A Whole New World Is Waiting — Why Photograph the Things We Normally Overlook?
Photography Series: Exploring Macro and Micro Photography — Part 1
What if the most fascinating photograph you take this year is of something smaller than your fingernail?
Introduction — We Spend Our Lives Looking, But How Much Do We Actually See?
Every day, we walk past thousands of extraordinary things without giving them a second thought.
A leaf growing in the garden. A feather lying on the ground. A butterfly resting on a flower. The surface of an old coin. Even the ordinary paper on which we write.
We recognise these objects immediately. We know what they are, what they do and, in many cases, how they were made.
But do we really know what they look like?
Move closer to a leaf and the familiar green surface begins to reveal a complicated network of veins. Examine a feather and a seemingly continuous surface becomes an intricate arrangement of tiny interlocking structures. Look at a butterfly's wing under sufficient magnification and the apparently smooth colours resolve into thousands of individual scales.
And what about a piece of ordinary paper?
Under magnification, the smooth white sheet on our desk reveals an irregular network of cellulose fibres, overlapping and intertwining in ways that are almost impossible to appreciate with the naked eye.
The remarkable thing is that none of these discoveries requires us to travel anywhere. An entirely different world exists in the places we already know.
This is the first article in a new series exploring close-up, macro and micro photography. Over the coming articles, we shall investigate the equipment, the techniques, the challenges and, most importantly, the extraordinary discoveries that become possible when we begin photographing things that are normally too small to notice.
And we can begin with a camera that many of us already own.
1. Three Ways of Seeing the World — Close-Up, Macro and Micro
The terms close-up, macro and micro photography are frequently used interchangeably. Although they overlap in everyday conversation, they describe different approaches to photographing small subjects.
Close-up photography — getting nearer
The subject fills more of the picture, revealing details that might otherwise be missed. You could photograph a flower, a watch, a coin or the stitching on a piece of fabric. No special magnification ratio is required.
Macro photography — revealing the tiny details
In the traditional technical definition, true macro photography achieves a reproduction ratio of 1:1 or greater. A subject 10 mm across forms an image 10 mm across on the camera sensor. The term is also commonly used more loosely for high-magnification close-ups.
Microphotography and photomicrography — entering the microscopic world
These take us beyond conventional close-up camera techniques. Photographs recorded through microscopes are more precisely called photomicrographs. We can observe plant cells, pollen structures, microscopic organisms and other features that ordinary camera lenses cannot resolve.
The distinction is not simply how large the subject appears on your computer screen.
You can take an ordinary photograph, enlarge it dramatically and call it a close-up. But enlarging the image does not necessarily reveal more information. Eventually you will simply see pixels, blur or imperfections.
True magnification involves recording additional detail in the first place.
That is why a genuine macro lens and a microscope can show things that merely cropping an ordinary photograph cannot.
2. Why This Type of Photography Is So Fascinating
Most photographers begin by learning to recognise a good subject.
A landscape photographer searches for beautiful scenery. A wildlife photographer searches for an interesting animal. A portrait photographer looks for an expressive face or an attractive lighting arrangement.
But close-up photography changes the rules.
The subject itself may be completely ordinary.
It is the act of examining it closely that makes it extraordinary.
Consider five everyday examples.
A leaf becomes a landscape
At normal viewing distance, a leaf is simply green.
Move closer and you find a branching system of veins. Look closer still and you may discover tiny hairs, surface textures and the irregular shapes of individual cells.
With suitable preparation and a microscope, stomata — the microscopic pores involved in gas exchange — can be observed.
Suddenly, a leaf is no longer simply part of a plant. It becomes a sophisticated biological structure.
A feather becomes an engineering lesson
A feather looks soft and relatively simple.
Under magnification, however, the central shaft, barbs and tiny barbules reveal an extraordinary arrangement of structures.
In many flight feathers, tiny hooklets help neighbouring barbules remain connected, forming a flexible, lightweight surface.
This is a wonderful example of how understanding biology can also lead to an appreciation of engineering.
An insect becomes an unfamiliar creature
We can all recognise a fly or a bee.
But how many people have looked closely at the individual facets of a compound eye? Or examined the fine hairs covering a bee's body?
At high magnification, even familiar insects begin to look rather alien.
Their external skeletons, mouthparts and specialised structures become subjects worth studying in their own right.
A kitchen sponge becomes an abstract sculpture
Under close-up photography, the interconnected holes and coloured surfaces of a sponge can resemble a strange geological formation.
The photograph no longer needs to announce what the object is.
In fact, one of the pleasures of this type of photography is asking someone to identify a subject before revealing the answer.
A grain of salt becomes a crystal
Salt is another excellent subject.
A small pile of table salt looks like ordinary white powder.
Under a stereo microscope, individual grains may reveal clearly defined cubic crystal forms, broken edges and reflections.
With careful lighting, something that normally disappears into our food becomes a fascinating study of geometry.
And there is an educational opportunity here, too: the shapes are connected to the arrangement of ions within the crystal structure.
3. The Camera Is More Than a Device for Making Attractive Pictures
One of the reasons I find this area of photography so appealing is that it brings together two subjects I have always enjoyed: photography and science.
In the laboratory, we use instruments to measure and observe things that our senses cannot detect adequately.
A thermometer allows us to quantify temperature. An oscilloscope makes electrical signals visible. A microscope reveals structures too small for the naked eye.
A camera can serve much the same purpose.
Of course, it can produce beautiful photographs, but it can also record observations, preserve evidence and allow us to study an object after the experiment has finished.
During practical science lessons, this can be especially valuable.
For example, when examining a leaf under a microscope, students can photograph its structure and annotate the images afterwards. When studying crystalline materials, a series of photographs can provide evidence of the differences between specimens. When comparing fabrics or fibres, magnified images reveal variations that may otherwise be difficult to explain.
Using the camera in this way turns photography from an exercise in simply obtaining an attractive image into a method of investigation.
And there is something satisfying about being able to show a student a photograph and ask:
"What do you think this is?"
Very often, the answer is completely unexpected.
4. Do You Need Expensive Equipment to Begin?
Absolutely not.
Indeed, I would encourage anyone beginning this series to resist the temptation to purchase a specialist macro lens immediately.
You can learn an enormous amount using relatively ordinary equipment.
Start with your phone
Many modern smartphones have a close-up or macro mode.
Some switch automatically to a different camera when the subject comes very close. Others require the photographer to select the mode manually.
Try photographing a flower, a piece of fabric or a coin.
The first thing you may discover is that getting closer does not always produce a sharper photograph.
Every camera has a minimum focusing distance. Move closer than that distance and the subject becomes blurred.
The solution may be to move slightly further away, refocus and crop the photograph afterwards.
Try a compact camera
Compact cameras can be particularly interesting for close-up work.
Some have excellent close-focusing capabilities, especially at the wide-angle end of their zoom range.
My waterproof Olympus Tough cameras are examples of the kind of equipment that can make close-up exploration convenient without needing to change lenses.
Being able to photograph subjects outdoors, in wet conditions or near water is another useful advantage.
However, different camera models and operating modes have different focusing limitations. It is worth experimenting to discover which settings actually deliver the highest useful magnification.
Use an interchangeable-lens camera
With a camera such as my Canon R5 C, there are several ways to move into more serious macro photography.
A dedicated macro lens is one option, but extension tubes, close-up lenses and other accessories can provide alternatives.
Each has advantages and limitations, which we shall investigate in later articles.
For now, the important point is that the best equipment with which to begin is usually the equipment you already understand.
5. Our First Practical Challenge — One Object, Three Different Worlds
This is the experiment I would encourage every reader to try.
Select a completely ordinary object and photograph it at three different scales.
You do not need a laboratory, studio lighting or an expensive camera.
You simply need a little curiosity.
PHOTOGRAPH 1
The familiar object
Photograph the entire coin, leaf, key or feather in context. This is how we normally recognise it.
PHOTOGRAPH 2
Move closer
Fill the frame with a small part of the object. Look for scratches, patterns, textures and evidence of wear.
PHOTOGRAPH 3
Maximum useful magnification
Use the closest sharply focused view your equipment allows. Concentrate on one tiny feature and show details that were invisible in the first image.
These images are illustrative examples of the three scales, rather than a matched scientific photographic sequence.
Choosing a suitable object
For a first attempt, I would recommend a coin, a leaf, a feather, a piece of woven fabric or a small seashell.
They all have one very useful property: they remain still.
A moving insect is a much more challenging subject, particularly when you are trying to obtain sharp focus at high magnification.
A leaf can be an excellent choice because it offers several different kinds of detail. You might begin by photographing the whole leaf, move closer to its veins, and then investigate the surface hairs or cellular structures with a microscope.
Make it a fair comparison
For a useful comparison, keep the same specimen throughout, record which camera and lens you used, and note the approximate field of view at each stage.
Try to keep the lighting consistent initially, changing only what is necessary to record a sharp image.
Then repeat one stage with different lighting and examine how dramatically the appearance changes.
For a scientifically meaningful series, include a scale or known measurement in at least one frame. That allows the viewer to understand just how small the photographed feature really is.
What should you look for?
Ask yourself three questions after examining the photographs:
What can I see in the second photograph that was invisible in the first?
What new details appear in the third photograph?
Which of those details raises an interesting question about how the object works, was made or has changed?
The third question is especially important.
Good close-up photography does not simply reveal detail. It encourages further investigation.
6. Why Getting Closer Makes Photography More Difficult
At first, it might seem that photographing a small object should be easier than photographing a large one.
After all, you do not have to wait for a beautiful sunset or travel to an interesting location.
In reality, increasing magnification introduces a number of technical challenges.
The problem of focus
As magnification increases, the depth of field generally becomes smaller.
This means that only a very thin region of the subject may be sharply focused.
When photographing an insect, you might find that the eye is sharp but the wings are blurred.
Even a slight movement forwards or backwards can change the focus significantly.
This is why careful focusing becomes essential.
For stationary subjects, manual focusing and a tripod can be extremely helpful. Later in this series, we shall examine focus stacking, where several photographs taken at different focus positions are combined to produce a single image with greater apparent depth of field.
The problem of movement
At ordinary distances, a slight movement of the camera may go unnoticed.
Under high magnification, the same movement can ruin a photograph.
Even the movement of a leaf in a gentle breeze can be troublesome.
A tripod, a stable working surface and a remote shutter release can help.
For some subjects, a flash can freeze movement through its short effective exposure time.
The problem of light
As the camera moves closer, it may begin to block the very light required to illuminate the subject.
A camera positioned just a few centimetres from an object can cast a substantial shadow.
Small changes in the direction of illumination can also make tiny surface features appear or disappear.
This leads to one of the most important lessons in close-up photography:
Sometimes improving the lighting will reveal more useful detail than increasing the magnification.
A small LED lamp, a diffuser or a carefully positioned reflector may transform an otherwise disappointing image.
7. The Importance of Scale — How Small Is Small?
There is one major difficulty when showing people highly magnified photographs.
Without a reference, they may have no idea how large the original object was.
A photograph of a salt crystal might look like an enormous block of ice.
A patch of an insect's wing might resemble a landscape viewed from an aircraft.
For artistic photography, that ambiguity can be part of the attraction.
For scientific photography, however, scale is essential.
We can provide this in several ways: include a ruler or known-size object, add a calibrated scale bar, or state the photographed field of view.
It is important not to confuse lens magnification with the size at which an image is displayed.
A 1:1 macro photograph printed on an enormous poster will look very different from the same photograph on a phone screen, but the original reproduction ratio remains the same.
This relationship is fundamental to understanding how macro photography works.
8. A Microscope Takes Us Further Still
There eventually comes a point when a conventional camera lens cannot reveal the details we want to see.
That is when microscopy becomes especially exciting.
In my home laboratory, microscopy is already an important part of practical science teaching. Combining a microscope with a camera makes it possible to preserve observations and show them to students on a much larger display.
For example, we can examine onion epidermal cells, investigate pollen, study pond-water organisms or compare different fibres.
A digital microscope is particularly convenient for inspecting surfaces, circuit boards, fabrics, insects and other small objects.
A compound biological microscope can reveal even smaller structures within suitably prepared thin specimens.
These instruments are not interchangeable, however. They use different optical arrangements and excel at different kinds of work.
The result is a fascinating progression from ordinary photography, through close-up and macro photography, to the microscopic world.
9. Photography, Education and the Pleasure of Discovery
One of the great advantages of spending many years teaching science is discovering how often students respond enthusiastically to something they did not expect to find interesting.
A familiar subject can suddenly become fascinating when it is approached in a different way.
An ordinary feather is not likely to generate much excitement when lying on a laboratory bench.
But put it under a microscope, display the image on a large screen and ask students to explain the arrangement of its fine structures, and it becomes an interesting investigation.
That sense of discovery is something I want to capture in this series.
We shall not only be concerned with producing attractive photographs, although that will certainly be part of the pleasure.
We shall also explore what these photographs can teach us about the natural world, manufacturing, materials, biology and even the limitations of our own eyesight.
There is also a useful message for anyone who believes they have nothing interesting to photograph.
You do not always need a spectacular location.
Sometimes you simply need a different way of looking at what is already in front of you.
10. A Personal Challenge — Seven Days of Small Discoveries
For readers who would like to start immediately, here is a challenge for the coming week.
Seven-day close-up photography challenge
0 of 7 completed
ResetFor each subject, try the three-stage approach: ordinary view, close-up and maximum useful magnification.
By the end of the week, you should have a collection of images that reveal how dramatically your view of everyday objects can change.
If you want an additional challenge, show the most highly magnified photograph to someone before telling them what it is.
See whether they can identify the object.
You might be surprised by the answers.
11. Where This Series Will Take Us
This is only the beginning.
Over the coming articles, we shall investigate the equipment and methods needed to explore progressively smaller subjects.
We shall discover how macro lenses work, how extension tubes affect magnification and why lighting becomes increasingly important.
We shall look at photographing living subjects, using flash, controlling depth of field and combining multiple exposures through focus stacking.
Eventually, we shall move into digital microscopy, microscope-camera attachments and techniques that reveal details completely invisible in everyday life.
Throughout the series, I want to maintain a balance between photographic technique, artistic creativity and scientific discovery.
Because macro and micro photography offer all three.
Conclusion — You Do Not Need to Travel Far to Discover Something Extraordinary
We often imagine that great photography involves travelling to impressive places, waiting for perfect weather or finding rare and beautiful subjects.
There is certainly a place for all of those things.
But close-up photography offers a rather different opportunity.
It allows us to discover remarkable structures, colours, patterns and textures in the most ordinary parts of our surroundings.
A leaf can become a landscape. A feather can reveal extraordinary engineering. A grain of salt can become an object of geometric beauty.
And a subject that normally attracts no attention whatsoever can become the most interesting photograph of the day.
So, before buying another lens or planning another photographic expedition, take a look around your home, garden or workshop.
Find something small.
Photograph it.
Then move closer.
And closer again.
You may discover that the most extraordinary world you have ever photographed was waiting right in front of you all along.
Philip M Russell Ltd — Photography, video production, science and the pleasure of discovering how the world works.
