Photography101: Going Macro on Cloudy Days

Gray, cloudy, overcast days often make for less than ideal photographs of Yosemite’s great monoliths and waterfalls. That’s why when the sky clouds-up I start looking down.

Why am I looking down you ask? Well, that’s where all the action is. On cloudy days the light evens out and harsh contrasts you’d normally see with bright sun disappear, perfect for macro photography.

Macro photography is the art of taking close up photos of things and I can honestly say, there is a plethora of things which lend themselves to macro photography in Yosemite.

On the short list: tree bark, rocks, moss and lichens, flowers, plants, acorns, fence posts, ants, bees, and so much more.

Most modern point and shoot cameras, digital included, come with a macro setting. It’s usually denoted as a little flower on your mode wheel. Simply turn the wheel on your camera and take your picture. I will warn you though, to shoot macro you need to get real close to your subject. This could be a problem if you’re shooting ants carrying something and happen to lie down in a whole mess of them (not that I’ve ever done this).

If you’re using an SLR or a digital SLR switch your camera over to Aperture Priority (characterized by an A on your mode wheel) or Macro. If you use aperture priority you’ll need to open up the lens as far as you can (meaning an f-stop of 1.8-3.5). This will allow your subject to be in focus while the background is blurred, exactly what you want.

Whatever you do, don’t use an on-camera flash (point and shoot or SLR). You’re too close and it won’t work properly. If you need a bit more light grab a piece of white paper or cardboard. It’ll do wonders to reflect what light there is to light your subject.

So grab your camera and have fun!