How To Use A Camera Stabilizer For Macro Photos And Videos

by StayblCam Team October 05, 2020

There is a wide variety of camera stabilizers, including Steadicams, gimbals, and manual stabilizers that help you produce higher quality photos and videos. However, it’s not always easy taking smooth, beautiful shots using a camera stabilizer. Sometimes you need a little knowledge to utilize the equipment to its fullest.

In This Article:

Choosing the Right Stabilizer
Choosing the Right Subject
Lighting Is Essential
Motion Matter

Get Fantastic Macro Shots with a Camera Stabilizer

Choosing the Right Stabilizer

When it comes to shooting macro pictures, the most important thing you need to do is find the right camera stabilizer. Going around and looking at different stabilizers can be a very time consuming as there are hundreds of models that can help you get macro shots. Finding a suitable one among those models can be like looking for a need in a haystack.

Making out the differences between macro and micro can be very useful when you choose your camera stabilizer. Many new amateur photographers tend to get confused with these two concepts. In the literal meaning, they mean different things. Micro means small, and macro means big. However, when talking about photography, they both mean making small objects look big.

Furthermore, you need to decide whether you’re going with a motorized or manual camera stabilizer. Motorized gimbals will have counterbalance weights and mechanical rotors to compensate for the wobbles and shakes when shooting. Meanwhile, what sets non-motorized stabilizers apart from the motorized ones is the amount of control you have over your camera during the shot.

If you’re shooting a moving subject with your non-motorized unit and you want the camera to lean slightly forward to accentuate the action, you can easily do so. However, trying the same shot with a motorized unit will be a lot harder as the stabilizer always compensates your motions with the counterbalance mechanic. With that said, to master using the non-motorized stabilizer will take longer compared with the motorized one.

Choose the Right Subject

Beauty is around you; all you have to do is look. Through the eye of a photographer, they can see the beauty in almost everything, and we mean everything. From the biggest thing like the sky, the mountains, or the ocean to the smallest thing like an insect, a drop of water on a leaf, or even a dandelion seed drifting in the wind. And those little beauties are the subject that you want to shoot your macro shot.

But among those subjects, you need to identify the need to choose the right one if you want to have a great macro picture. For instance, shooting a still subject is entirely different from shooting a moving one. In addition, you might need to keep in mind that if you choose your subjects such as a living creature or a drop of water, they will very likely move due to the surrounding factors. Therefore, being quick and precise is the key to shoot a perfect macro picture.

Lighting Is Essential

Just as important as choosing the right subject, having enough lighting can really make a difference. Lighting can significantly affect how the final shot will look, whether it’s going to compliment the picture, or it will give the subject a bad shadowy effect if not chosen right.

Some shots can be a once-in-a-lifetime, which means you have no second chance if the moment has passed. If you want to have the lighting just right, you need to calculate everything regarding the subject, whether it’s going to move or it is going to a standstill. As time passes, so does the natural light from the sun. That’s why you need to manage and set up everything before that time window comes; if not, you won’t ever have another chance to have that shot.

On the other hand, you can take advantage of your equipment to create suitable lighting for your subject. Even though it’s not as dazzling as the natural light, you can compensate for it with little photo editing later, and you don’t have to worry about the time as you create your light source.

Motion Matter

Lastly, the last thing you need to keep in mind when using a camera stabilizer to shoot macro shots is focusing on the movements, not only from your subject but also on your own. As mentioned before, everything can affect the outcome of your photos or videos. Just a slight movement can cause a tremendous amount of damage to your effort so far.

Mind your surroundings and move carefully is the key to a perfect shot. If you intend to shoot a dragonfly resting on a blade of grass or a branch, do you best not to disturb it by any sudden movement. A small movement can cause it to fly away, and you will lose your chance. Breath slowly and line up your camera carefully; that’s how you win your once-in-a-lifetime picture.

Once you have everything prepared, the only thing left for you to do is to go out there and look around. You can find beauty almost everywhere, so you can start by going out in your garden and look at the smallest thing like a flower bud waiting to bloom or a spider weaving web. That’s where you can practice the skills you just learned.

With a little help of a camera stabilizer, you can easily produce high quality and one of a kind macro photos and videos. StayblCam can change the way you use your camera and open up new methods for you to shoot macro shots.

Do you have any other tips on how to take macro photos and videos? Let us know in the comments below.

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