SHOOT LIKE A PRO: MACRO

Ready to get close and personal? Editor LAUREN SCOTT joins pro photographer GERAINT RADFORD for a macro masterclass

At a wetland centre in Wales, we uncover tiny worlds with Geraint Radford. Go behind the scenes with the Olympus user and bug lover

Macro photography is, at first glance, a niche genre. After all, if bugs and beasties aren’t your thing, why would you want to learn to shoot them? However, the skills you can glean from capturing subjects up close and in sharp focus can be applied to many different genres, from commercial photography to still life.

For this masterclass, I’ll be spending the day with Geraint Radford, a self-certified bug lover with a passion for sharing images of the natural world. I’ve met Geraint several times before, and his infectious enthusiasm for all things small and intricate is perhaps even more captivating than the shots themselves. For Geraint, macro photography isn’t just about the technique or practical side of taking photos, but a way to share with others the fascinating creatures and plant life that often gets overlooked. The welfare of subjects is a priority, which means that all his “bug buddies” have been captured where found, and he never shoots in a studio environment.

If you’re already a macro enthusiast, you’ll know that the optimum time to head out with a camera is during the early hours of the day or at sunset. At this time, insects tend to move more slowly, making them easier to focus on at close magnifications. Softer natural light is also less harsh on often iridescent bodies, and on early spring mornings, insects such as dragonflies covered with dew drops can look stunning.

Even equipped with this knowledge, ongoing Covid travel restrictions mean that our shoot – an exploration of Llanelli Wetland centre in Wales, UK – takes place in bright summer sunshine. Geraint assures me that we can still get professional results, as for many images, he’ll be using his flash to overpower the sun.

Geraint’s usual adventures have been on hold for the past year, like many of us. But when he can run workshops, they’re often held in the National Botanic Garden of Wales, where the Glasshouse provides a myriad of subjects even if the weather is bad.

In lockdown, he’s been busy working on a book for macro photographers. “It’s a mixture of howto guides with field

notes, but in a fun way. I’ve been working on it for a while, but I want it to be really interactive.”

One of the more offputting elements of macro photography is the assumption that it’s overly technical and that you need a lot of specialist kit. Refreshingly, Geraint takes neither approach, using an Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, a 60mm f/2.8 lens and a set of extension tubes that enable him to get even closer to his subjects (which can be picked up for around £30/$30).

Geraint is now an Olympus ambassador, but he started out with their kit on a trial basis back in 2018. “I guess they found me on social media. I was posting images fairly regularly, but I went through the pro loan route. That put a face to my name, as I was in a conversation with them already. A pro loan is designed for working professionals, really, allowing you to spend some time with certain products, figure out if you want to use it or not. I had the Olympus kit for about a month, but my Nikon kit was on eBay in about three days!”

A macro shot is defined as being 1:1 or life-size on the camera’s image sensor, but using extension tubes, you can achieve magnifications much greater than this. “We’re way beyond a 1:1. I’m not a mathematician; all I know is that the ratio is very high. I was always fascinated by shooting at the maximum possible magnifications, but now I try to shoot that little bit further away to include some habitat detail. When including the environment, I literally just use the camera and lens setup, with no flash.”

Geraint’s love of photographing bugs and beasties comes simply from an appreciation of being outside, so we don’t have any predetermined spots or subjects in mind. Instead, we walk on paths around the Wetland centre to see what we come across. It’s a very different approach to shooting static insects in a controlled home studio, and it is perhaps all the more enjoyable for it.

“You never know what you’re going to find. That’s what I like about this style of macro. I don’t necessarily look for species in particular…” says Geraint, spotting a particularly pretty ladybird. “If you go out looking for anything in particular, well, if you don’t find

it then your day is going to be ruined. So I tend to just go out and roam. See it as a treasure hunt. And it’s about being out, like the picture taking is almost secondary. Photography, I think, is really there to encourage other people to appreciate the insects, and my pictures are there to share the experience with others. The tech is just incidental.”

As we muse over the joy of serendipitous insect appearances, Geraint next spots a shield bug. “Usually, before I attempt to shoot the bug, I will find a similar scene and set the camera up ready. When you find your subject, take a test shot nearby, so you first know your camera’s good to go.”

Composition is still important when shooting insects, and using the grid on your camera’s LCD screen can help. “I place the insect’s head on one of the grid lines. It doesn’t matter if I look away, then, as I can still come back and reposition it where it was easily.” This is a key trick when shooting several frames of a subject for a manual focus stack.

At such close working distances, focus is another challenge of macro photography. Often manual focus is the best option, but instead of finding a subject and then turning the focusing ring until it appears sharp, try setting the focusing ring to a point and move your camera closer or further away until it appears sharp.

Geraint’s camera is set to manual exposure and focus mode, with RAW files and the Olympus default Natural picture mode. He shoots macro video too. “Even with seven stops of stabilsation, when

“My pictures are there to share the experience with others”