Macro Phone Photography

Macro phone photography is one of the most fun uses of our phone's camera. In fact, our phone is great for macro photography! In fact our cameras have a small distance between the sensor and the lens.

As a result, we can take photos that are larger than life. As a result we can see details that otherwise don't notice.

From tiny flowers to insects macro phone photography is a fun and exciting way to get the most from our phone photography skills.

What is Macro Photography?

Macro photography is taking photos of a subject at life-size or greater magnification. As such, macro photography allows us to see small details. For example, the veins in leaves or wings of a bee or butterfly.

Macro photography runs from life-size to around 10 times magnification. As such, anything beyond that requires a microscope.

Life Sized

So, macro captures life size subjects. But, what does that mean exactly? Life sized means it takes up the same amount of space on your phone's sensor as in real life. As such, macro lets us focus on tiny details like a single feather or a few seeds on the head of a sunflower.

Where to Take Macro Photos

One of the things that I love about macro photography is that you can take macro photos anywhere.

Even on rainy days you can take macro photos at home. Remember, macro photography is all about the details. Therefore, we can find lots of interesting things to photograph.

Sometimes weather or temperature makes taking photos outside hard. However, if you really want to use your camera macro is a great option. With a macro lens you can create amazing photos without leaving the house.

Macro is great whenever or wherever the creative bug bites you. That said, taking macro photos outside is my favorite. Flowers, bugs, leaves, rocks, bark, there are so many things out there to create beautiful macro photos of with our phone.

Macro Phone Accessories

The best way to take great macro photos on your phone is with a clip-on lens. There are a lot of different lens options. That said, the more you spend the better the lens should be.

Phone Macro Lens

That said you can get nice macro lenses for as little as $15. Check out these lenses at B&H, Adorama, and Amazon.

A good lens will not leave strange color casts in bright spots. This is called chromatic abrasion. It happens when different wavelengths of light don't match up perfectly as is most evident in the brightest parts of our pictures. It usually appears as purple or green outlines.

Other Macro Accessories

Aside from your lens there are other macro accessories. These include small tripods to help steady your phone. This is really important for macro photography.

With a tripod you can move your phone just a tiny bit at a time and free your hands to hold the subject still if needed.

Phone Macro Lighting

You can take macro photos in low light areas. To do so, you need to add lights.

The flash on your phone is not very powerful. However, a small led or a flashlight helps you add light. Too, you can adjust it in interesting ways. As a result you can make your photos look extra special.

Find Out More

Find out more about macro phone photography. Join me for a class on macro photography this Jan at the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden. Also be sure to join my mailing list. I share loads of helpful tips and tricks about photography.  Of course I'm always happy to hear from you if you've got specific questions or comments so please feel free to reach out via my contact page. You can also have a look at some of my phone photography and specifically my phone macro photos over on Flickr.