When you magnify a subject, you also magnify movements caused by camera shake. Standard shutter speed requirements therefore no longer apply (such as the common one over focal length rule). Furthermore, small variations in camera position can also make huge differences in subject composition. It’s therefore critical to either experiment with what you’re capable of capturing hand-held, or to just always use a camera tripod.

Tripod legs need to be capable of spreading nearly horizontally, so that the camera can be lowered all the way to the ground. Achieving such a low camera height usually also requires removing the tripod’s centre column. Using a tripod slows down the composition process, which often causes us to become more meticulous and to think more about how the subject is being portrayed, both of which are important traits for producing successful macro photos. However, not all tripods are capable of or convenient for taking photos near the ground (as is often required with macro subjects).

Special macro tripod requirements include:

Tripod head needs to be capable of very finely and precisely controlling the camera’s position. Ball heads are typically less capable of this than pan/tilt heads because they often droop slightly after positioning and usually don’t allow for independent vertical, horizontal and rotational movements. On the other hand, ball heads allow for a greater range of camera positions, and enable more flexible camera movement.