Close Up and Macro Photography

This manual of practical advice for the macro photographer considers everything from choice of equipment to optimum workflow techniques. Through color-coded chapters, it distinguishes between the variety of lenses, cameras, supports, lighting, software and studio equipment available to the contemporary digital photographer. Technical aspects of three-dimensional scanning and post-production image enhancement are also covered using precise charts, graphs, formulas, and sample images. A helpful glossary and list of resources are included at the end.

The sensibly structured approach of Adrian Davies' writing is somewhat dry but comprehensible and quite logical. His insight clues us in to how to modify the macro process depending upon the specific type of subject matter being photographed. He manages to de-mystify such concepts as depth-of-field, histograms, image size and camera settings in an intelligible manner. Of particular interest are examples that delineate ultraviolet fluorescence, imaginative backlighting, polarized light, and image sequencing. Whether used by a professional for scientific documentation or by an amateur for purely creative endeavors, //Close-up and Macro Photography// is a valuable reference that could save time, effort and money for anyone involved in this particular field.

Reviewed by Richard Mandrachio