Macro Photography on the Cheap

I wasn’t planning to shoot any macro photography that day because it is something I very rarely do. But I have such a huge respect for the macro masters I see and thought, "I would give it a proper go." After all, photography is very much about experimentation and creativity, so let's dive in, shall we?

In fact, I was melting under the Portuguese sun, dressed in what can only be described as the most flamboyant shirt in my collection—lightweight and loud, exactly what the weather demanded. My Irish blood runs like gravy through these veins and, wow, the heat here can get to you after a while. I was not really in any mood to go driving to a place to take photographs, so, as I wandered through our quiet little campsite, past patches of untamed grasses and resilient wildflowers, the urge to slow down and look closer took hold.

And so began a spontaneous, sweaty, and surprisingly meditative experiment in macro photography—on a budget.

The Spark That Started It All

A few weeks ago, while driving the winding N222 through Portugal’s wine country, I tried my hand at capturing the intimate details of grapevines. It was a fleeting attempt—just a few frames tacked on to the end of a broader landscape shoot—but it planted a seed. I realized I’d never properly shared how I approached those macro photographs, especially because I don't have a dedicated macro lens.

You can see those images at the end of this video here along with the others I captured while driving this wonderful stretch of road. I would post the images here but I somehow managed to delete all the images from my computer, including the raw files, but that is a story for another day.

Truth be told, I’m broke. Not just “I’ll skip the extra coffee” broke, but the kind of broke that makes you get really creative with your camera gear. If you’ve ever browsed macro lenses and gasped at the price tags, I see you. I’ve been there.

That’s where extension tubes come in.

A Cheap Gateway Into a Beautiful World

I shoot with a Sony camera, and for this macro adventure, I was using the Tamron 28–75mm f/2.8—an incredibly versatile lens for the price. But even it won’t get you true macro capabilities on its own. Enter the humble extension tube.

Just to give a little overview of what an extension tube is and how it works: extension tubes are hollow tubes that fit between your camera body and lens, effectively increasing the distance between the lens and the camera sensor. This extra distance allows the lens to focus much closer than normal, magnifying your subject and enabling macro-like photography.

Key Points

• No Glass, Just Air: Unlike close-up filters or macro lenses, extension tubes contain no optical elements. They’re simply spacers, so they don’t degrade image quality.

• Magnification Boost: The longer the extension, the greater the magnification. For example:

  • A 10 mm tube gives slight magnification.

  • A 25 mm+ tube allows for true macro (1:1 or higher).

  • Stacking tubes increases the effect further.

• Light Loss: Moving the lens farther from the sensor reduces light transmission (you may need to compensate with higher ISO, slower shutter speed, or flash).

• Autofocus and Aperture Control: Cheap tubes may lack electronic contacts, forcing manual focus and aperture control. Higher-end tubes maintain autofocus and EXIF data.

• Lens Compatibility: I have no direct experience with this, but from what I was reading while learning about these tubes, they could potentially work best with standard primes—a 50mm lens with tubes is a classic combo, but even kit zooms (e.g., 18–55mm) can work well at longer focal lengths.

• Cost: And, most importantly, they’re cheap.

I spent maybe €20–30 on my set and opted for the version with electrical contacts. That way, I could still use autofocus when needed—though, let’s be honest, for macro work you’re better off focusing manually anyway, especially if you plan to try focus stacking like I did.

Setting the Scene

Here in central Portugal, there’s a legal requirement to cut the tall grasses before wildfire season. That ticking clock pushed me out the door—flowers were everywhere, and soon they'd all be gone. I could totally have started this project a couple of months ago, so I am delighted there are still some beautiful little flowers around.

Walking slowly through the campsite, extension tubes mounted, I found myself mesmerized by the tiny universes hidden in the wildflowers. Macro photography forces you to slow down. It’s a completely different rhythm than sweeping landscapes, epic vistas, or a quick street snap. You’re not chasing light across mountaintops—you’re crouching, breathing carefully, and trying not to scare off a bug that’s just landed on your shot.

Making the Shot: Patience, Process, and Imperfection

One of the first frames I captured was a yellow bloom surrounded by fading grasses. The photo wasn’t technically perfect—a stray stalk snuck up from the corner—but it was honest. It felt like a portrait of that little flower's defiance against the heat.

Then, as if on cue, a winged beast—don’t ask me what it was, I still have no idea—fluttered down onto a nearby flower. My settings weren’t ideal, the focus wasn’t razor sharp, but I fired the shutter anyway. Sometimes, the joy of photography lies in the surprise. And that imperfect frame is now one of my favorites. Because it happened. Because I was there. Because I was paying attention, I was able to capture a very fleeting moment.

I have always been fascinated by the insect macro images I used to see growing up in museums, and while this image is not that, it certainly sparked that childhood feeling again.

The Magic of Focus Stacking

For one particular flower, I decided to try focus stacking—capturing multiple images with slightly different focus points and blending them together to increase depth of field.

It’s not something I do often, but macro photography practically begs for it. At such close distances, depth of field becomes razor thin—even at f/8 or higher. Focus stacking gives you that dreamy, ethereal sharpness across the entire subject while still melting the background into buttery bokeh.

I used Luminar Neo to stack and blend the images, and I was genuinely surprised by how well it turned out. Photoshop can sometimes be hit-or-miss with stacking, but Luminar handled it really well, which then made me start to think about using Luminar on a more regular basis, but that is a story for another time.

The result was a rich, dreamy image—vibrant yellows surrounded by soft, blurred tones, like a painting trying to become a photograph.

Chasing Purple

Later that day, I found a cluster of purple-blue flowers nestled beside the sinks at the campsite—hardly glamorous, but absolutely stunning in their own right. The wind was a challenge (isn’t it always when you want to shoot something delicate?), but I managed to frame one flower sharply, with others softly surrounding it like a vignette drawn by nature.

It looked like a portal. A tunnel. A tiny story waiting to be told.

It’s the kind of frame I want to print—though, if I’m being honest, I say that a lot and still haven’t done it. One day. Overall, I was so happy with how this particular image turned out, and I was even more delighted when the wind stopped for the short window of time for me to capture this.

The Unexpected Frames

Sometimes the best moments happen when you least expect them.

I had already packed up my gear due to the heat (I thought the Osmo Pocket 3 I use was going to explode; camera sensors do not enjoy 30+ degrees), but wandered back out with just the camera and lens. I left the tripod and everything else behind. No plans, just curiosity. I captured two lovely frames that way.

One was a single flower that was teeming with life, like a traffic jam you might see on Google Maps from above.

The other was… well, a bit of a cheat. I’ll admit it: I pulled the flower off its stem and held it steady in the breeze. One hand holding the bloom, the other firing the shutter—pure improvisation.

But that’s the beauty of budget macro photography. You’re not restricted by rules or expensive gear. You’re free to play.

So, Should You Buy a Macro Lens?

If macro photography becomes a serious passion for you, then yes—eventually, a dedicated macro lens will give you better image quality, easier handling, and more creative control.

But if you’re like me—curious, on a budget, and just wanting to explore the hidden details of the world around you—extension tubes are a fantastic place to start.

They’re lightweight, inexpensive, and they let you transform an everyday lens like the Tamron 28–75mm f/2.8 into something that can see the world differently.

Final Reflections: A Different Way of Seeing

Macro photography, for me, is a kind of mindfulness. It’s not about perfection. It’s not even always about the final image. It’s about slowing down, paying attention, and rediscovering wonder in the smallest corners of the world.

You don’t need a jungle or a studio to find that. Sometimes, a few wildflowers beside a sink at a campsite will do just fine.

If you’ve made it this far, maybe macro photography is calling you too. And if it is, don’t wait for the “right gear” or the “perfect time.” Just get outside, grab your extension tubes, and start seeing the world up close.

You might be surprised at what you find.