During these interesting times of lockdown it has been difficult to get out and about as much as I would have liked.  Sometimes the only option is the garden or the hedgerow on the walk.  So Macro it is then and I’m definitely no expert.

Macro photography is a testing art.  So what is macro photography? Is it close up photography?  Well yes and no

Macro photography is when the small object you are making an image of can be reproduced on your camera sensor at life size 1:1. Generally macro photography requires specific macro lenses. Sometime lenses will say they are a macro lens but cannot produce an image at 1:1 so these are more of a close up lens. 

So is it complicated – yes it is. But it is also so very rewarding when you get it right, which in my case is not that often.  

The point of macro photography is getting reasonably close to the subject to get that life size image. Once you start getting close to a subject you are restricting the amount of light that you get into the lens and that falls onto the subject. To counter this you will need a shallow depth of field. A shallow depth of field means that only a small area of the image is in focus and detail can and will be lost. In some instances this looks great a blurred background, muted colours, but the subject needs to be kept in sharp focus for it to really work.  I have no idea how many shots I have taken (and binned) that are not even close to what I thought I was focusing on. 

There are numerous articles on the internet that will get you started and feed your appetite. So whilst on your daily walks and in your garden don’t over look the everyday flowers and insect as they make great subjects to practice on. 

And as ever enjoy it, keep practicing and making mistakes