Macro Shots With A Point-And-Shoot

I may have a DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera but I still hold on to my old point-and-shoot camera, a Pentax Optio WPi. The latter is very handy for underwater shots and also for macro shots.

Macro shots? With a point-and-shoot? Yes and yes. I kid you not.

Here are some examples:

Poinsettia flowers up close. Sorry for the composition (or lack thereof). I was rushing to a meeting this morning and didn’t have much time to think about composition. I just aimed and shot.

Detail of a butterfly used as decoration from the wedding last weekend.

An artificial rose from the same wedding.

Raindrops on a leaf. Again, my apologies for the total disregard for the Rule of Thirds and all other rules of composition. The photo is also a bit blurry because the wind was blowing, making the leaf shake a bit.

The ring that I had on today. It’s a blue topaz, my birthstone, a semi-precious stone that costs a mere fraction of diamonds, that’s why I can afford to have such a huge chunk of it on my finger :P

All of these pics were unedited, save for resizing for the web. Notice how vibrant the colours are? And how sharp the details are?

You can take the same type of pics with your own camera:-

1. Check the settings for Macro mode, usually indicated by a tulip-like symbol.

Image from ephotozine.com

2. Choose the option to turn off the flash. The flash will make the colours look flat and washed out.

3. Place your subject in an area where there is sufficient light, such as beside a window. Or take your pics outdoors, preferably in the early morning or late in the afternoon, just before sunset.

4. Point the camera as close as you can to your subject. If you go too close or too far, it will blur but somewhere in the middle, you’ll find a distance when the camera will focus and the image becomes sharp.

5. Very important: your hands need to be very steady to take the shot. One way of minimising camera shake is by using the built-in timer (most cameras come with that timer now) so that you have some time to steady your hand after pressing the shutter.

Try it today!