I have always been fascinated with the microscopic world. That realm that we so rarely see, because we are often so preoccupied with the bigger picture. When I was little I loved that Disney movie, "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids", because they got to see what the world would look like if they were as small as the bugs in their backyard. By the way, was anyone else concerned that they had a scorpion in their yard? I lived in the south, so it wasn't unheard of, but it does make me never want to walk barefoot through my grass!
Anyway...
I love macro photography because it lets you get up close and personal with those tiny things that can be so easily glanced over. When I go out in my yard, at first it seems like not much is going on. But if I sit really still, suddenly little things spring to life. Tiny little insects going about their day. Flowers so small I didn't even know they existed. Life everywhere!
I am learning to master the art of macro photography (it is so much harder than it looks!), and I really feel like one of the kids from that old Disney movie. Suddenly the tiniest things become larger than life, and a whole new world has opened up to me!
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| This is not a bee!! This tiny little insect is called a Hover fly, or Flower fly. They hover around flowers, sipping the nectar. They are completely harmless, and fun to watch. This image was created using a special technique called focus stacking. I took several pictures with different focus points, and combined them together in PS. The result is a single image with the entire insect being in focus. |
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| Check out the facets on this hover fly's eyes!! I love that you can see every detail in them. And do you see the bright polygon area in the eyes? That is the reflection of my light modifier on my flash, lol. |
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| This prickly looking flower is actually so tiny I had no idea it was even there until I looked closer. That wide open flower is hardly bigger than the head of a pin. This image used focus stacking as well, in order to get as much in focus as possible. |
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| Have you ever seen a dandelion this close? Look at the curly stamens full of pollen! Now you know why you are having allergies, lol. |
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| I captured this dandelion fluff by holding it up against the blue sky for some fun contrast. |
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| The blue sky against this yellow dandelion is gorgeous! |
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| A very tiny little fly. check out the fibers on the edge of this leaf. The leaf was only about the size of a quarter, so you can imagine just how tiny this fly is. Those little hairs help flies sense the air around them. They can feel even the slightest alterations of breeze. |
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| Just hangin' around! This little bitty baby wolf spider was crawling around in the grass. |
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| Peek-a-boo! This may seem a little scary until you realize that this spider is hiding behind a little blade of grass. He is so tiny that you would hardly even know he was there. |
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| I came around on the other side of the blade to catch this top down view. Here you can clearly see his markings, and the stacked eyes. |
I hope you have enjoyed this little tour of my backyard! Stay tuned as I will certainly be posting more in the future. I do have some little critters I would love to capture, especially blue flies and jumping spiders. Both can be very skittish and hard to capture, but hopefully I can get some great shots in the future!
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