Photo Tip Tuesday--Mobile Macro

For today's Photo Tip Tuesday, I thought a mobile photography tip would be fun!

If you follow my personal Instagram account, you know that I love mobile macro.  To do this, you need a special attachment lens on your phone or tablet.  But fair warning, once you start, it's kind of addicting!  It really is quite fun to see all those little details you don't normally see.  Go ahead and click on the pictures below to see a baseball, a bee and some sprinkles in a whole new light!

The Product

There are a variety of macro attachments you can buy for your phone, some pretty cheap and some more expensive.  I have had two kinds, and I can tell you a bit about both kinds.  

The first is a "Universal Clip on Lens" that I bought from Amazon for only $15.  All three pictures above were taken using this lens.  It works on any phone that has a lens within 1 1/2 inches of an edge.  Mine is a little beat up because I've used it so much!  Along with the macro lens, there is a wide angle and fisheye lens that comes with it.  I'll explain those another day.  

The second lens I bought was an Olloclip.  They are made specifically for the iPhone, and recently the Samsung Galaxies.  Yes, they are quite a bit pricier, around $65.  (I had Discover points and got mine for "free" on Amazon.)  The quality is a tad better, and there's not as much distortion, but I suggest sticking to the clip on to see if you like it first.  Plus, if you lose an Olloclip, you're out a bit more.  The best thing I think, is that there are two macro lenses--one at a 10x and one a 15x.  It also comes with a wide angle and a fisheye lens.  

Pictures from the Macro Lens

Below are some pictures I took with the macro lenses.  These are straight from my phone and have not had any editing or enhancing done with them (which I usually do if I'm going to post pictures online, but this is just so you can see the real deal).  If you want to, grab a quarter and compare!

Tips for good mobile Macros

I've been doing mobile macros for almost a year now, and I've learned a few things that may help you take better mobile macros.
1.  You focus by physically moving your phone and hand closer or further away from the subject.  You have to practice a steady hand.  Rest your arm on something that doesn't move.  
2.  To get a sharp subject, it can't move either!  If it's windy and I'm trying to macro a flower, I usually hold the stem pretty close to where I'm photographing.  
3.  Try different angles with the lens.  You have to find the sweet spot of focus.  The macro lens has such a small area that will be in focus, so learn your lens!
4.  Use an app that can sharpen your photo just a little bit.  Be careful not to sharpen too much though, because it looks awful if you do!  

So, there you have it!  I hope that will help you with your mobile macro shots!  If you'd like to see more of my mobile macros, check out my personal Instagram page here.  And happy macro shooting!