Nature Photography How To

It may not seem like it, given the horrendous winter weather that swept across the country last week, but the onset of spring is barely a month away. And the new season brings with it a variety of interesting opportunities for macro and close-up photography.

If it’s been awhile since you got up close and personal with your subjects, never fear, because the quick tutorial below explains the most important camera settings regardless of whatever camera you use.

Denver-based photographer Spencer Cox specializes in macro and landscape photography, and in just nine minutes he runs through the best camera setting to use. The tutorial kicks off with the optimal options for shooting close-ups of larger subjects like flowers, lizards, and the like. Then he moves on to settings for high-magnification macro photography that requires more specialized techniques.

As Cox explains, macro photography subjects demand a lot of attention and you don’t want to be fumbling around with numerous settings while attempting to get the shot. To that end, Cox reveals a list of the default settings he uses as a starting point. Along the way, he provides some helpful shooting tips as well.

Like with most forms of outdoor photography, lighting and other conditions are ever-changing. So while the approach Cox recommends isn’t a “set-it-and-forget-it” proposition, and you may have to make some modifications depending upon the situation, it will greatly simplify the process, and help you achieve great results.

You can find more great macro and landscape advice on Cox’ YouTube channel, and in another story we posted recently describing two essential tools for editing portraits and other detailed images.