Unusual Perspectives of the Ordinary
I have always been fascinated by patterns in nature, and by the "detail" of everything around us.
Section of the wing of a Stellar's Jay-- from 10 feet away
For my 16th birthday, my dad gave me my first "serious" camera-- a really nice Minolta 35mm SLR. Of course, back then (1976), we used film for everything, so photography could quickly become a pretty expensive hobby!
Unlike many of my friends-- who were out there taking pictures of parties, family, events and holidays-- I was most interested in the "inner" world; in the tiny details of everything around us.
One of the first "large" purchases of my young life was a high quality macro lens for my camera. Few people around me understood why I was willing to spend so much money (at the time) on something like that.
The Digital Age
The age of digital technology ushered in a new age for photographers, and especially for those of us who were sitting around with our noses pressed against little tiny objects.
Close-up of the whiskers of my cat... every cat's whiskers are set in a unique dot pattern, like a fingerprint
Suddenly it became feasible to take the 100's of shots needed to get one that turned out "just so." Suffice it to say, my fascination with the "inner worlds" of nature only grew.
Close-up of the tiny white flowers that grow in lawns everywhere
It's pretty amazing what cameras will do, these days! You can get pretty awesome images from a cell phone camera... and the imaging technology of "full" cameras is amazing, allowing me to get "closer" to my subject matter than ever.
Appreciation for the Small Things in Life
As some of you who have followed these pages for a while, I'm big on sharing occasional "gratitude posts."
There are so many things around us we take for granted; things we may be aware of as simply "being there," without really ever truly looking at them, appreciating their aesthetic, and really seeing the wonder of what is there.
Aside from which, it is often amazing what things really look like, when you get extremely close to them!
Maybe "looking at tiny things" is an unusual interest, but I find that it has helped inspire my rock painting, a significant part of which is based on natural patterns. I have also found it to be very calming and meditative... a nice thing to have in an otherwise busy life.
Close-up of a Vinca flower; some flower like these and yellow buttercups are actually reflective on the inside
How about YOU? Do you stop and take the time to really look at everyday items around you? Have you ever looked at some "ordinary object" under a magnifying glass or microscope... or every strong camera lens? Were you surprised by what you saw? Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- start the conversation!
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Very good post, and I have to say that I share that fascination. It's the smallest detail that may escape the notice of others that really captures my attention. I want to know everything about the subject.
I absolutely must get a decent macro lens.
I bought a cheaper macro...but I love it. I will have to do a post on it. :)
Do. I would be very interested.
I think one of the things I like so much about it is that the lens can now see details I can't pick up with the naked eye... and now I am getting....errrmmm.... older... so the eyesight isn't what it once was. But either way, being able to see an item at a deeper level helps "understand" it, as you said.
Agreed. I love my macro lens. Somedays I wish I had got a better one. Opens up a whole new world for photography.
It's really pretty amazing what they can do with the combination of digital technology and optics. Nowadays, you can buy a piece of "glass" for $150.00 that-- thanks to enhancement and digital manipulation tech will do what a $3000 macro lens did, 20 years ago.