Random Macro Learnings

I've been building a bit of a backlog of macro shots. I'm really enjoying working on this genre. I find it to be even more thoughtful and deliberate than landscape photography and that works well for me. There are a lot of different techniques and rules to macro that don't necessarily apply to regular photography, so there's a significant learning element that I love. For example, the extremely narrow depth of field available in macro requires you to learn new approaches.

Another aspect of macro that I have come to appreciate is that you don't really have to go far afield to find interesting things to point your camera at. I've been concentrating a lot on plants and flowers, and that of course is just scratching the surface of it.

I also like that getting really close up to an object can add ambiguity and abstraction to photography, which can often be very literal and documentary. Everyday objects can be imbued with mystery and intrigue that you may not have been aware of.

Another cool thing: Macro flowers are an easy ticket to exploring shapes and forms in composition. That aspect is similar to what I discovered when doing my guitar series. Flowers and guitars both provide amazing curves and shapes that can be used as compositional elements to transform documentary photos into artistic photos.

Although you expend a lot of effort in macro trying to increase depth-of field, embracing the lack of it is a tremendous source of fun.