Alright so it's really hot out today, so it looks like I won't be outside for photos until this evening. So, this leaves me with some time to write up some eye photography tips!
On a lot of my eye photos, I get comments like "How in the world do you do that?!?" Well, I'll try to answer that question as best I can
First of all, you do NOT need any fancy equipment. Me? I just use my Canon PowerShot SD1000. It's a great little point and shoot (and my only camera). You can read about it here: [link]
----I don't have any fancy equipment, so how do I take these photos?----
Any camera will do, as long as it has some type of macro mode. And if you have a fancy camera with a fancy macro lens, I'm sure that would be even better
You can use a tripod if you wish. However, I don't have one, so using one obviously isn't absolutely necessary. Since most of us starving artists can't afford a tripod, try to find other things to stabilize your camera on. You can use a table, railing, windowsill, anything really! As long as it's stable, it will work
---- How should I light my eye when taking these photos?----
Personally, I prefer to light my eye from the side. For example, if it's the evening, face north or south, that way you won't have the blinding sun directly in your eyes. And another thing, I suggest always using natural sunlight. You could use indoor lighting, but that would be much more difficult (using sunlight will give you faster shutter speeds )
----What do I do if I have trouble with camera shake?----
There are several things you can do to improve your shutter speeds. One of them is to use the natural, bright sunlight as your light source, as mentioned above. Another thing you can do is use a higher ISO. Using a higher ISO will cause your lens to take in more sunlight, making the image brighter and producing a faster shutter speed. Be careful though, because as your ISO gets higher , your image quality gets lower due to graininess. I try to avoid using high ISOs, as most of my images are taken at an ISO of 80. Here's my favorite method to improve shutter speeds: simply lower the exposure. Go to your options menu and find the exposure settings (in some cameras, this may only be accessible while in manual mode). Set the exposure as low as you need to in order to get a faster shutter speed. For example, with the exposure at the regular level, I get a shutter of 1/6. When the exposure is lowered to -1, I get a shutter of 1/15. And at -2? My shutter becomes 1/30. Be careful when doing this, because the images will appear darker as you lower the exposure. If you have a program like Paint Shop Pro or Lightroom, you can adjust the light levels and bring the image back to normal fairly easily. Lowering the exposure usually isn't necessary, however, because with proper lighting you can get a shutter of up to 1/400
ALSO, use burst mode on your camera if it's available. This takes a series of photos in rapid succession which increases your chances of getting a clear image
----How do I get the camera to focus on the reflection I want?----
This one is really simple: just look at what you want to be reflected in your eye! Want to see the reflection of a tree? Just position the camera in front of your eye so you can see the tree just above it. You will probably still see the camera's reflection, but this is nearly unavoidable. Plus, the camera's reflection can be an interesting element of the photo too
---What is the basic setup/technique for these photos?----
Begin with the camera so it's nearly touching your face. It probably won't be able to focus that close, but if it does, good for you and move in closer and closer Just continue to slowly scoot the camera farther and farther from your eye, bit by bit until it finally focuses. You want the shot to be as centered as possible, not a shot of your eyelashes Simply look straight into the lens and adjust the positioning as needed. This takes practice, so don't be surprised if you end up with photos of your eye in the corner.
On my camera, pushing the button halfway down makes the camera focus, and all the way down takes the photo. Push it halfway down to focus, take about 10 shots (I suggest using some type of burst mode), stop pressing the button, and refocus the camera (just in case the focus wasn't correct on the previous attempts ) Oh and another thing, make sure there isn't any of your hair between your eye and your camera
----What if I don't want to see a reflection, but just my eye itself?----
Alright this is a bit tricky. Basically, you want light on your eye, but not on your camera. Since your camera is about 2 or 3 inches in front of your face when taking these photos, it is easiest to go to the edge of a shadow. Face towards the shadow, and position your camera so it is inside the shadow and your face is not. Yes, your camera will be going to "the dark side" Sorry, I couldn't resist Once you find a good shadow, just position the camera in front of your face (as described above) and slowly move forward until the sunlight stops hitting your camera.

My eye shots:


If you have any more questions, feel free to leave a comment or note me and I'd be glad to answer
Have a nice day

Clubs:

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