Expanding Your Storytelling with a Macro Lens: Guest post by Brooke Bryand

Just released on October 3 - a new podcast with Brooke Bryand! Click below to listen.

Listen to the Brooke Bryand Podcast

Intro by Skip Cohen

While I've really enjoyed every photographer who's shared their work and different concepts here on the SCU site, my most favorites are those who step out of the ordinary and crank it up a notch by doing something different.

Well, meet a terrific new friend, Brooke Bryand. There's pretty much nothing Brooke can't shoot, but as she says in her video, she's most passionate about photographing families and loves images that capture those tiny details that help tell the story.

A big thanks to friends at Tamron USA for introducing me to Brooke and their never-ending dedication to education and making outstanding glass! Check out Brooke's site for more examples of how she tells each family's unique story.

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by Brooke Bryand

Capturing those tiny toes and itty bitty lips can be a challenge when you don’t have the right equipment. I turn to my Tamron 90mm 2.8 lens to photograph these details at newborn and baby sessions as well as cake smashes, which helps me hone in on the details to contribute to the whole story.

Shooting with a macro lens affords me the opportunity to shoot intimately with my subject. I am inches away from those cute toes and long eyelashes, which allows me to really capture the details for parents that they don’t want to forget, yet so quickly will change.

My favorite subject to shoot with the 90mm macro is older babies (7 months to 1 year). This is the time of their life where they still have the baby rolls and haven’t started moving enough to slim down when they start to walk. They are still pure baby (and often pure smiles), which makes my job pure fun!

I have three tips to share for photographing these subjects with a macro lens:

• Change your perspective: Because you are capturing the details, you don’t necessarily need to be straight-on with your subject for every shot. Be sure to move around - getting above them and even behind them - to get a variety of perspectives while they are still in one position.
• Avoid the up-the-nose shot: We all want to get the image of those adorable pouting baby lips. But logistically, the lips lead right up to the nose. Be aware of your position and create  a composition that will support the story you are telling without the unpleasant “nostril shot”.
• Get close AND far: With a macro, we tend to get closer-closer-closer. But the beauty of this lens is that it doubles as a gorgeous portrait lens. Back away from your subject to shoot from afar. If you’re shooting babies, this is a great opportunity to let them sit on their own while you back away (spotters remaining close to the baby at all times, of course), then surprise the baby with a peekaboo or a song to get their attention and grab a gorgeous shot with eye contact and delight.

Using a macro lens broadens the range of perspectives you can offer your client to tell their story. I will often challenge myself to use a particular lens in a situation that wouldn’t be my safe bet and the macro can be a fun way to do just that. It allows me to see my subject in a new way by telling a story through details.