In macro photography, what does working distance refer to?

• A. The distance from the front of the lens to the subject.
• B. Distance from subject to light source.
• C. Distance from camera to the back of the camera.
• D. Distance from lens to the background.

Answer: (A)

Working distance is the distance from the front of the lens to the subject. This measurement matters in macro work because you’re often working at very close distances, and the space you have to position the subject affects lighting, shadows, and framing at high magnification. As you magnify more, that distance can become quite short, making it harder to place lights and avoid casting shadows on the subject. The other ideas refer to different distances: how far the subject is from the light source (lighting distance), how far the camera is from the back of the camera (nonsensical for this concept), or how far the lens is from the background (not the standard measurement used).