Postcards from Real Life: Macro

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Macro photography is my true love when I’m behind the camera. Exploring the intricate details of our world is an healthy exercise in curiosity and perspective.

If we lived in a bizarro world where I could only pick one kind of photography to shoot, it would be macro. Even when I’m in a place with commanding vistas, it never fails that after a short time shooting the larger landscape, I’m drawn back to exploring the intricate details of the smaller things around me.

That usually means getting on the ground to get closer to some really cool plant. A common refrain when I’m shooting with others is “Val’s in the dirt again.” Or “Where’s Val? I don’t know, did you look on the ground?”

And when I’m there, I could spend hours in my macro world, photographing the details in one little area. One thing that catches my eye leads to another and another. Diving into those tiny universes is exhilarating.

The Bluesky Art Show has given me many opportunities to wave my macro photography pom-poms. This week is yet another one. And I’m good with that. Because the details and nuances of our world are fascinating. And spending time exploring them is a healthy exercise in curiosity and perspective.

And when you start paying attention to details (whether you’re a photographer or not), you get to where you can’t not see them. Your awareness becomes muscle memory. And your life is richer when you’re seeing more of the world you live in.

Without approaching life this way, I would have entirely missed this Great Blanket Flower (Gaillardia aristata) with a petal aberration hiding amongst its “normal” friends at our local botanical garden.

Cheers, friends!

Bluesky Art Show

This post is inspired by the Bluesky Art Show, a challenge to share artwork surrounding a weekly theme each Saturday.