can find a huge variety of flowers and plants from different ecosystems. Sometimes botanical gardens are equipped with greenhouses, allowing you to film in any weather, and some even have both indoor and outdoor areas.

How to shoot

Macro photography and close-ups are very different from other forms of nature photography because the subjects are inches away from the lens. Any digital camera is suitable for macro photography. My most successful photo was taken back in 2004 on a 6-megapixel Fujifilm S2 - by the standards of the digital world, this was several generations ago.

It is very important to choose the right macro lens for the right subject. Real makrushniks have a fixed focal length and a 1:1 magnification ratio, which, when shot from a minimum distance, can reflect the real size of the subject in the photo. The most common focal lengths of makrushnikov range between 60mm and 180mm. Lightweight and compact 60mm lenses are good for handheld photography or when working with stationary subjects, but due to the fact that they are only suitable for short distances, forcing you to get very close, they are completely unsuitable for photographing living things, because they will simply fly away.

If you don't live in a desert area, check out the botanical gardens in the area that have greenhouses with tropical and desert plants. Succulents make great subjects because of their artistic patterns.NikonD7000,Tamron 16-300mmF/3.5-6.3DiIIV.C.PZD. Exposure: 1/13 sec., ƒ/16,ISO 400.

Medium focal length (90mm) lenses like the one I use are a good all-around option that can handle most situations. It does a great job of blurring the background when shooting flowers and bugs. When it comes to telemacro lenses, the most popular option is 180mm. This view provides maximum working distance between the photographer and the subject, making it ideal for photographing living creatures or distant objects.

Over the past few years, optical manufacturers have begun to produce wide-angle lenses with macro functionality. I use a Tamron 16-300mm, which allows me to use the 16mm if I want to show nature around me and the 300mm for distant subjects like frogs in a pond or ice crust around the bank of a stream. Such lenses cannot be called true 1:1 makrush lenses, but with each generation they become closer to this standard. For example, Tamron 16-300mm has a ratio of 1:2.7. This means it will be able to capture an area as small as 1.5 x 2.5 inches (3.81 x 6.35 cm), working for 90% of macro photography situations.

When I ask macro photographers what they have problems with, the answer is always the same - depth of field, or what part of the subject will be in focus. Which aperture to choose in order to focus correctly is always a challenge. For cases where the entire composition is interesting and every part is full of detail, I set the aperture in the range from ƒ/22 to ƒ/32. Most of the pictures in my portfolio are taken in this style. If I want only a small part of the subject to be sharp and the rest to be blurry, I choose an aperture between ƒ/2.8 and ƒ/8.

To be more confident about how much depth of field affects the focus of a photo, photograph one subject at different apertures, and then analyze the effect of each. As a small tip, remember that a larger f-number means more is in focus, and a smaller f-number means the opposite.

To capture a dragonfly wing, go out on a cool summer morning and look carefully in the long grass. The cold will reduce the dragonfly's body temperature, so it won't be able to fly, allowing you to get closer and take a photo.FujifilmS5,TamronSP 180mmF/3.5Di 1:1 Macro. Exposure: 0.8 sec., ƒ/32,ISO 125.

Controlling your aperture is one of the most important parts of macro photography. You can adjust it in Manual mode or with Aperture Priority. When working with the first one, you also need to select the shutter speed, so if you are not quite confident in setting the appropriate value, Aperture Priority will do everything itself. Both methods work equally well, but make sure you adjust the aperture yourself.

In macro photography, we are working very close, so keeping the camera steady is critical for sharp shots. I always use a tripod. I know several photographers who work handheld, but not everyone can hold the camera steady for long periods of time. In terms of lighting, I never use flash, 95% of my photos are taken with natural light only, but there was one rare occasion where I resorted to using a small LED lamp.

Features of macro photography of wildlife

The solution to this problem is the most interesting, but at the same time especially difficult, since the objects being photographed (insects, freshwater, etc.) may be in motion and you need to select the right moment.

It is very difficult not to scare away the “bug”, since you need to get very close to it.

Here the subject being photographed is in a stationary state and the above-described problem does not arise, but there are some nuances. You need to take care of the background and lighting. For example, make a homemade “light box”, which will be described below.

This topic involves descriptions and illustrations of various lighting techniques, choosing the depth of field of an image for various types of macro photography.

The result is expected to produce beautiful macro images of good quality that will be of interest to the viewer. I would also like to develop my own style and find my own flavor in macro photography. I hope that I will succeed and that my work will be appreciated.

macro photography photography nature sharpness

Macro photography and technology for its implementation

Picture 1

Macro photography is one of the most interesting genres of photography, giving maximum scope for creativity. Using a macro lens, you can take a fresh look at ordinary objects, interpret them in a completely different way, and experiment with the position of the subject and light.

The two most common and most obvious mistakes are shooting in bright sunlight and shooting with direct flash. Therefore, backlighting is needed, but you need to consider the design of reflectors and/or diffusers that would soften the direct light of the sun or flash. A well-chosen backlight does not attract attention, differs slightly from natural light, and produces little or no glare. But at the same time it allows you to significantly improve the quality of the image. How and from what to make flash attachments - you can imagine a lot, there are countless options, from various available materials. As long as the light suits you.

Proper lighting plays a crucial role in macro photography. You can use flash, but diffused light is better. To begin with, it is better to take pictures in natural light conditions. You can also build a simple photo studio using artificial light sources that everyone has at home. But in this case, it is not recommended to use lamps with harsh light: you will get unpleasant shadows in the picture, and the photo will have to take a long time to edit in graphics programs. You should not use the built-in flash when taking macro photography: this will cause the subject to be overexposed and unattractive color shades will appear. To avoid this, you need to use natural lighting and reflectors, varying the location of which, you can choose the optimal lighting. Specialized macro flashes, such as those shown in the photograph (Figure 1), are much more convenient to use. The location of the emitters directly on the lens, almost shadowless lighting, is very convenient for technical photography. By installing it on the camera, we get a fairly compact and easy-to-use design. In addition to special lighting devices for macro photography, there is a large selection of attachments and accessories for lenses.

In addition to attachment lenses in various modifications, which can be used with both rangefinder and compact cameras, here it becomes possible to use extension rings and bellows, a teleconverter, and also place the lens in an inverted position.

A special case of attachment lenses is multi-lens attachments and the use of an additional lens in an inverted position. As an example, a photograph is shown where a Nikkor 28/2.8 lens is installed in an inverted position on the main Sigma 28-70/2.8-4 lens (Figure 2). You can only shoot with this pair at a focal length of 70 mm of the main lens - otherwise we get strong vignetting. The shooting scale is approximately 2:1. Using an additional lens is quite common in macro photography to achieve high magnification. Conveniently, the kit can be assembled from scrap materials - from almost any pair of lenses available. However, this scheme has quite a few disadvantages - the number of lenses increases very much, and reflections / refractions / scatterings inside the optical system increase accordingly. But the main disadvantage is the low aperture ratio. Indeed, in this case, the front lens becomes the rear lens of the second lens, the diameter of which is always small. This limits the use of such a scheme on SLR cameras; it is very difficult to focus through the resulting dark system. Owners of digital compacts use this device much more widely.

Figure 2

Figure 3

Using a lens upside down can greatly improve the quality of your macro photography, especially if you don't have a dedicated macro lens. You can put any lens in an inverted position, thereby obtaining a fairly large magnification - usually about 1:1.5 - 1:2 for standard lenses. The example photograph shows a Nikkor 60/2.8 Micro lens mounted in an inverted position (Figure 3)

Why is this being done? - When shooting at a scale of 1:1 or larger, the optical properties of the lens are significantly improved if you turn it over with the rear lens facing forward. Moreover, this also applies to macro lenses; when shooting at a scale greater than 1:1, it is advisable to turn them over. By itself, an inverted lens does not provide a large magnification, so it must be used in conjunction with extension rings or bellows - then it is possible to obtain the maximum scale of 10:1 in macro photography (Figure 4). This, of course, is a very arbitrary division, but it is generally accepted that up to a scale of 10:1 - macro photography, and larger ones - micro photography, which must be done using a microscope. Using the lens upside down makes shooting difficult. Autofocus does not work, the jumping aperture does not work, and the aperture value is not transmitted to the camera. Only manual control is possible. There are special attachments that make the shooting process somewhat easier - but still, using the lens in an inverted position is advisable only when you really cannot do without it. Especially considering that in this case the rear lens and the entire complex mechanism of connecting the lens with the camera are directed forward. If handled carelessly, all this can be easily damaged and contaminated.

Figure 4 (extension rings)

Manufacturers produce wrapping rings for their cameras, but you can use products from third-party manufacturers - it will be significantly cheaper. Here's a quick look at dedicated macro photography equipment that pushes the boundaries of macro photography.

As for the technique of shooting and using the camera itself, the following should be noted: The successful use of such a technique as changing the depth of field can transform even the most ordinary object, give it definition or emphasize a specific detail. In order to control the depth of field, you need to select aperture priority mode on the camera. The smaller the aperture number, the sharper all areas of the image are.

Conversely, to blur objects surrounding the main subject, which is in the center of the frame, you need to increase the aperture number.

In this mode, the camera automatically compensates for the large aperture opening, and the photo will not turn out blurry or overexposed. You can also use the Macro mode, but I prefer the first option. Since the macro mode is a fully automatic option, it does not allow you to choose the aperture and shutter speed, thereby limiting your creative approach to shooting. Also, when using scene programs, the camera may make mistakes and not give the required results.

Let's return to lighting, since light is the most important visual means of macro photography, revealing the contour shape and texture of the surface of the object being photographed.

In each specific case, you need to find the most suitable type of lighting, which will determine the expressiveness of the frame. Macro photography can be done in natural and artificial light. The only source of natural light for filming is the sun. Despite the high illumination created by the sun on the subject of photography, its high actinicity, that is, the impact on photographic materials, the use of solar lighting is difficult in some cases.

A strong change in illumination, depending on the time of day, year, geographical location, cloudiness, leads to the fact that replacing natural lighting of an object, where possible, with artificial lighting leads to better results. But it must be remembered that when an object is illuminated by one source, there is a sharp division into light and shadow. The use of several light sources leads to a decrease in the contrast between light and shadow, to the development of details in the shadows, that is, to an improvement in the transfer of volume and texture of the object.

Figure 5

Lighting objects during macro photography aims not only to create the necessary illumination to obtain a normally exposed negative, but also to reveal with maximum expressiveness the shape and texture of the surface of the object being photographed.

Macro photography objects can be divided into two main groups: opaque objects and translucent objects. Opaque objects, areas of the surface of which reflect varying amounts of light falling on them. This group includes most of the objects that you have to deal with when doing macro photography. Reflectivity depends on the nature of the subject being photographed, as well as on the structure of the surface. Surfaces are usually divided into matte (diffuse), glossy and mirror.

Translucent objects, passing through which light is attenuated and scattered depending on the optical properties of the object, creating different optical densities of the image of the photographed object on the photographic material.

As with regular photography, lighting of macro photography objects can be natural (daylight) using backlights using reflectors and artificial lighting. Lighting can be divided into types: frontal, side to sliding, rear (through the light) and combined.

The practice of photography allows us to distinguish three main or most characteristic plans: general, medium and close-up. One of the effective techniques of a creative photographer is to shoot very close-up (for example, an image of individual parts of a human face: eyes, lips, etc.). In the dictionary of technical terms, close-up photography means shooting at a scale of 1:2 or more, that is, when the object is reduced in size by no more than half. Macro photography can also be defined as a direction of photorealism, the distinctive feature of which is the selection of objects that are small in size and have a shallow depth of sharply depicted space.

The photographer's task is to try to take photographs, looking at which one can see details invisible to the naked eye. The value and usefulness of this type of photography can hardly be overestimated.

Even a novice amateur photographer will use it to discover a new world, noticeable if you look closely at the small components of nature (insects, flowers, moss, etc.).

Frames shot in this way will not leave the viewer indifferent. This is a kind of Gulliver's journey into another dimension, living its own life.

Macro photography is almost no different from regular photography: we focus, measure the light, set the aperture, shutter speed, and shoot. However, it has its own nuances. As you have probably already seen, photography is an interesting, but very painstaking job in which all the little things matter. When taking macro photography of living objects, you should remember the golden rule: everything that can fly will try to fly away at the most inopportune moment, everything that crawls will crawl away, everything that jumps will gallop away. You need to be prepared for this!

Figure 6

An object illuminated by diffuse light. Macro photography at home using a translucent tent

Figure 7

To soften and neutralize unnecessary shadows and highlights, professionals advise using a translucent “tent” - a light box shaped like a cube, the walls of which are made of translucent white material. Such a “tent” also allows you to create the effect of a three-dimensional image of the subject being photographed, illuminating objects from any side (Figure 7).

Of course, macro photography has its own characteristics. Due to the fact that camera optics are not ideal, when shooting close up, that is, in macro mode, some significant and not so significant (depending on the class of the camera) geometric distortions will be observed. This means that if you photograph a student’s notebook, for example, you will not end up with perfect squares and not entirely straight lines. By the way, it is not recommended to shoot jewelry close up precisely because of these distortions, but we will find a lot of other interesting things that can be clicked at close distances. If, under the same lighting, when there is not very much light, a regular photograph comes out without “shaking” or blurring, then with macro photography there is a very high risk of getting a not too clear photo. You can still get a blurry photo if you focus on something close and move the camera a little (literally a few centimeters) in any direction. But this may not be inconvenient if you learn to press the shutter button immediately after focusing.

Microphotographs have been around for 38 years. This time the winners were chosen from almost two thousand participants. We present to you the best works in the field of macro photography of 2012.

First place is given to the image of the blood-brain barrier of a living zebrafish embryo. The jury claims, by the way, that this is the first ever photograph of this barrier in a living organism in the process of formation. To distinguish endothelial cells in the brain, Jennifer Peters and Michael Taylor from St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis (USA) used fluorescent proteins and confocal 3D microscopy. The images were combined and compressed into one, colorized to add depth.

Second place. Walter Perkowski (USA). Newborn lynx spiders (Oxyopidae).

Third place, Dylan Burnett, National Institutes of Health (USA). Human osteosarcoma (bone cancer): actin filaments (purple), mitochondria (yellow) and DNA (blue).

Fourth place. Ryan Williamson, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (USA). The visual system of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster during pupil development: retina (golden), photoreceptor axons (blue) and brain (green).

Fifth place. Honorio Cocera, University of Valencia (Spain). Mineral cacoxenite (hydrous iron phosphate).

Sixth place. Marek Mies (Poland). Desmid algae Cosmarium sp. near a sphagnum leaf.

Seventh place. Michael Bridge, University of Utah (USA). The eye organ of a Drosophila melanogaster larva at the third stage of development.

Eighth place. Gerd Gunther (Germany). Larva of the ctenophore Pleurobrachia sp.

Ninth place. Geir Drange (Norway). Ant Myrmica sp. with a larva.

Tenth place. Alvaro Migotto, University of Sao Paulo (Brazil). Ophiura.

Eleventh place. Jessica von Stetina, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research (USA). Optical section of the upper part of the digestive canal of a Drosophila melanogaster larva: Notch signaling pathway (green), cytoskeleton (red), cell nuclei (blue).

Twelfth place. Ezra Hooke, École Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (Switzerland). 3D lymphangiogenesis test. Cells sprout from dextran beads placed in fibrin gel.

Thirteenth place. Diana Lipscomb, George Washington University (USA). Sonderia sp. - an infusoria that feeds on various duckweeds, diatoms and cyanobacteria.

Fourteenth place. José Almodóvar Rivera, University of Puerto Rico. Pistil of Adenium obesum flower.

Fifteenth place. Andrea Genre, University of Turin (Italy). Fragment of the leg of a Coccinella ladybug.

Sixteenth place. Douglas Moore, University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point (USA). Fossilized Turitella agate snails with freshwater snails Elimia tenera and ostracods.

Seventeenth place. Charles Krebs (USA). Burning trichome on a leaf vein.

Eighteenth place. David Maitland (Great Britain). Coral sand.

Nineteenth place. Somayeh Naghilu, University of Tabriz (Iran). Flower ovary of garlic Allium sativum.

Twentieth place. Dorit Hawkman, University of Cambridge (UK). Embryos of the bat Molossus rufu.