DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

Search

Submit A Story

macro photography

The NiSi NM-180 Macro Focusing Rail makes shooting for focus stacking a breeze

by 6 Comments

While more commonly known for their filters and their upcoming cine lenses, NiSi recently announced their new NM-180 Macro Focusing Rail. Focusing rails are essential pieces of kit for serious macro photographers that allow them to create images that might otherwise be impossible, but how well does the new NiSi NM-180 stack up? Maybe pun intended.

I’ve been using the NiSi Macro Focusing Rail for a few weeks now. The short version of this review is that for what it costs, it’s an extremely well-made device, that has some thoughtful design considerations and does exactly what it’s supposed to. In my opinion, it’s well worth what it costs. But how do focusing rails work and why do you need one?

Use these seven simple tips to take your close-up photos to the next level

by 2 Comments

Do you want to capture sharp close-up and macro images? Are you looking for beautiful colors in your macro images? Do you want to photograph well-exposed close-ups and macro photos in a low light? Then you are in the right place.

Because today I am going to share with you 7 simple tips for macro photography. I use these 7 tips always to capture beautiful macro images of nature and wildlife. And I am sure these tips will be helpful to you as well. And the best part is? All of these macro photography tips are easy to apply. No matter if you are a beginner or Intermediate level photographer, you can pick up these tips and start creating stunning macro images.

Let’s dive right in!

NiSi releases its first macro focusing rail for precise focus control

by 12 Comments

Lens and filter manufacturer, NiSi is branching out into macro with their brand new NM-180 Macro Focusing Rail. And from looking at the video and visuals sent over to us, it looks pretty good, with a range of features and design choices that are quite interesting.

Macro focusing rails aren’t a new idea, but they haven’t been really updated in a while and there are a lot of terrible ones out there on the market. They’re designed to help you get more precise movements due to the super shallow depth of field you have when shooting macro. And NiSi’s offering appears to have some cool tricks up its sleeve.

Here is a photo of a praying mantis repairing a broken heart

by 3 Comments

You don’t need to travel far to get fantastic nature photos. If you’re at the right place at the right time, you’ll end up with amazing shots even in your neighborhood. This photo from Zoheir Brihoum is a perfect example. Zoheir photographed a praying mantis “repairing a broken heart,” and it’s one of those images that you want to come back to.

First hands on review with the NiSi close-up lens

I was on thin ice again when I received the Nisi close-up Lens a few days ago. It meant that I had to immerse myself in macro photography, something which takes years of practice to master.

The close-up lens works as a magnifying glass that you can attach to a telelens. In practice, this means that you can get much closer to your subject and that you can shoot macro without having to invest in a more expensive dedicated macro lens.

In these corona times, macro photography is a great past time activity, and you can just walk into your garden to find interesting subjects and compositions.

The impressive Laowa 100mm f/2.8 macro lens is now available for Nikon Z and Canon RF

by 3 Comments

Launched in the summer of 2019, the Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2X Ultra Macro APO lens turned out to be a pretty impressive piece of gear. It offers 2:1 magnification as well as infinity focus, making it a really versatile lens. And if you shoot a Canon or Nikon mirrorless, rejoice, because this lens is now available in Nikon Z and Canon RF mounts.

Landscape photographer tries macro: “This is way harder than I thought”

by Add Comment

Right now, most of us can’t shoot what we normally would. And yet, we may still feel the need to be creative and take photos. This is when trying new genres comes to the rescue and macro photography is certainly perfect for when you’re stuck safe at home.

Like all landscape photographers, Thomas Heaton can’t travel and shoot what he usually does. So he also turned to macro photography at home. But it turned out to be way more challenging than he thought!

How to create gorgeous abstract images with some paper and lights

by 1 Comment

I find it amazing that so many “everyday objects” can be used to create fantastic photos. If you’re at home these days, Ben from Adaptalux has a perfect photo idea for you. All you need is some paper and some lights, and you can create an infinite number of abstract macro photos.

If you’re stuck at home with nothing to do, try working on your macro photography

by Add Comment

It’s a strange time. Spring is here and it’s starting to warm back up outside after the winter chill, but no matter where we are in the world, we’re still mostly stuck indoors. For photographers, this can be frustrating. We’ve spent the last few months just itching to get back outside, and now we can’t. What can we do?

Joe Edelman has been thinking about this and over the past few days, he’s been doing a series of videos with photography challenges to try when stuck at home. Naturally, it’s a multi-part series, because we’re going to be here for a while. This one covers some pretty interesting creative macro tips for you to have a go at.

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Learn photography

Recent Posts