Being a macro photographer without a macro lens is complicated. There are plenty of corners that can be cut, and crutches to lean on, but in the end, the best way to get a high-quality macro image is using the right equipment. The trick I use most often is cropping – my 18-55mm lens can focus on relatively close subjects, although not nearly close enough to get the desired macro effect. If the focus falls upon the right points, the final image can be cropped, and the subject’s size increased without distortion. These three images are all created from the same one – the one on the left. To see the increased detail, click the picture for a full-size version. 

Although I’m a huge fan of sharing trade secrets, I want to limit the techniques to the most run-of-the-mill and the most bizarre. I recently learned that a makeshift macro lens can be made by simply putting your lens on the camera backwards. I have no doubt that the physics of the optical transformation is as simple as pie, although I must warn you that my knowledge of pie is limited to its consumption.

Unfortunately for photographers on a budget, most camera lenses aren’t attachable by both ends, meaning that the lens must be held against the camera’s body for the trick to work. However, the magnification is astounding, and probably comparable to a $500< lens made specifically for this purpose. However, focusing is nigh impossible, getting the right lighting is even trickier, and you have to be practically touching the subject with the lens for it to even be in the right focal range. However, with practice, a steady hand, and lots of duct tape, it could work out.