A close-up brings the viewer in and captures all the hidden details you might not ever see otherwise. It also helps to
frame your subject, away from busy, distracting backgrounds.
Set your camera to close-up or "macro" mode. Check your user manual for exactly how to do this, or look for
the shooting mode with an icon depicting a flower. In this mode, your camera will take sharp pictures within
inches of your subject.
Without a macro shooting mode, your camera will have a hard time focusing really close to your subject, but you can use
your camera's zoom function.
To get close to your subject using your zoom, you actually have to stand farther away and zoom in. You can catch roughly
the same shot as with a macro function. Still, there's no substitute for a true macro shooting mode for getting in really
close and sharp.
See how the subject is sharp, but background is soft.
For shots farther away than 12 inches or so, it's best to switch to portrait shooting mode. This is a factory
preset that reduces your
depth of field
and makes objects within a few feet of you sharp, while blurring anything in the distance.
When using a shallow depth of field, you don't have much room to play with. When your subject is really close
up, position it right in the middle of the frame to make sure it comes out sharp.
Your camera's flash will sometimes wash out color in a close-up photo or cause it to look overexposed due to
too much light. In these cases, turn your flash off and supplement with available natural light from windows
or lamps.
The daylight hours are the easiest time of day for your camera to focus automatically. To help you get the
shots you want at night or in low-light conditions, use a tripod or you may get some blur if you don't hold
the camera steady.
Learn more about night and low-light photography.
Take a free online class
in digital photography! Explore the many features of your digital camera, find tips for cropping and editing your
images, and discover new ideas for sharing your photos in creative ways.
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