It might seem that modern photography is quite a simple and easy business given that digital cameras and computer processing appear to do it all for you. Why not just set your camera on automatic and then view your images on a computer or smartphone and that’s about all there is to it.

Of course you can do it like that but if you want to obtain worthwhile images of really small things or want to get in close to a subject then there is far more to it than that.

So the camera club’s annual macro/close-up evening was a great opportunity to get help on just how you decide on the depth of field and lighting necessary to get really sharp pictures of things that are tiny. Modern cameras have so many options available that it is not always easy to understand what is possible if you just make an adjustment to the various menus available.

The club set up four work stations where members could share such advice. Shooting macro shots with the aid of a microscope, using macro lenses and extension tubes, bouncing light on a still life display and employing a special lighting cube were all available to try out.

This was a very helpful evening in which members shared their knowledge and were able to go away with a better understanding of just how you adjust your camera settings to make things larger than life!