Understanding Close-Up Photography

What skills are required to produce high-quality close-up photography?  What equipment do you need to be successful, and what should you know before attempting this photography genre?  Bryan Peterson, a professional photographer, instructor, and the best-selling author of numerous photography books, provides the answers in his book Understanding Close-Up Photography: Creative Close Encounters with Or Without a Macro Lens. His prose is easy to read and understand, making him an excellent instructor as he guides you through the nuances of close-up photography.

If you’re at all familiar with Bryan’s photography books, then you know that his emphasis is always on creating a “compelling image.”  His writings do not have the “cookbook” approach to teaching, but instead emphasizes understanding how to artistically create images.

Quoting from the book:

“I will be the first to admit that much of the science of photography alludes me.  I’m fully aware of the numerous conversations that take place in photo chat rooms worldwide in which science and mechanics are discussed in great detail, conversations that I rarely participate in and even rarer still understand. I’m a visionary first, and once I approach the viewfinder, I’m focused on one thing: making a compelling image.  And, for the most part, making that compelling image relies on the following basic fundamentals: a knowledge of exposure, a vision that matches up with my lenses, and a willingness to entertain various points of view and consider the various compositional choices.” (page 158)

Book Chapters

“Close-up vs. Macro Photography” (pages 12-23) – Bryan begins the book by explaining the difference between macro photography and close-up photography.  Beginners tend to be under the misconception that the terms macro and close-up are synonymous, but they are not.  Bryan then clarifies that the focus of the book is the less restrictive term “close-up photography.”   To illustrate just how inclusive a term this is, Bryan discusses the benefits of using wide-angle lenses for close-ups.  That’s right, wide-angle lenses.  Not the type of lens which usually comes to mind.

“Equipment” (pages 24-91) – This customary chapter covers the equipment normally associated with close-up photography such as macro lenses, extension tubes, and ring flashes.  Bryan’s observations about using the Canon 500D close-up filter on a wide-angle lens were intriguing.  I hadn’t thought about using that combination before, but he shows where this pairing can produce some interesting close-ups.  (Unfortunately, it seems that the 500D is out-of-stock almost everywhere now.)

“Depth of Field & Aperture” (pages 92-115) – When it comes to close-up photography, depth-of-field is important to understand and troublesome to control.  Bryan deftly guides the reader through the topic.  I particularly liked his emphasis on the use of the depth-of-field preview button as a tool to realize your photographic vision.

“Close-up Tips” (pages 116-137) – Tough the title says “tips,” I’d call them just good general composition guidelines.  This chapter covers topics such as foreground and background framing, filling the frame, and horizontal vs. vertical formats.

“Up Close Indoors” (pages 138-153) – Close-up photography is a great pastime for inclement weather days.  Even when the weather is great, there are bountiful opportunities around your home, inside and outside, for close-ups.  This chapter introduces you to the possibilities available indoors, by starting off with a simple home studio setup.  From there we visit the kitchen then other rooms.  In each case, Bryan demonstrates how, with a little bit of creativity, you can use the different objects and light sources found around your home to capture those compelling shots.

“Appendices” (pages 154-159) –

• Appendix A, “VR and IS Lenses Exposed,” explains why the VR or IS feature of a lens is essentially useless for shooting close-ups.  Bryan describes how you can still shoot handheld close-ups, without a tripod, and still get the same results. He refers to this as the DSTU method, which stands for “deliberate 2-stop underexposure.”  Of course, this method requires shooting in RAW format at the camera’s lowest ISO setting, but supposedly correcting the exposure during post-processing produces results that speak for themselves.
• Appendix B, “Macro Magnification Ratios,” is meant to get you to know your lenses’ limitations when combined with equipment such as the Canon 500D Close-up Filter or an extension tube.  Bryan stresses that you should know the minimum focusing distance and magnification ratios of these combinations before you head out with the gear.  He demonstrates by using his own gear as a rough guide.

Book Pros

• large format book of 10.9 x 8.3 inches
• good topic coverage
• easy to follow explanations
• large, lovely, and inventive photo examples
• unconventional approaches to close-ups (e.g., use of wide-angle lenses)
• engaging style of writing
• good variety of photo subjects
• emphasis on the artistic as well as the technical

Book Cons

None.

Summary

Understanding Close-Up Photography provides a solid overview of close-up photography techniques in a format reminiscent of a coffee table book.  It’s lavishly illustrated with Bryan Peterson’s own photographs along with explanations of how he achieved the effects.

Since I’ve read a number of Bryan Peterson’s books over the years, I knew what to expect stylistically.  His books tend to emphasize artistic vision, which is sometimes harder to convey, than technical nuts-and-bolts, how-to information.  If you’re someone who wants all of the mechanics spelled out, then this book may not be a fit for you.

Should you buy it? As always, that depends.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone just getting into close-up photography, regardless of their other photographic experience.  Understand though that it’s not predominately an instructional book.  Though it does instruct, the book also teaches through its inspirational photos.  And I believe you can learn as much from taking the time to study the photos as you can from reading the text.

If you’ve already been doing close-up photography, the book probably has limited value other than getting an accomplished professional photographer’s perspective on the topic.  You’ll have to decide where you fit in.