With the tree blossoms as an out-of-focus background, they seem to echo the three blossoms in focus in the upper corner.
Focusing on the tree blossoms and using the green field beyond as a neutral, relaxing background, this photograph puts all the interest on the blossoms.
Using the out-of-focus flowers in the foreground, the distractions around this baby blue eyes are gone, simplifying the image.
The distinctive pattern on the wing of the owl butterfly catches the eye of the predator away from the real eye of the butterfly, a good defensive technique.
Our living room aquarium allowed us to photograph a mother convict cichlid protecting her eggs, positioned against the front of the glass.
A cooperative inch worm posed for us in the Olympic National Park of Washington state, allowing us to spend hours photographing it.
Not all closeups have to be extreme. This photograph of a dafodil stands out as the other flowers are just enough out of focus but present to represent a field of flowers just out of the picture, adding drama to the closeup.
Since the eye on the wing of the owl butterfly is one of its most important features, we move in close to photograph it, but not on a living butterfly that wouldn’t tollerate this proximity, but on the wing of a dead butterfly.
Bird feathers? It is a closeup of the wing of a dead butterfly. The similarity to a bird feather, even as small as this, is amazing and another example of the butterfly’s self protection.
Frost is a favorite subject whenever we find it, and these lupine were coated with a fine layer of frost crystals on Mt. Rainier, Washington. We used just a hint of gold reflector to bounce the low morning light onto the leaves before they melted.
We love looking down on the ground for good photographic material and the frost outlined and enhanced this leaf against its monochromotic background.
Sea creatures are wonderful closeup subjects, when you can get close enough. Barnacles, mussels and clams, like these gooseneck barnacles along the Pacific Northwest (US) coast, are the more cooperative of the nature subjects we photograph.
Almost hidden in the undergrowth, we spotted this newt among the mosses and lichens and used a reflector and fill flash to overcome the low light to photograph this charming fellow.
The spiral pattern in the end of a pine tree is fascinating as it slowly opens up the new growth into the pine needles we are accustomed to seeing. Brent propped this branch with a second tripod to keep it from blowing in the wind.
Blurring green leaves and another fallen poppy in the foreground, Brent was able to isolate this poppy blossom from the distractions.
Looking side of an orange poppy flower, shapes become textures and patterns rather than a photograph of a flower. We used closeup diopters to get inside the flower.
Frogs are being more and more endangered and they are a favorite subject of ours, when they cooperate. This frog isn’t much bigger than a US half dollar hiding in the damp moss.
Flowers are always favorite close up subjects and water drops on flowers make them more interesting. We fought the pouring rain and blowing wind among the Tulip Fields of the Skagit Valley, Washington, to photograph these wet tulips.
Look in, over, under, and around plants for delightful insects such as this yellow crab spider hiding in a flower like the stamen, waiting for prey to land.
Butterflies offer unique challenges for photography, especially closeup photography, because they move so fast. Photograph them when they are still cold and damp from the early morning and they will hold still for you.
We love foreign markets for their closeup possibilities and found these wonderful red peppers in the Carmel Market in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Frost alone can make for an interesting subject of pattern and texture. This particular kind of frost is called “hoar frost”, which is several days of unmelted frost building upon itself.
We used a reflector to bounce light into the low light forest floor for these tiny mushroom toad stools in the Olympic National Park, Washington.
Butterflies are fascinating to photograph, but don’t forget about what they are before they become butteflies. This is a butterfly crystalis, only a few hours before opening. Take care not to harm the crystalis as they can be fragile at this stage.
Brent photographed this caterpillar against the out-of-focus wildflowers in the background.
Trees are great subjects for closeups as they offer an entire world to explore within their textures. This is a piece of twisted driftwood well-lit with the sunset light on the beach.
Bugs and insects of all kinds are fasinating to watch and photograph as they explore nature looking for food, such as this beattle wandering through a flower. The pollen collects to the beattle and it transports it to another flower for fertilization.
Brent worked with this green and purple shorecrab for some time along the Oregon coast as it ducked in and out of its barnacled hole.
After the rain, look for water drops on everything and see what you can see within the water droplet, such as the view of the forest in this droplet off a huckleberry.
Using the blue flowers of the other lupine in the foreground, Brent was able to choose a depth of field to blur the foreground to highlight the lupine in the back.
3 Comments