Macro

The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself. -- Henry Miller

I am fascinated by macro photography. It's one of my favourite ways to shoot actually. There is something about getting up close to everyday objects that is so cool. It changes your perspective. There is something magical that happens in the best macro shots. A new world opens up. I always feel like the characters in fairy tales or kids' books that discover a secret world under the floor boards or in the forest. Like I've glimpsed the fairy world in Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens or wandered into the secret kingdom in Twelve Dancing Princesses. It's profoundly beautiful and moving.

Those of you who know me and spent some time with me this past week know that my fellow Ballyhoo editor and I spent a lot of time disparaging the number of flower pictures we received as submissions. I am very conscious of the fact that I personally take pictures of flowers almost every chance I get. I think though that this concept of intrigue and uniqueness is what makes or breaks nature photography. You can have a perfectly lovely photo, you can even have a beautiful photo; however, I think that for me to genuinely fall in love with something there has to be something different about it. It has to grab my attention. It could be light, or colour, or composition, or subject matter, but something has to grab me. For me, this often comes from the exact sentiment Henry Miller is talking about.