Close up photography refers to a tightly cropped shot that shows a subject (or object) up close and with significantly more detail than the human eye usually perceives. Close-up means you're just shooting at a short distance from the subject. You can use virtually any lens to achieve close-up photos. Macro means you're taking super close-ups of objects at 1:1. Meaning, the size of the image on your sensor is equal to the size of the item you're photographing in real life.