Macro is close-up, as a rule when the photographer is closer to the subject than 3 feet. Compact and bridge cameras have a built-in facility to adjust the way the lens focuses for macro and usually access is via a button having a tulip symbol. For a digital single lens reflex camera it is normal to change the lens to an optic dedicated to the purpose.

When taking a macro shot using a compact camera that has both viewfinder and screen, it is best to use the latter. Because the viewfinder is an entirely separate optic to the lens, the physical displacement between the two becomes a problem the closer the photographer gets to the subject and is known as parallax. It is not a problem for bridge or DSLR cameras as the photographer is composing the picture through the lens.

Depth-of-field is reduced dramatically when using macro, therefore understanding how aperture and lens choice affects it becomes more important. Whilst it is best to employ either the standard or wide-angle end of a zoom lens to create a workable depth-of-field, the fine tuning comes with choice of aperture. This depends on individual circumstances, but if the aperture is too large the whole of the subject may not be in focus. An aperture too small could bring the background into focus, merging it with the subject.

Developments in 'Live-View' which give a digital impression of the photograph may prove useful in the future to see if depth-of-field is enough, or too much.