Instagram worthy macro photography on your smartphone requires preparation, basic photography theories, accessories and apps.
Have people saying 'You shot that on your mobile phone?'
These techniques, tips and apps will have you capturing SLR looking macro photography on your smartphone in no time. I explain each in detail and provide my top takeaway points at the end.
1. Site and subject preparation
2. Lens accessories
3. Lighting
4. Smartphone specific tips for sharp focus
5. Camera replacement apps - manual focus
6. Magnifier on iPhone
7. Photo editing apps and processes
We live in a busy world, where our amazing smartphones allows us to take quick snaps of everything around us. Close-up macro photography forces you to slow down, look at everyday objects in a new perspective - often at a level of detail not obvious to the human eye.
Macro photography is such an exciting photography genre. I quite often return to macro photography when I find myself in a creative rut.
Capturing sharp, close up photography on your iPhone or Android smartphone can also be serious business for an entomologist recording insects and primary producers sharing details of pests and plant disease.
Other Industries can also benefit from close up macro photography on the smartphone are: forensic, clinical, dental and medical. Even small business owners showcasing their produced goods, including jewellery and manufactures of small components and parts.
1. Site and subject preparation
Depending on the subject you are capturing - you may be able to control the subject and environment. Outdoors and indoors each have their pros and cons.
As a professional photographer and late adopter to smartphone photography, I previously compared the lens quality between a DSLR and the smartphone. Some may even call this a prejudice!
You may have already discovered, there are a lot of cheap and nasty lens attachments out there. However, I can since learned that photography is not about having the best equipment.
That said, I have experimented with many lens attachments and have finally found a supplier that I can totally recommend. Struman Optics supply amazing lens that can be attached to any smartphone.
Yes, that means you Sony, HTC, LG, Huawei and even tablet owners can get in on the action too!
The lens is attached by either a sturdy universal metal clamp that can be used on both the front and rear lens or can be screwed into a supplied case, specific to iPhone and Samsung models.
What makes these lenses superior to most available - is the optics (obviously), lens coating, ease of use (no app required). Additionally, when you upgrade your smartphone - there is no need to purchase a new lens. Hmmm, I have a few old Olloclips for the iPhone 5 if anyone is interested!
HD 2.8x macro lens
This lens provides an optical magnification - meaning extra dots (pixels) of information in the photo. Digital magnification (zoom) effectively takes the existing pixels and turns one pixel into multiples of the same data making it appear closer. This can really make the image look pixelated and blotchy (if that's a word?).
The better quality lens will retain sharpness in the whole image and not diminish and become more blurred near the edges. This then allows you to pinch and zoom in the image, and produce some stunning and sometimes alarming results! If you have a cheap lens attachment, zooming in on a blurred image will just look worse.
Cinematic wide-angle lens
This lens is a world-first manual focus smartphone macro lens. If you enjoy capturing flowers, this is by far the best lens for you. This lens needs to be held between 1cm and 8cm to the subject.
This lens has a depth of field (area in focus) of approximately 10mm making it perfect for most macro subjects.
The best feature of this lens is the super creamy soft blurred backgrounds and bokeh. Software background blur is a big advancement in smartphone cameras. However, the genuine background blur by this lens is no comparison.
4. Smartphone specific tips for sharp focus
The most fascinating thing about close up and macro photography on the smartphone is the detail. To achieve sharp detail, we have controlled some factors above: including keeping the subject steady and a high quality lens attachment. The next step is to stabilise the smartphone prior and during the capture.
The easiest way to stablise the smartphone is to attach it to a tripod. Smartphone holders can be sourced online at a low cost and attached to a standard tripod. I am a big fan of the versatile Joby tripod.
There are a number of hidden features in our smartphones that most of us discover by accident. Our smartphone did not come with a manual. If it did would you read it?
A couple of tips that will help you achieve sharper focus on your smartphone are:
5. Camera replacement apps
6. Magnifier on the iPhone
Don't have a macro lens - that's ok. Using the Magnifier on an iPhone you can digitally zoom a lot closer than the normal camera. After you press the capture button it creates a screen capture. The resolution is not as great as a normal photo. However, it is a quick and easy option with built in editing and filters to enhance the details.
7. Photo editing apps and processes
My favourite all-purpose mobile photo editing app is Snapseed by Google, available on iTunes and Google Play. I have written a previous blog: Snapseed photo editing - detailing my basic photo editing process. This applies to macro photography as much as any other genre.
For more advanced photo sharpening, the next best app is Adobe Lightroom mobile. It may seem a little intimidating. However, once you know the correct tools, when to use them and how to avoid over-using them your results will be incredible.
Top six take-away points to remember
That was a long blog post. I wanted it to be a comprehensive reference guide, providing you all the tools to start capturing some stunning close up and macro photography on your smartphone. We would all love to see your results in our community.
Here are my top six tips:
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