MACRO photography and my fumbling and stumbling efforts to relearn some of its basics are the subject of today’s post. What a difficult and frustrating journey it’s turning out to be! Some of the issues are hardware based but most have to do with my current physical abilities and my ageing brain. Sometimes the task seems so difficult I seriously consider calling it quits. But I absolutely love shooting Macro, when it works, and I am determined to get back to something at least close to my previous skill level at the craft.
What is “Macro” as applied to photography? A Technical answer from some expert sources say it is when the subject being photographed is the same size (1:1) or larger on the recording device (a digital sensor or piece of film) as it is in life. That’s a pretty simple and accurate definition from a strictly physical point of view, but it really falls short of the mark. "Close-up photography" comes closer when it comes to gaining some sense of what it means to step into the Macro Zone. Most of the shots displayed in this post are examples of close-up photography; but I was definitely working in the Macro Zone when I shot them.
From the viewing standpoint it’s more about size relationships than ratios; and from a shooting standpoint it is as much about a level of concentration and care as anything else. When I speak of entering the Macro Zone, I have a much more subjective point of view in mind. I think of it as a very unique kind of experience, one that usually involves stepping into another world. All sorts of weird and wonderful things happen when you enter that world, and if you push into it any distance at all, you may begin to experience almost as many strange things happening with the medium itself as with the subject matter at hand.
Digital approaches to Macro Photography vary in important ways from those involving traditional equipment and materials, naturally enough; but what it takes to get up close and very personal with small slices of existence is pretty much the same, regardless of gear, so far as the Macro Zone is concerned. Don't get me wrong, the gear issue is real in either case – It helps tremendously to have the kinds of specialized shooting equipment that is readily available on the market today. But gear isn’t really the determinate factor, so far as the essence of the experience is concerned.
I got my first taste of the Macro Zone in 1967, while still in the Marines. I was stationed at camp Lejune, NC, cooling my heels in Casual Company while I was awaiting my discharge. I had time on my hands, a well-used Petri Penta camera at my disposal, and a wonderful pine woods within a few yards from my barracks. On one of my excursions into those woods I played with shooting through the 50mm lens reversed and held onto the camera body, a technique I had read about in one of my photo magazines. Much of the film was useless when I picked it up from the PX, but a few of the shots were awesome, at least in my eyes, and I was hooked.
Since then I have used all kinds of optical devices ranging from pricey lenses to the sides of beer bottles to photograph the small things around me, and all with various amounts of success. What I’ve learned is what many experienced pros will tell you: the gear is important, sure enough; but the real key to photography, any kind, is simply shooting as much and as often as you can. As a great old photo instructor once told me, “You have to get the first 10,000 bad pictures out of the way before you can call yourself a real shooter.”
So, I am hard at work on my second batch. Who knows how all this will go? But working in the Macro Zone will definitely be part of it.
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Note: Summer and warmer days are fast approaching, and I am less and less inclined to spend much time on the computer. There are all sorts of projects I want to get after, and they are all "out there." Accordingly I am going to fiddle with the frequency of my posts. Right now I am putting up two a week (Wednesday and Sunday), but in the future I will follow a much less regimented schedule. My data suggest I don't have that many regular followers; but if you are one, stay tuned. I will do my best not to let you down.