Close-up photography can be a real challenge. It takes patience, luck, skill, some knowledge of how to get close to the subject, and the use of the right equipment. Learning the "It takes two to Tango" may mean the difference between getting a close-up of the subject and having just a dot of the subject in the photo.

What do I mean by it "Takes Two to Tango"? Well unless you own either the 100,180 or 200 macro lenses then you will need to combine another piece of photographic equipment with your lens to be successful in doing close-up photography. I realize many lenses have a setting that allows close focusing, but do they really allow you to focus as close as you need? For many subjects they fall way short when it comes to photographing insects and small objects.

Let's look for a moment at some of the photographic accessories that will allow us to focus closer. These accessories include extension tubes, extenders (either 1.4 or 2 x), and close-up filters. These items will be what most photographers already carry in their camera bag or vest. So how do we use them? That's where it takes two to tango. We're going to take these items and add them to the lenses we already have in our camera bag or vest.

First let's look at the 1.4 or 2x converters which you more than likely already own. The problem you may have is will they fit on the lens you are thinking about using. In most cases they will not work on your 135mm lens or zoom lens, unless it's either the (70) 80-200 2.8 or the newer (80) 100-400 lens. They will work most of the time on the 200mm, 300mm, 400mm, 500mm or your 600mm lenses. So how do I get them to work on my other lenses? That's a good question!

So let's look at extension tubes. Extension tubes are hollow tubes that fit between the camera body and the lens. When the tubes are used you do lose the infinite setting of your lens. That's okay because we are talking about doing close-ups and not far away subjects. Extension tubes usually come in three different sizes. These are 12mm, 20mm and 50mm's. Most of the time you will only need the 12mm or 20mm for doing close-ups unless you add the 50mm to one of your telephoto lenses to make it focus closer.

The 12mm is a great tube and can be used to help make a lens focus closer and can also be used to allow the addition of the 1.4 or 2x converter to our lenses. Let's say you want to add the 1.4x converter to your lens. You already know that the converter does not fit the lens. You can take the 12mm extension tube and add it between the 1.4x converter and the lens.

In other words, you would add the 1.4x to the camera body, then the 12mm tube to the 1.4x, then the lens to the 12mm tube. You now have a lens that allows you to do close-up photography. This makes a great combination but you need to do some practicing with the lens before you go out into the field. You will need to get used to zooming in and out to get the lens to come into focus. This is best done ahead of time and not when the subject is trying to pose for you out in the field.

Let's say you are out in the field and you have one of your telephoto lens mounted on you tripod and you come up on a subject that you would like to photograph but your telephoto will not allow you to focus close enough. The ground is all wet with dew and you really don't want to take your telephoto off the tripod and lay it on the wet ground. So how are you going to photograph the newly found subject? If you have a 20 or 50mm tube all you have to do is place the tube between the camera body and the lens and now you have a telephoto lens which is now a long close-up lens. Extension tubes are one of those items that photographers need to have in their camera bag or vest. You'll find that they come in handy for a number of occasions. Most camera equipment companies have these tubes available and Kenco also makes them for the various camera brands on the market. If there were a disadvantage in using extension tubes it would be that you would lose a small amount of light that will increase your shutter speed.

Another tool you may elect to use is a close-up filter that can be added to the front of your lens. These filters come in various sizes from 52mm to 77mm. Sorry, but they don't make them for the large front lens elements that are found on your telephoto lenses. These filters are easy to use and will convert your zoom or short telephoto lens into a good close-up lens. One word of warning, don't buy the single element close-up filters. These single element filters will not give you the results you are looking for in sharpness and detail. Buy the double element filters usually made by either Canon or Nikon. Theses filters will give you good close-up results. Again you should practice using these filters on your lens before going out in the field. One advantage the filter will have over the extension tubes is there is no loss of light. However, with today's state of the art cameras this is not the problem it was in the past.

Now you might be asking if you can use the close-up filters and extension tubes on the same lens. Or can you use them on wide-angle lenses? The answer is - Sure you can. Just remember to practice with the various combinations before going out in the field.

One last word; if you enjoy doing close-up photography you might want to consider investing in one of the macro lenses. I personally like the 180 or 200 macro lenses due to the fact I can stay a little further away from my subject.

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