Selective lighting for macro

Daniel Stassen · Issue 60, May/Jun 2011 · pp. 41–44

Products mentioned: Canon 7D, Nauticam ND7, Inon Z240, 100 mm macro lens, 60 mm macro lens

Many dive sites around the world have not only been extensively dived in the last couple of years, but also most of their critters have been photographed by thousands of keen photographers at every level. How can we take original photos of subjects that have been photographed a million and one times? There are many techniques that you may or may not yet have experienced with, for example the use of a snoot to isolate a subject from the rest of a frame or emphasize a certain part of that subject. Snoots have become increasingly popular, thanks to the inspiring work of Keri Wilk ! However, in this article I am going to try to explain selective lighting with the use of a single or twin strobe and nothing else, which can be all you require for creating photos with a special mood and showing a subject in a “new light”. Some people like to use two strobes at equal distance from each other on e…