How to Film Small Subjects in Macro

Nigel Marven delves into his garden to explore the thousands of garden creatures that you may not have necessarily thought about for your Eden Shorts.

How to Film Small Subjects in Macro

Head out into your garden and you could uncover the star of your Eden Shorts film - but make sure you have the equipment and techniques to get the best footage!

Macro lenses allow you to focus much more closely to your subjects allowing you to fill the frame - perfect when you're filming tiny subjects. If you don't have interchangeable lenses, don't worry, you may have a macro setting on your camera, have a look for the little flower icon or read through the manual!

In even a small garden there can be thousands of kinds of creatures

As always, remember to incorporate interesting behaviour into your film, just like the way Nigel teased the puss moth caterpillar to raise its tail at the touch of a paint brush. You should always make sure not to irritate or endanger your subjects though - so don't be too rough with them!

Filming in macro can make tiny subjects appear like monsters!

Filming in macro can make tiny subjects appear like monsters!

Another way to get interesting shots for your film is by using time-lapse.

Time-lapse settings take a picture at regular intervals tallowing you to use each picture as a single frame in your film. For instance 25 consecutive images will make one second of video (set at 25 frames per second. From puss moth caterpillars eating their way through a leaf to a flower opening or the sun setting, time-lapses are a powerful tool.

Don't worry if you can't get your hands on a time-lapse enabled camera though, you can always speed up a sequence you've filmed on a normal camera. Just make sure you get consistent lighting and you're using a sturdy tripod!

What hints and tips do you have to share? Stick them in the comments below.