Macro Lighting Issues

[Beauty Through a Lens]

So I'm noticing it's really hard to get the right lighting for my macro photographs (noobie here!) my photographs are either underexposed or over exposed and it's becoming very difficult to get the right exposure anyone have any suggestions or tips that are $$$ free. Just spent over 3,000....I can't afford any macro lighting stuff.

[Stagecoach]

Adrian, what lighting are you using, what lens and what camera?

And also how are you presently controlling that lighting?

Edit :

Reading this again I note that you say "photographs are either underexposed or over exposed", so this raises the question as to whether the problem is of actual lighting conditions OR one of controlling exposure.

But then again you mention you do not want to buy any macro lighting?

If you have a speedlite you can affix to your hotshoe you can make a cardboard and kitchen towel diffuser to get the light up front and provide very good results as a start.

[DanK]

I second what Grahame wrote and would add: what are you shooting? I use completely different lighting for static subjects indoors and for bugs. For bugs I use this, or something like it:



It's mostly home-made. For indoor shots, I use continuous lighting:



For bugs, I rely on E-TTL to set the flash exposure, changing the ISO to alter how much ambient light matters and therefore how light the background is. I use flash exposure compensation when needed, but it rarely is. A standard setting for me is 1/125, ISO 400, f/13.

[Geoff F]

A couple of things not mentioned above. What are your subjects? Can we see some examples?

When using flash set your camera manually to suitable average settings for the subject then make lighting variations by adjusting the flash output compensation.

For cheap studio lights try a couple of small desklamps with daylight quality bulbs.

When shooting without extra lighting some exposure compensation is usually needed. How are you metering your exposure? Is the background affecting your camera exposure calculations?

It is generally advisable to shoot in Aperture Priority mode never full auto.

[chauncey]

Adrian, what lighting are you using, what lens and what camera?

If you're using Canon...I have a full-proof method.

[Beauty Through a Lens]

I am using a Nikon D5100 and far as lighting I am using a beside lamb and or natural light coming through the window right now I am photographing larger objects such as berries and pens.

[Stagecoach]

I am using a Nikon D5100 and far as lighting I am using a beside lamb and or natural light coming through the window right now I am photographing larger objects such as berries and pens.

Adrian, there is no reason why you can't achieve perfect exposures with subjects as you mention using natural light or any other type of makeshift lighting from torches to desk-lamps, whatever the bulb type, other than your procedure is wrong.

Geoff has alluded to the likely areas above.

From what you have said it appears that you are relying upon the cameras metering system too much and not taking account of what it sees within that scene and how it will address it. A typical example being put a berry in the middle of a piece of white paper, camera in matrix metering and you will get grey paper and a darker berry.

Personally with macro work I never use anything but matrix metering, and will compensate for the scene (+EV to the metering indication for the example above) and then fine tune as necessary. Whether you use EC on an auto mode or meter bias in manual mode makes no difference, they are just different ways of achieving the correct result.

It's really no different than dealing with exposure correction in 'non average' scenes in general photography.

[rpcrowe]

What lens setup are you using. If it is a macro lens, you should have no problems. If you are using an extension tube or tubes, some of them have no electronic linkage to the camera so exposure cannot be controlled...

[Stagecoach]

What lens setup are you using. If it is a macro lens, you should have no problems. If you are using an extension tube or tubes, some of them have no electronic linkage to the camera so exposure cannot be controlled...

Richard, from a previous thread of Adrian's he had purchased a Nikon 105 VR and a set of tubes but did not mention the 'type' of tubes.

With a 'non' contact set you would get an error message and with the 105 VR having no aperture control ring pretty useless.

[jcuknz]

My set-up cost me nothing and works quite well. First I adjusted the on-board flash to minus one stop strength and then I removed my lenshood which shows up as a shadow across the bottom of the frame if I do not, and in my latest effort earlier today still showed up slighly when I used a couple of extension tubes 26mm total. This shot is almost as it came out of the camera, being a crop of what showed on my monitor at 30% with an insert to show the whole frame when using a two dioptre Close-up lens on the 280mm angle of view lens on my MFT camera [ lens is my 14-140 zoom ]

Focus is not quite right but the carpet looks good

[DanK]

I am using a Nikon D5100 and far as lighting I am using a beside lamb and or natural light coming through the window right now I am photographing larger objects such as berries and pens.

I think we have mixed up two issues in this thread, and I am partly responsible. One issue is how to expose properly for macro, which I now realize is your question. The other is what kinds of lighting equipment are useful.

I think Grahame's answer is probably the key: you are relying too much on the camera's choice of exposure. I don't think there is a single best way to take control, but taking control is the key. For example, Grahame uses matrix metering, which I think is the equivalent of Canon's evaluative. I too use this routinely for some kinds of macro, in particular, bugs with flash. However, with continuous light, you have to evaluate the scene to decide what is best. For example, if the background takes up a fair amount of space and is either much lighter or much darker than the subject, this approach will often lead to an incorrect exposure. In that circumstance, I would normally spot meter off the subject. Whatever you do, with continuous lighting, take a test shot and look at the histogram. That will tell you whether you need to adjust the exposure.

HOW you adjust doesn't matter; all that matters is that you get the right exposure value. For example, using manual and dropping exposure by one stop will get the same exposure as using aperture or shutter priority with -1 exposure compensation. I probably use manual mode most for macro because I don't want the camera to respond to any changes in framing, or whatever, by changing exposure. However, I also use aperture priority often. It doesn't matter. What matters is checking that the resulting exposure is correct.

[Beauty Through a Lens]

Richard, from a previous thread of Adrian's he had purchased a Nikon 105 VR and a set of tubes but did not mention the 'type' of tubes.

With a 'non' contact set you would get an error message and with the 105 VR having no aperture control ring pretty useless.

The tubes I have are 12, 20 and 35 but I am trying not to use them too much since I am just starting out.

[Stagecoach]

The tubes I have are 12, 20 and 35 but I am trying not to use them too much since I am just starting out.

Adrian, I have to admit I'm a little confused and perhaps some clarification is needed before further investigation of your problem can be undertaken;

a) Is the exposure problem 'specific' to just when your are using tubes or happening when 'not' using tubes?

b) From the advice given so far regarding 'exposure' and its control do you agree that this is the cause of your problems?

[jcuknz]

Surely the question to ask is are the tubes just plain tubes or are they automatic with contacts for the camera to continue tg control the lens functions.
My other question is do you have a competent editor to handle small variations or expecting the result to be perfect SOOC.

As a result of my experiments with tubes [auto-tubes] v. Close-up lens exposure is the least of my problems in using the camera's automatics and the unfortunate fall off in clarity away from the centre, particularly with my 4 dioptre [ which I assumed was a good quality Schneider B+W ], compared with the uniformly high quality across the whole frame when using an extension tube.

I suspect I might have a phoney labled junk 4D since it came from Korea at somewhat less than other sources. I would be interested in people's comments as to the likelihood of that. [ the crop at 30% hides much of the 2D's less noticeable fall off in my posting above ]

[Barbara Ponder]

If you're using Canon...I have a full-proof method.

I use Canon and would love to hear your way!

[Stagecoach]

I use Canon and would love to hear your way!

It's no doubt use of 'Live View' and the histogram Barbara

[jcuknz]

If 'THE' way is using 'Live View' that is hardly a preserve of Canon LOL I have had that with all my cameras EXCEPT Canon since I started And with their G series I gather they maintain their obselete practice of having an optical viewfinder for old foggies who have yet to enter the modern age [In an excellent camera in other ways I should add ]

[Stagecoach]

And with their G series I gather they maintain their obselete practice of having an optical viewfinder for old foggies who have yet to enter the modern age

Perhaps those old fogies you talk about John want a viewfinder with no lag that makes it easier in certain circumstances to monitor and capture what they are after John?

[jcuknz]

Perhaps those old fogies you talk about John want a viewfinder with no lag that makes it easier in certain circumstances to monitor and capture what they are after John?

Only if they have not learnt how to handle the situation There is no lag if the camera is ready to shoot, only when the photographer didn't ready the camera ... having done this so many times I prefer the accuracy of the EVF over other systems. Thank you for biting

[Stagecoach]

Only if they have not learnt how to handle the situation There is no lag if the camera is ready to shoot,

But what you are seeing in the EVF has already happened with your subject due to delay caused by refresh rate, surely. This may be fine for static subjects but for critical focusing on a randomly moving subject the delay when also added to your physical activation delay, brain to shutter activation, is unwanted.

And then we can go onto sports where you want to capture something as a divers hands just entering the water

I prefer the accuracy of the EVF over other systems.

I do not understand how the EVF is more accurate than the OVF, unless you are confusing ability to enlarge with 'accuracy'?