Como fazer: Fotografar selos

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.

O que você aprenderá neste artigo

• 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

Imagens e texto de 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.

Ao entrar pela porta, como sempre faço, meu marido olha para cima em um sobressalto com o maior sorriso no rosto... "Ei, Hun!" "O que é isso?" Estou em choque. Todas as superfícies planas estão ordenadamente dispostas em fileiras, os livros estão espalhados ordenadamente e aqui está meu marido, com os cotovelos enfiados em sua imersiva coleção de selos. "Isso é novo..." brinco.

Discovering the Fascination Behind Stamp Collecting

Agora, anos depois, eu nunca entendi completamente seu fascínio por colecionar selos, então pedi que ele me explicasse. "O que é isso, por que você começou sua coleção?" "Eles são como pequenos pedaços de história", ele me disse. "Cada um é único e cheio de fragmentos de informações de todo o mundo!" E ele tem razão.

Mergulhando em sua coleção para este artigo, encontrei selos que homenageiam pessoas importantes, eventos importantes. Selos que documentam quase todas as áreas de interesse. Cultura pop, produtos inovadores, lugares ao redor do mundo. Cada país usa selos à sua maneira para contar sua história. Achei isso fascinante quando me dediquei a observar.

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

Lentes Tamron 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 18-300 mm F3.5-6.3 Di III-A VC VXD (modelo 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

A técnica é simples.

• 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.

Saiba mais sobre essa lente ou outras Lentes Tamron macro e 1:2 em um revendedor autorizado Tamron em sua área ou visite o site Loja TAMRON hoje.