This started me wondering exactly what a Macro Rig would contain and what it would look like. Do macro photographers have enormous elaborate setups or compact small items? What are the crucial pieces to have? So I went off searching the Internet to find the answers. Firstly I read a few forums but they were very out of date (2006) and then I discovered a fabulous article by Microscope UK and another from the Up Close and Personal Blog . There are some great images to be viewed at the Pentax forums and the ones at Talk | Photography go on for pages so there is plenty of inspiration out there. What impressed me most was how much of this stuff is duct-taped together using thrown together bits of DIY. You certainly don’t seem to need to spend a fortune on equipment (except the initial lens).
The general gist so far seems to be that the following items are MUST-haves:
- Tripod – Small or Large
- Ring Flash or Independent Slave Flashes or Lamp with bracket.
- Macro Lens on a zoom
- +10 magnification lens plus other magnification lens for stacking
- Remote Trigger
Even if you are not a huge macro lover, the items listed really can be used for so many different types of shots – not just macro and really these do form a staple of a photographer’s diet. It’s certainly something to aim for, isn’t it!
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Link to Light Stalking article: http://www.lightstalking.com/photographs-of-flies
Link to Microscopy UK article: http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/indexmag.html?http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artoct05/bjmacro.html
Link to Up Close and Personal Blog: http://orionmystery.blogspot.com/2009/03/my-macro-rig-then-and-now.html
Link to Pentax Forums: http://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-camera-field-accessories/108162-post-pic-your-diy-macro-rig-flash.html
Link to Talk | Photography: http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=132158
Image by Clicksy from Flickr – Licensed through Creative Commons: BY
{ Sunday Photographer } 
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