Photography Course: Close-up, Macro & Focus Stacking

What you'll learn

Learn the art of close-up and macro photography with our photography short courses in Sydney.

Learn the techniques and equipment (optical, lighting and support) needed to achieve sharply focused, well-exposed photographs of flowers, insects, water drops, miniatures, coins, jewellery and much more in this macro photography course in Sydney.

This hands-on macro photography workshop will show you how to get the most from your DSLR and how to enhance its macro capabilities in very affordable ways. In this macro photography course, you will learn every type of close-up shot, from wide-angle to extreme macro, and equipment ranging from macro and reversed lenses to close-up attachments and bellows. It also covers focus stacking techniques (including processing through Photoshop) as well as the software and equipment for extreme macro.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this macro photography course, you should have learned:

• What constitutes close-up and macro photography and what special equipment can help to get a sharp, well-exposed picture.
• Lighting and exposure: Understand the nature of light and how to control exposure to get the best colour, contrast and depth of field for c/u and macro.
• Focus and depth of field: Learn the best ways to get sharp focus with a range of lenses and attachments and under a wide range of lighting conditions.
• Close-up and macro: Learn how to photograph a range of small objects at different focal lengths and using a variety of attachments and light sources.
• Extreme macro and focus stacking: Photograph at greater than 1:1 magnification using a range of optical, lighting and stabilising equipment as well as focus stacking.

Course content

What will be covered in this photography course?

• Students evaluate their camera’s c/u and macro features. Gain hands-on experience with a wide range of macro equipment, from camera bodies to lenses, diopter lenses, bellows, lighting equipment, supports, attachments, clips and clamps.
• Students explore the relationship between shutter speed, aperture and ISO. Examine white balance and the advantage of RAW image format. Try different exposure meters built into cameras and the pros and cons of different light sources for c/u and macro. Use daylight, tungsten/LED, standard and macro flash. Balance subject/background lighting.
• Exploit depth of field and zone of focus to render sharp subjects and variously focused backgrounds. Find the “sweet spot” of a lens and avoid softening due to refraction. Holding the camera for sharp images at various shutter speeds. Using a tripod and macro rails at higher magnifications.
• Photograph flowers, insects (dead specimens provided), miniature models, coins, jewellery, fabrics, and small objects (eg. for selling on eBay). Copy photos and prints. Use a light tent to control reflections and diffuse light. Explore limits of hand-held macro and when to use tripods etc. Explore composition, colour and texture on a macro scale. Use flash to freeze action.
• Students photograph very small parts of insects, flowers, seeds etc using reversed lenses, bellows, extension tubes, stacked lenses and image stacking. Also, use different light sources and supports. Use focus rails for stacking, then process stacked images in Photoshop.

Intended audience

Who is this photography course for?

This course is for anyone who has a thorough working knowledge of their camera, aperture, shutter speeds, focusing and the basic principles of photography, or who has completed a beginner’s Photography course or similar.

Course materials

What to bring to class

• A DSLR – digital single-lens reflex camera / four-thirds or mirrorless camera with adjustable ISO and aperture settings.
• Lens(es) - Either a macro lens or standard and/or telephotos lens/zoom lens with manual focus.
• We provide Apple iMacs for the course however you may like to bring your own laptop along, in which case the laptop computer must come loaded with  Adobe Photoshop (a free 7-day trial version of Photoshop can be downloaded from Adobe).
• Students will need an Adobe Creative Cloud account to attend. You can purchase an account or sign up for a free 7 day trial on the day of the class. If you have already used your trial please be prepared to use an alternative email address.

Optional items

• Helicon Remote optimal tethered shooting solution for Canon and Nikon cameras. Free version.
• Tripod
• Focus rails and close-up filters (diopters)
• Close-up filters and/or extension tubes
• Macro flash or off-camera flash with cord and/or transmitter and diffuser
• An extra battery and flashcard, as you will be using your camera, and reviewing your photographs frequently.
• Card reader to download images from your camera to your laptop.
• Your camera’s instruction manual.
• Notepad and pen or tablet