Close-up photography, Part 1.

The twenty-ninth in a series of short instructional articles for beginning photographers, the following is intended to help those who want to go beyond snapshots. Watch for the series each month.

A delightful way to appreciate the world is through close-up photography. The subject can be large or small, close by or far away. It is fascinating to capture the details.

One technique is to place the camera close to the subject. This seems easy until the photographer remembers that every lens has a definite minimum focusing distance. The image will be out of focus if the camera is closer to the subject than is allowed. This information applies to all lenses, whether normal, telephoto, wide angle, or macro.

The direction manual for the camera or lens will specify the closest focusing distance. These directions will also indicate if the camera has a warning light in the viewfinder or monitor to alert the photographer to back away.

It is not always possible to put the camera close to a subject. For example, when photographing a statue on top of a building, a bird on a tree branch, or a child on a playground. When the subject is far away, a telephoto lens is used to bring the subject closer in the viewfinder.

This obvious use of a telephoto lens has its own problems. It is difficult to take a sharp photo with a handheld telephoto lens. Using a lens or camera with stabilization is helpful. Or propping the handheld lens on or against something inanimate improves sharpness. When using a tripod or other inanimate steady support, the camera's stabilization feature should be turned off and the self timer can be activated. In addition to a tripod, any nearby inanimate object can function as a tripod or handheld support, such as a fence, tree trunk, big rock, box, or side of a building.

Another consideration with a telephoto lens is the shallow depth of field. Less of the subject in front of or in back of the point focused upon will be in focus. This result makes the focused area stand out from the less sharp surrounding. For example, it is an advantage to have only one person in focus when photographing one child in a group on a playground or a football player on the playing field.

Carole Kropscot, APSA * Leawood, Kansas