Telephones have advanced enormously in recent years, and have ceased to be devices for making calls and have become tools with which we store our lives, our steps through the world, our social interactions. And day by day we leave a record of everything we do and that we like through photos and videos.
And it is perhaps in photography where you can best see the evolution of phones in a very short time. So much so that even in the simplest model we found a camera with the ability to take impressive shots. Captures that, until 15 or 20 years ago, we could only have achieved with a professional camera, however today we all carry in our pocket a powerful image generator that not only consists of having good lenses, but also has special functions that transform a easy catch in one great picture.
One such function is the famous MACRO. That sometimes we intuit and use to play but that has incredible value.
Something as simple as a 100 coin can be seen with great definition and detail
In fact, for those of us who are older, we know that many times we had to resort to buying a Macro lens for our dslr cameras in order to capture little things. But now with the cell phone it’s a matter of activating the Macro and that’s it, you have it in a second.
To take the photos for this article I used my phone, a Motorola One Fusion, and the result is incredible. Especially if we think that, as I said before, 20 years ago it would have cost us a fortune and many kilos in photographic equipment, to be able to achieve what I can do today with my phone.
We always blow them, but seen like this they are incredible
How to achieve impressive MACRO photographs with your mobile phone
Once the great Chilean photographer Sergio Larrain he wrote a letter to his nephew giving him advice on photography. And to start these tips I think it is good to keep in mind the words of Larraín when he says that «Do not believe more than your taste, you are life and life is the one that is chosen. What you don’t like, don’t see it, it doesn’t workAnd it is that as always in photography what matters is the vision, the desire, the style or the motivations of the photographer who takes the photo.
And now that you have in your hand a phone with everything you need, the only thing you need is to start taking photos of whatever you want.
The details of the leaves are great
In the Macro modewhich is the one we are reviewing today, it often happens that one emphasizes the most everyday things, such as flowers, insects, the keys of your keyboard, your hands, or the eyelashes of whoever you are closest to, to examine in detail that small world that occurs when the lens amplifies what we sometimes only see by chance, but that with the macro becomes enormous.
How to activate the Macro mode?
On my phone the macro is automatically suggested when I get too close to an object because recognizes that I am taking a close-up photo.
However, it can also be used as a default mode when you are taking photos. It’s very simple, you just have to open your camera tools (it’s almost always a panel or a wheel) and select the flower, which is the classic symbol of macro mode in cameras, and that’s it! Select the FLOWER
VERY IMPORTANT: The Lightning
Lighting is vitally important to taking good macro photos. For obvious reasons, daylight is probably the best and easiest to work with, but keep in mind that with sunlight, when it is on the object you are going to capture, shadows can be generated that spoil the photo.
If you are photographing something that you can move, always look for an even light. For example, if you’re taking a shot of a flower, you can move it from the stem to direct the way the sunlight enters. Common flowers of my patio with afternoon light
Sometimes it happens that you cannot move or modify what you are capturing, such as a insect, but in that case I recommend that you find a way to cover the amount of direct light. A very simple way is to cover the sun with your body, like a screen. I really like flowers, especially the most common ones, like these that you always see and that seen up close are beautiful
And another tip that can help you a lot is to try different daylight hours to get the same photo. For example, if you are going to make a capture in the morning it is not the same lighting as that of midday or evening. If you try at different times you will see that the tones and the result change.
DON’T FORGET about approach and of framing
when we take pictures Macro we are clear that the foreground is what matters most to us, therefore the background literally goes to the background.
When we are experimenting with the Macro we have multiple ways to frame the object since for obvious reasons it will be limited by the depth of field or by the area of the photo that will be the one that will remain in focus. This means that everything you add inside the frame your photo it becomes part of the composition, so don’t forget to leave out things that are unnecessary.
For example, if you are capturing something that you are holding in the palm of your hand, remove the edge of the sleeve of your shirt, or any element that «sneaks» into the photo. Perhaps you had never seen the name of Ignacio Carrera Pinto on the 1000 bill
The approach For its part, it takes all the protagonism of the macro photos.
The closer you are to an object, the more details are going to be preponderant because will have more focus, therefore always think that the importance you give to your object will mean that it has the final role in your photography. Have you noticed the details of the condor on the tickets?
But hey… Don’t overdo the increase… It just so happens that the higher the magnification, the smaller the area of exact focus in your images. That is why with the macro you can make something very small, which would normally be just a detail, end up being the central object of your composition. What makes it so cool and fascinating to take photos with a cell phone, since any place in the world can be the perfect setting.
A grasshopper on my curtain, the details are amazing
Beware the movement
Perhaps one of the big problems that macro photography can present is movement. And it is that any variation can cause something that was perfectly focused to lose focus completely. Especially when the phone has autofocus and is regulated according to distance.
For this reason, it will always be more difficult for you to obtain photos of insects, flowers, or even people because there is always a movement that we cannot control. You even have to consider your pulse, and the stability of your hand, when taking photos.
Sometimes it happens that if you are in an awkward position your body gets tired, or your hand wobbles, and it is easier for the focus to change. That’s why always try to stabilize your phone as well as possible and try to take several captures instead of taking a single photo. So that you can choose the one that best achieves the objective you are looking for.
So don’t forget about movement. and from the windwhich is the one that will bring you the most problems when you are outdoors.
You can combine textures
An important factor: The edition
Whether you are going to share it on networks or send it directly to someone, you always have to take a look at your photo, and if necessary edit it to give it the necessary touch-ups.
All kinds of phone have better and better photo editors it will not be difficult for you to play with contrast, saturation, tones and cropping to achieve the perfect photo.
For example, on my phone I really like to use the editing tools that Motorola added to the new operating system. Since they have everything I need to make every detail look just the way I want it to, many times even better than I would have expected.
Here is an example with screenshots of the photo I put above:
In the same way you can do it directly on your social networks. In Instagram for example you can also do an excellent job editing. I don’t recommend filters because they alter everything in an uncontrolled way, but if you go step by step you will surely be able to get a photo more to your liking and with your style. Black and white gets along very well with macro mode
FINAL DATA: Do not get too close
Sometimes it happens that when you are looking for a detail you end up with the lens almost glued to the object. But it is not necessary.
Note that when you are using a macro mode it is as if you had zoomed in, or used a magnifying glass, that means that by default the phone has already «closed» you to your object. Therefore, you only need to take care of the framing and that the sharpness is optimal, and it is not necessary to get so close.
In fact when you get a sharp photo then you can crop itduring the editing process, to eliminate all those noises or unnecessary objects in your capture.
I hope these simple tips will help you. And soon we will make more notes with other tips and other features that you can make your phones shine.
I only encourage you to experiment and make mistakes many times if necessary, because photography is an art that not only requires talent, but also a lot of practice. So grab your cell phone and start taking all the macro photos you want, and may these tips make you have great records.