Little things mean a lot

I purchased a macro lens a few months back and I’m finally getting able to practice with it a little. Plants and bugs are the natural subjects of macro lenses but since this particular model (Pentax DA35mm Limited) literally focuses right up to the front element, bugs are out of the equation for now. So my focus has been on plants. I shot the typical flower shots a while ago when I first got the lens (those were really my test shots to see if the thing works) but I really want to explore a more “arsty” side of the macro world, not necessarily shooting items for scientific realism. We’ll see how that goes

Here are my first attempts. Just a few ordinary subjects I came across. The one thing I quickly realized is shooting at those close distances in the natural world presents it’s own challenges. I normally don’t use a tripod, although I used to for such shooting in the past, so getting and maintaining a subject in focus can be a lesson in frustration. And don’t even get me started on the wind – even a slight breeze can cause the subject to move around way too much. I guess I could take some items indoors to a controlled environment and shoot in comfort but that, to me, seems like cheating. Like spraying water droplets from a bottle on a rose before you shoot it. Never did like that approach. I prefer rain or dew as it happens.