When it comes to getting those marvelously miniature nature details outdoors it often means getting down into the dirt. However, as you get older it's not as easy to get down low and even tougher to get back up. If you are looking to get that wonderful worm's-eye view, it means getting down on you belly. Or does it? We recently did a close-up and macro meet up at the beautiful Southford Falls State Park. The objective of the meet up was to find a location and scout out a variety of subjects to shoot up close and personal. Not only was it an exercise in shooting small, it was also to train in how to view a scene from a different perspective. One very low perspective. By looking into the macro world, it also forces you to look for subjects that would otherwise get lost or overlooked by the larger world around you. We are so used to looking at trees, buildings, people and other larger scaled subjects on a daily basis that we forget to look down. And down is where you need ...

Close-up and macro photography is fascinating because of the incredible discoveries we are able to find in our otherwise mundane surroundings. By moving in closer and closer to our subject, we get a uniquely different perspective on our world. It also allows us to find new ways of framing and composing our images since now we have to work within a tighter, more controlled working area. Although the terms are often used interchangeably, “close-up” and “macro” are not synonymous. Even though many camera manufacturers mark or call their built-in close-up feature ‘macro’ it rarely is a true macro function. The terms relate to the ratio between the subject’s actual size to the sensor size.

We recently made a trip to the gorgeous Bellamy-Ferriday House and Gardens in Bethlehem, CT for a photo shoot. While we were supposed to have a model, we ended up without one and were left to our own devices. So as the saying goes, " when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. " On the property there is this cute little one room shed set off at the edge of an overgrown field with a quaint little path mowed through the grass leading to it. I knew I wanted to shoot it and as I walked around I spotted a view that I wanted to explore. It included some wildflowers and a foreground shot of the field, using the shed in the background.

Living so close to New York City, I have made numerous trips to the city for one reason or another. Sometimes I have gone with a camera, but usually I am with non-photographers so the camera stays home. However, I recently had an opportunity to do an all-day photo workshop with local pro photographer Bob Harrington. It was a small group and we had a gorgeous model to work with throughout the day. Even though we had a ready-made subject, we found ourselves aiming lenses elsewhere. After all, we were in 'the city that never sleeps'. It wasn't until a few days after that I made an observation that might pertain to other new photographers just learning. Of all the 'landmark' shots I took in the city, they were all your typical 'tourist' pictures.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my photography experience is mostly in commercial product photography. I find it challenging and exciting. Yeah, I know some of you are shaking your heads at me. However, my involvement with several area photography groups has afforded me the opportunity to expand my repertoire into other areas that I haven't visited since I was younger. It's good to exercise all the muscles. Yet occasionally I feel the need to go back to shooting products, but want to continue pushing myself outside of my usual. So how about shooting food?

When you are known as a photographer you get all kinds of request to 'take my picture'. You know what that's like. If you are the one usually behind the camera you have experienced this. But it's never that easy is it. Sure enough, that happened to me recently.

It seems that this argument can be found on nearly every blog about photography. While it has been argued to no end, here is my take on the subject.