How to: Photograph Stamps

From enthusiast photographer Jillian Bell comes a creative guide on how to photograph stamps—whether you’re a philatelist, a photography hobbyist, or both. With her deep appreciation for the artistry of postage and a keen eye for closeup detail, Jillian shares her personal journey into stamp photography using practical techniques and accessible gear.

What You’ll Learn in This Article

• How to use natural and artificial light to enhance stamp details
• The best camera settings for depth and sharpness at high magnification
• Why the Tamron 18-300mm lens is ideal for macro-style stamp photography
• Creative ideas for using stamp photos as art or collectibles
• Tips to avoid damaging stamps while shooting close up

Images and Text by Jillian Bell

For the Love of Stamps

For the love of stamps! This article is written for all of you with hobbies. An inspirational post about postage…You see, my husband is a stamp collector. One evening, many years ago, I arrived home to our college apartment after a very long shift. Back then, I was managing a local camera shop, working late, going to classes during the day. Didn’t have too much time for hobbies and was looking forward to a quiet night before bed.

Walking through the door, as I always do, my husband looks up in a start with the biggest smile on his face… “Hey Hun!” “What’s this?” I’m in shock. Every flat surface is neatly arranged in rows, books strewn neatly about and here sits my husband elbows deep in his very immersive stamp collection. “This is new…” I joke.

Discovering the Fascination Behind Stamp Collecting

Now years later, I never fully understood his fascination with collecting stamps, so I asked him to explain it to me. “What is it, why did you start your collection?” “They’re like little pieces of history,” he tells me. “Each one unique and full of snippets of information from around the world!” and he’s right.

Diving into his collection for this article, I found stamps that honor important people, important events. Stamps that document almost every area of interest. Pop culture, innovative products, places around the world. Each country uses stamps in their own way to tell their history. I found it fascinating once I took the time to notice it.

The Artistic Side of Stamp Photography

But my fascination with stamps came in a different way. I found myself captivated by the artistry within each tiny scene—perfect subjects for macro photography of stamps. Artists are commissioned to design each stamp and are often not credited. They’re simply given a subject or scene to create, and off it goes into circulation.

As someone focused on closeup photography, I’m constantly drawn to subtle details—those small but essential visual elements that bring an object to life. Within my photographs, I like to capture everyday items and reveal what makes them interesting. Photographing postage stamps offers an incredible opportunity to showcase intricate design work in an extraordinary way.

How to Photograph Stamps: Gear and Setup

Tamron lenses are essential tools for all closeup photographers exploring how to photograph stamps. Time and time again, these lenses outperform others when it comes to delivering impressive reproduction ratios—especially for tiny subjects like stamps. For the images featured here, I relied on the Tamron 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD (Model B061), available for Sony E and Fujifilm X APS-C cameras (and coming soon for Canon RF and Nikon Z).

This Tamron lens for macro photography offers a reproduction ratio of 1:2 and a working distance of about 5mm from the front element. (When shooting with a Minimum Object Distance of 5.9” at the wide end, the distance between the subject and the lens tip is roughly 5mm or 0.2”). Always take care to ensure the lens doesn’t touch your subject—especially important when photographing postage stamps up close.

Lighting and Camera Settings for Stunning Stamp Shots

The technique is simple.

• I use Aperture Priority mode at F/22 to maintain proper depth of field when doing macro photography of stamps
• I overexpose by +1 to +2 stops to bring out the vibrancy of the colors and textures
• I back light using a window or LED light, which helps highlight subtle transparencies in the paper
• For the city scene in Hong Kong, I used my iPad as a soft light source
• For portraits like Marianne Moore and Alfred Hitchcock, I held the stamps up to a window for natural backlighting

Composition Tips: Keep It Simple and Clean

Use the negative space around the stamp if it adds to the aesthetic, or crop for tighter composition—and that’s it. You’re done.

There’s no need for extensive editing or complex gear setups when photographing postage stamps like these. Thanks to high-resolution results, even the finest ink dots and cancellation marks are preserved, adding authentic character to each image. Simplicity is key in closeup photography stamps—let the subject speak for itself.

Final Thought: Finding Beauty in the Mail

I like to think that someday I’ll use these images as wall art or part of a printed series for my home. The next time you receive what looks like junk mail, pause to admire the postage. Better yet, start sending letters—you may inspire someone else to do the same. Once you learn how to photograph stamps with the right lens and lighting, even the smallest piece of paper becomes a meaningful and beautiful photograph.

Learn more about this lens or other Tamron macro and 1:2 lenses at an authorized Tamron dealer in your area or visit the TAMRON Store today.