CLOSE UP OR MACRO
MY FIRST ATTEMPT AT CLOSE UP PHOTOGRAPHY [8 SEPTEMBER 2025 AT THE BOTANIC GARDENS]
The Quiet Challenge: Getting Close to Nature’s Details
When you look at a photograph of a flower in intricate detail or a dragonfly resting on a reed, it can seem like a moment of perfect calm. People often ask me about the camera or the lens I used, but the real story is often one of quiet, patient struggle against the elements, physics, and the nature of the subjects themselves. With my latest collection of images, I wanted to share a little about the challenges involved in bringing these tiny worlds into focus.
One of the biggest myths about photographing subjects like flowers is that they are easy because they stand still. I can assure you, they almost never do! My number one adversary in the field is not poor light or tricky terrain, but the gentlest of breezes. When you’re set up to capture the fine hairs on a stem, a tiny gust of wind becomes a violent gale through the viewfinder, turning a sharp subject into a hopeless blur. This is especially true as I often prefer to shoot handheld, forgoing a tripod for the freedom to change my angle and composition quickly, particularly in locations where tripods are prohibited. This freedom means I rely heavily on a fast shutter speed and steady hands to catch that one perfect, fleeting moment of stillness.
Beyond the wind, there's the hunt for the perfect background and the right quality of light. Harsh, direct sun can wash out the delicate colours of a petal, creating ugly shadows. I find myself searching for the soft, diffused light of an overcast day, which acts like a giant softbox, making colours pop. The goal is always to find a subject that is not only beautiful in itself but is set against a clean, uncluttered background that doesn't distract the eye.
This brings me to a question I get asked a lot: what is the difference between a “close-up” and a “macro” photograph? The terms are often used interchangeably, but there's a fascinating technical distinction that defines the kind of world you can reveal.
It all comes down to something called the magnification ratio. True macro photography, which I achieve with my specialised Sony 100mm Macro lens, is defined by its ability to reproduce a subject at a 1:1, or life-size, ratio on the camera's sensor. In simple terms, if an insect is one centimetre long, its image projected onto my camera’s sensor is also one centimetre long. This is the key to unlocking a hidden universe—capturing the intricate, geometric patterns in an insect's eye or the individual grains of pollen on a flower’s stamen.
Close-up photography is a broader term for getting near to a subject, but not necessarily at that life-size scale. My versatile Sony 70-200mm GII lens, for example, has a fantastic close-up capability. It can’t get to 1:1, but it allows me to fill the frame with a beautiful flower head from a more comfortable distance, beautifully isolating it from the background. Similarly, the “macro” setting on my Leica Q3 is a brilliant close-focusing feature that lets me get much nearer to my subjects than the lens normally would.
So, when you browse through these photos, know that each one is a small victory. It's a victory over the breeze, a search for the right light, and a deep dive into the physics of focus and magnification. My hope is that they don’t just show you what I saw, but that they encourage you to take a moment to look a little closer at the incredible, tiny details of the natural world all around us.
The Quiet Challenge: Getting Close to Nature’s Details
When you look at a photograph of a flower in intricate detail or a dragonfly resting on a reed, it can seem like a moment of perfect calm. People often ask me about the camera or the lens I used, but the real story is often one of quiet, patient struggle against the elements, physics, and the nature of the subjects themselves. With my latest collection of images, I wanted to share a little about the challenges involved in bringing these tiny worlds into focus.
One of the biggest myths about photographing subjects like flowers is that they are easy because they stand still. I can assure you, they almost never do! My number one adversary in the field is not poor light or tricky terrain, but the gentlest of breezes. When you’re set up to capture the fine hairs on a stem, a tiny gust of wind becomes a violent gale through the viewfinder, turning a sharp subject into a hopeless blur. This is especially true as I often prefer to shoot handheld, forgoing a tripod for the freedom to change my angle and composition quickly, particularly in locations where tripods are prohibited. This freedom means I rely heavily on a fast shutter speed and steady hands to catch that one perfect, fleeting moment of stillness.
Beyond the wind, there's the hunt for the perfect background and the right quality of light. Harsh, direct sun can wash out the delicate colours of a petal, creating ugly shadows. I find myself searching for the soft, diffused light of an overcast day, which acts like a giant softbox, making colours pop. The goal is always to find a subject that is not only beautiful in itself but is set against a clean, uncluttered background that doesn't distract the eye.
This brings me to a question I get asked a lot: what is the difference between a “close-up” and a “macro” photograph? The terms are often used interchangeably, but there's a fascinating technical distinction that defines the kind of world you can reveal.
It all comes down to something called the magnification ratio. True macro photography, which I achieve with my specialised Sony 100mm Macro lens, is defined by its ability to reproduce a subject at a 1:1, or life-size, ratio on the camera's sensor. In simple terms, if an insect is one centimetre long, its image projected onto my camera’s sensor is also one centimetre long. This is the key to unlocking a hidden universe—capturing the intricate, geometric patterns in an insect's eye or the individual grains of pollen on a flower’s stamen.
Close-up photography is a broader term for getting near to a subject, but not necessarily at that life-size scale. My versatile Sony 70-200mm GII lens, for example, has a fantastic close-up capability. It can’t get to 1:1, but it allows me to fill the frame with a beautiful flower head from a more comfortable distance, beautifully isolating it from the background. Similarly, the “macro” setting on my Leica Q3 is a brilliant close-focusing feature that lets me get much nearer to my subjects than the lens normally would.
So, when you browse through these photos, know that each one is a small victory. It's a victory over the breeze, a search for the right light, and a deep dive into the physics of focus and magnification. My hope is that they don’t just show you what I saw, but that they encourage you to take a moment to look a little closer at the incredible, tiny details of the natural world all around us.