Heather Angel

Macro Photography

£45
Level: Peer






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The difference between Peer & Expert levels

Both Peer and Expert levels provide:

  • Video lessons led by an expert tutor
  • Downloadable lesson notes
  • Practice assignments
  • Group learning in a 20-student online classroom
  • Lifetime access to videos, notes, and classroom

The Expert level additionally includes:

  • Personalized feedback and coaching from your tutor
  • Private messaging with your tutor
  • Certificate of completion
Level: Peer

Course overview

Photographer Heather Angel teaches you the art of macro photography, from using your camera for macro photos to finding creative inspiration for the best close-up shots.

What is Macro Photography?

Macro photography is the art of producing photos of small objects (often every day items or insects) at a larger than life size. When you take macro photographs you'll often reveal unexpected shapes, colours or patterns and details you can't see with the naked eye.

Heather will share her secrets behind some of her memorable macro shots and offer tips and hints for shooting macro outdoors and inside.

The great thing about working at close range is that macro photography subjects are everywhere, you just have to develop a seeing eye for beauty, texture and design.

You'll learn:

  • choosing the right equipment
  • using ambient light (and modifying light)
  • using depth of field creatively
  • time-lapse photography
  • focus stacking

Images range from flowers, leaves, seeds, fruits and aquatic life to coins, glass, jewellery and food. Amongst these are examples of patterns and designs.

You will appreciate just how effective a reflector, a diffuser or fill-flash can be at changing the light; how to use depth of field creatively and how to meter tricky low key and high key subjects.

You'll also learn how to work safely at night and how to set up a mini macro studio on a table for still life studies; also how to gain a white background for objects to display on websites or for promotional photos.

Time to complete this macro photography course:

Every student is different but in general we think the whole course will take around 13 hours 35 minutes to complete including:

  • Video lessons: 1 hour 35 minutes in total
  • Course notes: 30 minutes per lesson
  • Assignment: at least 2 hours per lesson
  • Interactive classroom time: 15 minutes per lesson
  • tutor feedback review (Expert level): 15 minutes per lesson

The course includes:

  • On-demand video lessons - presented by Heather Angel
  • lifetime access to the video, notes and interactive class
  • flexible classes - join and learn when and where you like
  • downloadable lesson notes
  • practical (optional) macro photography assignments
  • access on your mobile, PC, Mac or laptop
  • small interactive online classroom chat online to students from around the world

Ready to get started?

Just add the course to your basket above - choose the 'Expert' option for personal feedback from Heather on your photos.

Any questions? Contact us by clicking on the orange speech symbol - we'd love to hear from you.

Lesson summary

A Seeing Eye
The first lesson introduces the world of macro by showing images taken both outside and indoors and emphasises the need to look is all important. Learn what equipment is needed for getting in close and discover the importance of depth of field in macro work, so you know when to use it creatively or to maximise it. The structure of the subject will tell you how best to light it whether it be translucent leaves, textured bark, hairy stems or a reflective surface. Remember where the sensor plane lies and look beyond the subject to check the background is harmonious.
Outside Macro
This lesson is devoted to working outdoors and covers how to modify natural light for the best results. Comparative pairs of pictures clearly show the effect before and after using a reflector or a diffuser and learn how to use flash with confidence – especially fill-flash. Learn how to use different ways to isolate the subject from the background and when to 'garden'. Understand high key and low key macro subjects and how to meter them. When to use a versatile tripod and when to handhold and switch on VR or IS are basic decisions for all macro work. Explore the macro world at night using either flash or LED lights.
Inside Macro
This lesson is devoted to working indoors and covers many ways to light macro subjects – from natural window light, to flash and continuous artificial lighting. Learn how to set up a mini macro studio on a table for still life studies. Use a LED torch or headlight as a macro spotlight and find a lightbox for backlighting translucent subjects. Get to know the best lighting set-ups to take flowers / glass / jewellery / ornaments / seeds / feathers and iridescent subjects. Learn how to work with a light tent and how to shoot objects that stand out from a white background for web use, including selling items on ebay.
Special Macro Techniques
Finally, learn exciting techniques such as using raindrops as miniature fish-eye lenses and how to shoot iridescent subjects including soap bubbles, beetles and feathers. Marvel at how some subjects glow brightly against a black backdrop and learn how to set up dark field illumination. Learn how to set up and shoot thematic series and how to take macro time lapse sequences. Consider how best to frame different shaped macro subjects and how more impact can sometimes be gained by varying the composition or adjusting the crop – in or out of the camera. Learn how to gain extra depth of field with focus stacking.

Choose how you want to learn

Expert-level

Develop your learning further with marked assignments and personal tuition:

  • Start the course whenever you like
  • Tutor access for personalised assignment feedback & coaching
  • Certificate of completion and CPD learning hours
  • Online classroom with up to 20 classmates
  • Lessons with expert videos & notes
  • Group chat & direct message with tutor & classmates
  • Lifetime access to videos, notes & classroom

Peer-level

Get the most from shared knowledge and community study:

  • Start course whenever you like
  • Practise what you learn with your peers
  • Online classroom with up to 20 classmates
  • Lessons with videos & notes
  • Course assignments
  • Group chat & direct message classmates
  • Lifetime access to videos, notes & classroom
Portrait of Heather Angel

meet the expert

Heather Angel

Renowned wildlife photographer, prolific author, and lecturer recognized globally for her nature photography.

Read more

Why choose Learning with Experts?

Start whenever it suits you, and immerse yourself in motivational lesson tutorials with expert guidance.
Enhance your learning and personal growth with lesson assignments. Each course includes an optional assignment at the end of every lesson.
Drop a friendly message or respond to your assignment feedback. Our world-class experts are just a click away, ready to help you!
Stay informed about your own progress and those of your peers, and take joy in celebrating achievements along the way.
Chat and share ideas with passionate communities of learners from around the world.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between PEER and EXPERT levels?

At Peer and Expert level, you get access to the same core content and features:

  • Video lesson tutorials led by your expert tutor
  • Downloadable lesson notes
  • Option to practise what you learn with lesson assignments
  • Group learning within an online interactive classroom of up to 20 classmates
  • Lifetime access to videos, notes and classroom

If you choose Expert level, you get all of the above plus the following:

  • Personalised assignment feedback and coaching from your expert tutor
  • Opportunity to interact with your expert tutor through a private messaging system
  • Certificate of completion.
What is an online classroom?

Our online classroom has been developed to allow you to learn from our experts in a sociable environment alongside up to 20 other students. After each video tutorial led by your expert, you will be encouraged to practice what you have learned with optional assignments - these can be seen by the other students in your class, who are free to share their own thoughts and questions with you.

You will be encouraged to take part in an ongoing class discussion where you can discuss ideas, post images or work, and comment on each other’s assignments. It’s a great way to learn from other like-minded people who share your passion from all over the world.

This means not only do you benefit from people who are outstanding in their field, but also from a close-knit group of like-minded people whom you can learn alongside. Group learning has shown to greatly improve not just the experience of studying, but also how well you retain the knowledge, and we have built our classroom experience around this fact.

When can I start my course and how long will it take?

You can start your course any time within 12 months after receipt of your purchase confirmation email. Once you start, you’ll have lifetime access — meaning you can revisit the lesson videos and notes whenever you want.

Our courses are designed so that you can study at your own pace, some prefer to binge learn while others like to spread their studying over a longer period of time - it’s completely up to you. To give you a rough time frame, each lesson video is approximately 30-40 minutes long, and we recommend that you spend around an hour on each assignment.

How often can I speak with the Expert?

If you opt for the Expert version of your course, the time you have to interact with your tutor is limited to course length. You will have one week per lesson to chat to your tutor and to have your assignments marked, and during this period you can ask them as many questions as you would like.

To find out the length of each course, head to the product page and look at the Course outline to see how many lessons it contains. e.g. a four lesson course assumes that you will have completed the assignments within four weeks.

Your tutor interaction period will start as soon as you enter the classroom. If you find that you are struggling to complete the assignments in the allocated time or you wish to put this function on hold, just get in contact with one of the team via the support button and we will help you out.

Support and full FAQs

If you need any help with a course, be it one you’ve started already, or one you are looking to purchase, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Support email address, or view the full FAQ’s here.

You can also use the orange speech bubble on your page to start a conversation with us.

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Awards and accreditations