One of the most rarely used lenses in my camera bag is my macro lens. I have a Canon 100mm macro but sometimes might go months without ever using it. Although it rarely gets used there are certain times when it can be the best lens in the world and comes in so handy. Most of those times are all the little yet very important images of details at weddings. A Bride spends years planning her wedding and all of the detail from the rings, to the beading on the dress to the small details on the tables are so important to telling the story of the day.

Even though I don’t use the lens often sometimes I am reminded of how awesome it really can be and that was the case a few weeks ago while shooting the bride getting ready. A dragonfly happened to land on her ring and perched right there for awhile. I sprinted to my bag and threw on the macro lens as fast as I could hoping he wouldn’t fly away. Thankfully the little guy (or gal, not really a bug expert) was still there and posed for me for awhile. You never know whats going to happen at a wedding or event so always have to be prepared for the unexpected. I loved the final image and was glad I had that 100mm packed away. Here is the shot would love to know what you all think.

macro wedding photography

A few quick tips on using a macro lens if you are just getting started:

  • First use a sturdy tripod. When you are trying to focus on something so small you need to be very steady to get the shot sharp and the parts in focus you want. Even moving a millimeter to the side can cause your focus to get thrown way off.
  • Also forget using autofocus and put the camera on manual focus. Take your time and dial the focus in very slowly to get it just right.
  • Finally as always have fun!!! Experiment with new angles, see what you can find in reflections and have fun. Once you get into an object on this close of a level you start to see some very interesting patterns, textures that you might not have normally seen. Take advantage of that and really get creative!

    • Macro photography can be very fun and a great creative exercise.

    Whats your favorite macro shot? Leave a comment with a link below or post something on our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/digitalphotobuzz And if you want a little macro inspiration check out these 10 Amazing Macro photography images.

    Share this post on Google + or Twitter!