Blog Post August 2017 by Wendy Dobing

Posted on August 01, 2017 at 8.58 AM

  Down to the detail

The moment I started capturing images using a macro lens I started to notice a tiny complicated world all around me. It's been there all my life and yet I have never seen it until now. The technique of using a macro lens is something that I am still learning, as well as what subject matter works well with a macro lens. I find I have to take A LOT of photos in order to find the perfect one.

I have learned that a macro lens has a very tiny depth of field so getting a subject in full focus is difficult. Many people use the effect of focus stacking. This means that you capture the point of focus in a different point each time and then merge them all together. This works well as along the subject doesn't move! I have often wondered if some macro photography of insects actually feature subject matter that is dead or frozen!!

Macro photography has given me a real awareness and respect for the details of everything. It's best not to think about how much dirt and particles there are on everything though (otherwise you can become obsessed)! When I thought I was capturing a bee (eventually) on a flower, I processed the images only to also find that I had captured pollen particles, tiny threads of spider silk, dust and droplets. I didn't notice this detail at the time!