Macro Nature Photography - Up Close

As a photographer getting close up to nature is a very important part of my life. It allows a far greater appreciation of the beauty and a clearer understanding of the natural world in which we live. Take for example a clear cold winters day with crispness so sharp it is breathtaking. When we start to look for close ups in nature in these conditions we are immediately drawn to magical patterns in the snow, frosted ivy leaves and shimmering icicles. Ice patterns are one of my favourite winter photography subjects as they offer such diversity and literally capture a moment frozen in time. Some offer gracefully smooth curves whilst others display harsh jagged lines depending on the prevailing weather conditions. So even something as simple as a puddle icing over is heavily influenced by its immediate surroundings.

Light quality will also play a significant part in our close up photography allowing us to fully appreciation the finer details of these shapes and textures, if it is too harsh then the increase in contrast will actually block out the very detail we are trying to see and photograph. It is far better to have the diffused light that occurs with high thin cloud cover. This provides a much softer light allowing all the detail, texture and nuances to be so clearly seen and recorded in our photography. Subject colour will also influence our interpretation of the subject, for example vibrant colours like reds and yellows suggest dominance and power, whereas muted shades like grey and browns portray more tranquil, earthy and basic feelings.

Early morning is often a fine time to appreciate a wide range of close up photography subjects and a stroll in the garden will pay dividends. Flowers and grasses, for example when covered with dew or fine rain make fascinating photographic studies, the fine hairs hold onto droplets of water so that they almost defy gravity. If the conditions are right there may be insects that have become encrusted with minute droplets of water following a nights inactivity. Butterflies in particular look stunning covered in dew as it makes them sparkle as though covered with a myriad of jewels making them rewarding close up photography subjects.

So, with renewed vision and childlike wonder the natural world is without doubt a beautiful place that only requires a little time and an inquisitive mind to fully appreciate. Satisfaction and contentment can be provided by the simplest of things and with this comes harmony and hopefully inner peace.

By: Phil Mac

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Having Fun With Food Photography

Imagine that you are looking at picture of a scrumptious pork fillet, mouth watering steak and a glass of iced cold grape juice. How do you feel? Hungry?

That is what successful food photographers can do. They can trigger your hunger by just looking at their pictures. Isn't it amazing when you can do the same? Let's start by looking at the tips below:


1. Lighting

Lighting is very important in food photography. When you have the right lighting, it will seem like the dish is asking the viewers to feast on it. So, it is very important that you look at the surrounding and experiment your picture with as much natural light as possible.

There will be time that the surrounding light can't really illuminate the dish. When that happens, you will want to consider using a flash. Then, you need to control the intensity of the flash. Remember that you want to highlight the essence of the dish and get your viewers hungry instead of disgust them with an all brighten up dish.

2. Presentation

Imagine a plate of pork chop with its broccoli scattered around and the sauce flooding the plate. Do you still have the intention to dig into it? Most likely you will wonder how a chef can present that for dining.

So, take your time to arrange your dish. It must be visually attracting before someone will actually have the desire to eat it. When you are photographing a burger, you will want to get the stuffing out of the bun and that is how the fast food chains advertise and get you to visit them.

And when you are photographing a dish, experiment your picture with and without the cutlery. How does that feel? Sometime, the cutlery will enhance your picture and sometime not.

3. Out of focus

Creating shallow depth of field on your dish will keep your food in focus while the background blurred. Your viewers will automatically pay attention to the food and it would trigger their urge to eat.

However, the compact digital cameras in the market now are unable to adjust the depth of field. It is true that you can create the effect with photo editing software later. Still, the picture will not look as natural as when you are using a DSLR camera to capture the picture.

As much fun as talking about food photography, you will start to feel hungry. Unfortunately, that is the side effect of looking into this interesting topic.

By: Michael Wong

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