JUNGLE PEARL

Macro — or perhaps more accurately, close-up, photography is certainly one of the more challenging types of photography when it comes to shooting with the phone.

Getting your subject in focus, especially when it’s really small, can be quite tricky. Unlike DSLR cameras, the phone’s camera aperture is fixed (usually between f/1.6–2.4, depending on your phone model & brand) and thus you have a significantly narrow depth of field to work with.

What does having a narrow depth of field mean? Well, imagine having only a small strip on your camera’s screen that is in focus. If your subject happens to be an active mover, like this Pelican Spider (Eriauchenius sp.), getting most of its head and body in focus can be fairly difficult.

So how do you maximize your chances of getting a shot (or a few) that is in focus?

• Use a camera app that allows manual control, in particular the focal length, since autofocus can be really tricky when your subject is small. Most camera apps have a focus peaking option and I highly recommend turning this on.

• Make sure your subject is parallel with your camera. This will make most of your subject appear in focus.

• Have an adequate light source, such as an LED light panel. Having more light allows you to use a quicker shutter speed, which is pretty useful if your subject moves a lot, and reduces motion blur.

• Turn on burst mode when shooting to increase your chance of getting a shot that is sharp.

• Lastly, consider getting a macro lens for your phone. A good macro lens will enable you to get really close to your subject, such as a tiny spider the size of a grain of rice.

This photo of the Pelican Spider was taken with the macro lens by Moment and their camera app.

#ShotoniPhone6s, handheld, exposure at 1/380 sec, ISO 25, supplemental LED light panel.