Desperately seeking macro magic
I’m still playing with macro. I’ve sometimes found myself getting a little impatient with all the flower macros I see around: “can’t they think of anything else to photograph?” I say, all self-righteously. But actually, I’m finding it quite hard myself to come up with much that isn’t flower or plant based. There are lots of other things around, but it’s often a little tricky to make an interesting photo of them, and flowers always look so good. It is the popular option, but there’s a reason for that.
This has become my new mission at the moment: to find some macro subjects that are a little different. I’m not sure this abalone shell is different enough, but it does have wonderful colours. I have a better one than the one at the top, but I’m saving it for a Mortal Muse post. What I like about this next one is that a face appeared in it that I didn’t know was there when I took it. Can you see it?
What I don’t like with these shell photos is the lensbaby effect. I feel they’d look better without the edge blurring, but the lensbaby is all I’ve got to do this with, so I just have to go with it. It was also really difficult to find a decent composition – well, any kind of composition really – in among all the whorls and curves; I deleted loads that just didn’t look interesting at all.
This is my Christmas pig; he fell out of a cracker when I was having a Christmas meal with some friends many years ago and I really liked him. I don’t often keep the gifts from crackers, but he made me smile and for a long time I kept him on the bedside table next to my alarm clock. He’s very tiny – only about an inch in height (or 2.5cm if you like – I’m a late adopter when it comes to metric). I think he makes quite a good macro subject, as well as being very cute, and I think the lensbaby effect works quite well here.
I’m not sure what to try next. I’ve done feathers before – they’re always good – and leaves, and seedpods, and even chocolate brownies, but I’m struggling a bit to come up with some new ideas. I was quite taken with this photo in the Mortal Muses flickr pool, of a close-up of some bedsprings. Who would have thought you could make a decent photo out of that? But then, I think you can make a decent photo out of anything if you can open your eyes enough to see the possibilities.
