MACRO THROUGH A NIKON LENS
Macro has for long been a great passion of mine; although smaller fry and abstracts of plants never sell as well as action shots of wildlife or cute furry and fluffy babies.
The realm of macro photography is like no other, because it homes in on a small portion of what we normally see in the natural world. By focusing on only a part of a plant or animal, we view it in a totally new light. We appreciate colours and textures – especially if they are quite subtle; patterns and designs become highlighted. We can make the ordinary look extraordinary. Many a time I have seen things in the focusing screen that were not apparent to the naked eye.
Take a glimpse at the intimate world of natural close-ups, ranging from plants, insects, amphibians and reptiles to marine life, fossils and shells. All conveniently grouped into three sections: Ambient Light, Mastering Flash and Working Indoors.
My favourite image: Hoverfly feeding on lily
As the light was fading in our garden I spotted some hoverflies homing in on lily flowers. Only as I focused the camera, did I discover that they were alighting on the stamens to feed on the pollen. The large sticky pollen grains were adhering to all parts of their bodies – notably their legs. I opted for available light, using a fast shutter speed to freeze the movement, which necessitated a virtually wide-open aperture on a D2X. As a result, the lily petals are rendered as a soft, diffuse coloured backdrop.
Price £18 (includes postage UK only)
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