Techniques & Tools

Alex Tattersall · Issue 78, May/Jun 2014 · pp. 54–60

Products mentioned: Nikon D7100, Nauticam NA-D7100, 105mm VR macro lens, INON Z240 strobes

Techniques I recently returned from leading a macro photo workshop in Puerto Galera, the Philippines, where benign conditions, shallow diving and splendid subject matter (special thanks to dive guides Kris and Taxe at Atlantis Dive Resorts) gave us all ample opportunity to practise our creative techniques. As my default settings on DSLR for macro have always been around the F22, 1/200, ISO 320, giving consistent results, I had to make a conscious effort to step outside of the comfort zone. Whilst the techniques I am going to discuss below are not in any way revolutionary and I’m quite sure the more experienced of readers among you will have experimented with them long ago, they were new to me and I was glad to push the boundaries of my own photography further. In this part of the article, I plan to cover slow shutter speeds, shallow depth of field and creative negative space. In the seco…