Canon Rebel T3i For Macro Photography - 4 Helpful Tips

Macro Photography With A Canon Rebel T3i

Are you preparing to dive into macro, or close-up photography with your new Canon Rebel T3i Macro, or close-up, photography is at the top of many "I want to learn how to do this" lists, but, for some reason, it gets pushed to the back burner. Well, there is no time like the present to get started. With your T3i, it is ever so uncomplicated.

Should you already have a macro lens for these pictures, excellent. However, if you don't own one of those costly lenses especially manufactured for close-up work, have no fear, extension tubes are here! With a cheap set of extension tubes, you will be able to change almost any lens into a macro lens. Extension tubes fit between the lens and the camera and increase the distance from the lens to the camera sensor. This allows the camera to focus at a closer distance and essentially magnifies the image.

Macro photography - vintage buttons captured with Canon Rebel T3i and Sigma 105 macro lens

One of the best things about taking extremely close pictures of objects is the detail that is revealed. In close-up images, there are things that we would never notice. But take a close up shot and you will experience many OMG moments.

The fact is that this photographer, yours truly, had one of those moments when I created my very first macro image. That's when I began to take pictures of every bug that would stay in the view finder long enough. And when there was no bug available, I took pictures of flowers. I didn't realize that there are so many other interesting subjects to shoot in the tiny world of close up photography. Actually, almost any small object is worthy of your attention, including parts of your clothing like buttons and zippers as well as things like eyes and fingers. The only limitation is your imagination.

Here are a few hints to get you started on your macro photography journey with the Rebel T3i

1. Start your engine. Even though this might sound too obvious, many of us get stuck in the mud, as it were, simply trying to figure out how to do something. While you could take lots of time to look for classes and study until you know all there is to know, instead, you can just start snapping. Training as the need arises is a great way to learn. Actually, "on the job" training works really well in photography.
2. Permit poor results. This sort of goes "hand-in-hand" with hint #1. If you are afraid to make mistakes, you will never experience the thrill of what you discover through those mistakes. Some of your best shots will come as a result of something you did "wrong."
3. Tripods are our friends. Close-up photos are prone to give the photographer lots of blur when trying to hand-hold the camera. In addition to the tripod, you can benefit from using the shutter release timer on your T3i, or you can get an inexpensive remote shutter release.
4. Use Live View and focus manually. The Canon Rebel T3i has a fantastic feature that makes macro photography so much easier than most other cameras. It is the digital zoom feature when in Live View. Digital zoom is used to get a closer view of the subject so you can focus more accurately. At 5 times the magnification (or even 10 times), you can see clearly to focus. Personally, this is the feature that made me a believer in the Canon Rebel T3i.

That's it. Pretty simple, right? Hopefully, these few hints will get you started (and hooked).