Using Macro Lenses for Portraits

A lot of serious photography students ask me about using macro lenses for portrait photography which is a not-so-well-kept secret for getting beautiful sharp portraits.

The benefits of using a macro lens for portrait photography is their sharpness but there are other advantages. One related asset is the additional aperture range that many macro lenses have. From wide open stops such as f2 or f2.8 to tiny openings under f22 macro lenses give us a wider range of control. This added control helps us control our lighting better in the studio and outdoors.

Many macro lenses also come in great focal lengths for shooting portraits. Some of the best macro lenses for portraits are prime lenses in the 90 mm to 135 mm range. I've used an older Nikon 105 mm Macro and a 135 mm macro lens to create some amazing portraits over the years.

Even if you want to shoot unconventional portraits there are incredible macro lenses in the 35mm range. As I said earlier, these often have a big aperture range and a collection of smaller f-stops that can really help you to add additional layers of lighting control.

Used Macro Lenses

One big benefit of using macro lenses to capture portraits is that you can often find older used macro lenses for sale. Many can be had great shape from places like eBay that won't break the bank. Too, if you're like me and you love photographing people as well as nature having a macro that you can use for duel purposes is even more reason to buy a solid, sharp, versatile macro lens to use for portrait photography.

If you have any questions or comments please hit me up on my social media accounts [Facebook and Twitter] or contact me. Take a look at my family portrait and individual portrait work and my nature photography that I've extensively used my macro lenses to photograph.