Jason Talks Gear - Macro Photography

This is part of a series of blog entries written by Jason about the more technical side of Jason Scott Photography. 

Last year I purchased a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens.  At only $500 this lens is a super bargain and the ONLY non professional lens I use for weddings.

As you are probably aware, a macro lens is for taking closeup photos of small things like bugs, or wedding rings.  The 100mm Macro lets me take photos with five times more magnification than my 35mm f/1.4 .

I realized I needed the macro after attempting to enlarge some flower and ring shots.  My non-macro lenses were producing nice results, but I needed to crop away about 80% of each photo.  This resulted in less than perfect enlargements. So, we started looking into a macro lens.

During my lens selection process, I originally tested the 180mm f/3.5 L, but I found the long focal length, combined with the dim light of receptions, made it difficult to use without a tripod.  The lower focal length and aperture of the 100mm made it much faster and easier to use.

After the lens arrived, Allyson and I took it to some local parks (Babcock Webb Wildlife Management Area and Selby Gardens) where we took photos of bugs and flowers.  It is very simple to use (even Allyson can do it – she took some of these photos), and it produces a lot of fun images.

  

  

On a typical wedding day, less than 1% of my photos are macros, but those shots are VERY important.  The rings, flowers, shoes, garter, cufflinks, cake, and favors are all details that brides spend a lot of time and energy planning and designing. These items need to be documented because they always find their way into prints and albums. 

Please don't hire a wedding photographer without a dedicated macro lens!

To find out more about the professional gear we use when we photograph Sarasota Weddings and Siesta Key Beach Portraits, click here.

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