Macro.........the miniature world that is all around us

Up close and personal with a pair of Fritillary Butterflies

I love all nature photography, but one of my favourite genres is Macro. The ability to photograph the smallest of species in superb detail, shows us their tiny world in a way that we would otherwise miss. Macro allows us to understand the lives of these fascinating and often misunderstood creatures.

A normal lens will not focus close enough to obtain the focus or detail required in macro photography, so we must use either a dedicated macro lens, or add specialist adapters to achieve the results that you see on this page. As I often need to get to within just a few inches of the subject, the shadow from the lens itself can frequently shut out the light required to illuminate the subject. In these circumstances, I utilise a 'Marumi Macro Ringflash' which mounts on to the front of the actual lens and lights the subject directly.

A Crab Spider catches a Hoverfly

The colours of the insect world vary enormously and when you get close and take the time to study it, you will be surprised at the beauty that can be found. We all know that butterflies are colourful, but we often miss the colour found in our gardens.




 











Nature never ceases to amaze me with its beauty, but also by its brutality. The following shots show a Hornet attacking a Hoverfly and ultimately flying off with its head!!


Our miniature world can be a violent place 


But what happens when I want to get really close?

I simply add on more magnification by using my Raynox DCR150 & DCR250 Acromats attached to my lens. These give me up to 5x magnification, but leave me with a 'depth of field' (the area that's in sharp focus) of just a couple of millimeters. This is why we often see areas of macro pictures that are out of focus, with just the head in focus.





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