How to Make Good Photographs with the Macro Feature on You Digital Camera: Ten Simple Ideas

Virtually every digital camera sold today has a Macro feature. Many people that own digital cameras however, don't even know they have this feature, or if they do, don't know what it's for or how to use it. Therefore, to clear things up, the Macro feature on a digital camera allows you to take extreme close-ups of something, while blurring everything in the background. That's pretty much it. Most digital cameras have a menu choice to activate the feature. To find it on yours, check your owner's manual. The thing with the Macro feature on your digital camera is that you will likely only use it for artistic reasons. It's for creating photographs that look "cool" or are beautiful in some way. The other thing with the Macro feature on digital cameras is that unless you move your camera close to an object, everything you see through the viewfinder will appear blurry. This is probably why so few people use this feature. Luckily, learning to use the Macro feature on your digital camera is not very difficult.

The first thing you need to know about using the Macro feature, is you have to move your camera really close to your target. Just keep moving closer till the image becomes sharp and clear. Then, when you're ready to shoot, press the shutter release button just enough to activate the focusing features. You should see a framing box or something close to it. Move your camera in and out in tiny increments to make the image clear, then, finish by snapping the picture. Make sure to hold the camera very steady. With the Macro feature, this is critical. Okay, so, that's the technical part. Once you've got it down, consider the ten simple ideas below to help you make good Macro photographs with your digital camera.

1 - Go outside. The Macro feature on most digital cameras works best in good lighting. This is particularly so when you consider that the camera has to be placed very close to the target, which in many cases causes a loss of light on the object due to shadows from the camera or the person holding it. Outside lighting is diffused, however, which means it bounces around all over, which helps to get it in places where there are shadows.