THE MAGIC OF MACRO
Ain’t nature wonderful? We live in an ever-expanding universe billions
of light years across and yet the closer we look at tiny objects the more
of nature’s magic is revealed. See more at www.colinsouthgate.com.
COLIN
SOUTHGATE
FRPS
A couple of years back I was taking
some Autumnal pictures in local
woodland when it dawned on me
that the wonderful russet glow
was provided by the dead leaves
scattered all around and that it
was those leaves that I should be
photographing.
I owned a macro lens that I had
hardly used before so here was a
chance to put it to good use. I soon
realised that I knew little about
the techniques of macro or close
up photography and so attended
a one day school presented by
John Humphrey FRPS. There was
revealed to me the possibilities of
pressed flower photography as a
gateway to creative expression.
The flower pictures here are of
random selections of petals that
have been pressed or crushed.
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The area to be photographed is
selected in the viewfinder and is
generally about 40mm x 30mm
in size. Quite often the straight
macro shot, unsullied by special
filters or effects, is enough but the
potential is there to create quite
artistic effects. Multiplying the
image for example either in camera
or during after-processing. Adding
a little discrete diffusion can help
too. Occasionally the use of plugin filters, if used with subtlety, can
enhance the image.
I feel that I am only at the start of
this journey and hope that I will
continue to learn and find the way
to that creative expression I seek.
All images in this story (c) Colin
Southgate FRPS
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