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“An Amazing World Right Under Your Nose”: 24 Pictures Of Nature That I Took With A Macro Lens
The Amazing and Magical World of Macro Photography.
I’ve been a photographer for almost two decades and only recently purchased a macro lens to try it out. Had I known what I was missing, I would have bought one long ago. Having this lens has opened up a whole new and amazing world for me, a world that’s literally right under our feet but that we seldom notice. Have you ever seen the Disney film "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids!"? Well, that’s a pretty good comparison!
When you look at a normal photo you see it, appreciate it, and may even hang it in your home. When you look at an image photographed with a macro lens, it draws you in, making you feel like you’re a part of that world instead of just an observer. Everything from ants and spiders to flowers and plants (and the bees that pollinate them) takes on an entirely new dimension. Even a tiny mushroom such as the one below looks much larger and more detailed than what you would notice in an image photographed with a different lens.
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#1
A Mystical Glowing Mushroom
Final score:
96points
David A Paterson 2 years ago
The light from these is very faint, this would have to be a time exposure.
What is a macro lens? A macro lens is a special kind of lens that allows you to photograph your subject from as close as an inch away. Although you can get a pretty tight image of any subject with a telephoto lens, you must stand further away and zoom in. Getting to within mere inches of your subject makes it appear larger and brings out much more detail and clarity. So the next time you’re walking through a nature park, or even your own backyard, just remember that there is an amazing world right under your nose!
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#2
Honey Bee
Final score:
78points
Cindy McBride 3 years ago
Funny... my ex-neighbors used to call me the "Bee Whisperer" because little honey bees would dip into my pool for a drink, and then get stuck and unable to fly. I'd pick them out of the water, and sit with them on my hand or knee while they painstakingly dried every single part of their body. Start with the antenna, then the legs, then the wings, and finally a lick or two to the body. When they were all dry (~10 minutes), they just flew off, dry and happy. Never once got stung; not even close. I love them...even have a little "bee house"...which they never used. <:-D
Chez2202 2 years ago
Whenever my daughter found any bee which was either wet or just on the ground she would get sugar and water and feed them until they were ready to leave.
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David 2 years ago
Upvote for bee tongue. I used to keep a couple of hives when I was young and watching them lick up water was probably the first time I realized (some) insects have tongues.
Lizz 2 years ago
Fascinating, isn't it? They usually take over my chicken's water bucket on warm days.... the chickens are not amused.... ( fellow beekeeper )
Load More Replies... #3
A Gorgeous Blue Damselfly
Final score:
76points
Edgar Rops 3 years ago
A close relation. Like the dragonfly lays eggs into water, larvae lives at the bottom. Unlike dragonfly, has folding wings and flaps them in flight like butterflies do.
Load More Replies... Cindy McBride 3 years ago
Wow. They are such beautiful little creatures. Once while on vacation in the tropics, my husband and I climbed to the top of a little hill. We found a tiny wooded area that literally had HUNDREDS of dragonflies floating around. I was totally mesmerized.
Chewie Baron 2 years ago
Damsel and Dragonflies are the most successful hunters in Nature. They’re able to predict where their prey will be in the air and they fly there. They have a 97% success rate. The second most successful hunter is, interestingly, the Seahorse. With a 95% success rate.
My journey as a photographer began about 20 years ago when I was filming nature videos. My camera had the ability to take stills and out of that grew my love for moments captured in time. I bought a DSLR camera a couple of years later and the rest is history.
#4
Monarch Butterfly
Final score:
66points
Cindy McBride 3 years ago
We get these beauties every Fall. Some are HUGE, and just seem to float. I love that when they're still a "worm", they've got the exact same coloring...black and orange stripes.
Leslie Cookietown 3 years ago
We need to do all that we can to keep the miracle of the Monarch butterflies migration a definite, steadfast reality every year without fear of losing them forever. Every person can help to assure it.
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#5
A Green Darner Dragonfly Hovers Over Our Pond For A Split Second Before Darting Away Again
Final score:
66points
Macro photography is incredibly exciting to me because it allows you to see details that aren't readily visible or noticeable. I like to think of it as a passport to a strange and wonderful world that is equal parts fascinating, beautiful, and even a little creepy at times. I also love that you can do macro photography anywhere; during the pandemic, I was able to get hundreds of shots without ever leaving my backyard.
#6
Worker Ants Prepare A Future Queen For Her Inaugural Flight
Final score:
60points
Owen Jarvis 3 years ago
This is awesome. I recently learned that some ants can live until they're 30!
#7
An Orange Spotted Flower Moth
Final score:
59points
The most challenging part of macro photography for me is when I'm photographing insects. Using a macro lens requires you to get within mere inches of your subject, you have to move very slowly and make sure you don't scare away what you're trying to photograph.
#8
A Little Leaf Notcher
Final score:
55points
#9
No Matter What You Might Think Of Them, Ya Gotta Admit Even Flies Look Awesome Up Close
Final score:
55points
What I enjoy most about macro photography is sharing it with other people. In this busy and crazy world, I think it's important to remind people that there are amazing things to see in nature if we take the time to look for them. I hope to foster a deeper appreciation for nature, insects, wildlife, and our planet in general.
In terms of the future, I see macro photography being a big part of my life because the world is full of tiny wonders. I never travel without my macro lens, just the other day I saw a brilliantly colored tiny moth at my office window and was able to take a photo because I had my macro lens on my desk.
#10
A Gorgeous Damselfly
Final score:
53points
Mike Fitzpatrick 2 years ago
My sister's dad used to call these "snake doctors", I don't know why. I was always fascinated by them.
#11
A Beautiful Monarch Stopped By For A Visit In My Garden Today And Another Reason I Always Keep My Camera At The Ready
Final score:
51points
DrGirlfriend 3 years ago
The mighty MONARCHs beauty is stunning I love the fullness of it's wings.
Okatango 3 years ago
Gorgeous. We're lucky if we see one a season. There used to be so many when I was a child.
Leslie Cookietown 3 years ago
Back in 1983, I saw a tree completely covered in Monarchs & I've loved 'em ever since! The Monarch's migration is an absolute miracle! I hope everybody takes their decreasing numbers seriously. Every person can help with their increase in numbers that lead to the assurance of their existence from now on! They're the strongest, fragile things in nature and a true blessing from God, without a doubt!
Load More Replies... #12
“The Dragonfly That Loved Sunset”
Final score:
50points
#13
Happy Halloween!
Final score:
49points
Cindy McBride 3 years ago
Ugh. I truly HATE spiders. Always have. Although at a national park, a ranger had me hold a tarantula; it was a weird experience. He (the spider, not the ranger) was very gentle and curious. Still, I had to stifle a scream.
Daffydillz~ 2 years ago
I'm a complete arachniphobe. I couldn't have held the tarantula. I would have been lucky to look at it without getting the heebie jeebies and having to start swiping all of the invisible spiders off of me and looking like a crazy person 😜. My skin would be crawling for days, lol.
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Nicky Shrimps 2 years ago
Golden Orb Weaver maybe? We call them that in California.
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#14
Ladybugs Doing The Deed
Final score:
49points
Monosyllabic girl 3 years ago
You and me baby ain't nothing but (insects) so let's do it like they do on the Discovery channel 🎶
DrGirlfriend 3 years ago
I thought I have lady bugs landing on me all over all summer long, nope I get lady birds with the M on its head. No good luck just an invasion of invasive look-alike beetle.
Steve Robert 3 years ago
I mean where do you think little ladybugs come from? And BP didn't censor this
Ken Beattie 2 years ago
Well in that case it's not a pair of ladybugs, one of them needs to be a dudebug.
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Andy in NOVA 3 years ago
The Supreme Court definition of oscene: "You know it when you see it"
#15
A Tiny Arabesque Orb Weaver
Final score:
47points
Daffydillz~ 2 years ago
Ikr, my daughter has massive orb weavers living in our front porch ceiling and it's terrifying for me to stand on her porch at night waiting for the door to be unlocked, I text from the car to make sure I can walk right in. Makes me shudder just thinking about them.
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Brian Garrett 3 years ago
Anybody else avoid touching the picture when you scrolled...... Hate spiders
Mark Andrew Thomas (Submission author) 3 years ago
https://mark-andrew-thomas.pixels.com/featured/throne-of-the-orb-queen-mark-andrew-thomas.html. There you go :)
Load More Replies... #16
Raindrops
Final score:
40points
#17
Carpenter Ant
Final score:
38points
#18
A Green Lynx Spider Enjoys Its Fly Juice Box
Final score:
38points
#19
A Drone Fly
Final score:
36points
#20
Moth
Final score:
36points
#21
Damselfly
Final score:
34points
#22
A Green Bottle Fly
Final score:
31points
DrGirlfriend 3 years ago
Because of the extraction I've watched I think I'd unalive right them and there pulling a botfly larva out of a hole it buried itself in my body... I'm woosey typing this. oh God it's so weird
Leigh ford 2 years ago
This is a bottle fly, not the bot fly. Different fly
Load More Replies... #23
A Tropical Orb Weaver Spider Enjoys A Late-Night Beetle Snack
Final score:
31points
#24
Carpenter Ant
Final score:
28points
Leslie Cookietown 3 years ago
I'm sure that all of those tiny hairs on it are vital to sensing what's around him.
Carpenter Ants Filmed With A Macro Lens
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What do you think ?
Kathy Rayborn 3 years ago
I loved these photographs!! We clumsy humans miss so many tiny wonders. These pictures made my day.
Tracy Atherley 3 years ago
Love the ladybirds, however I read they are rampart tarts and have high incidence of sti,s ...
Kathy Rayborn 3 years ago
I loved these photographs!! We clumsy humans miss so many tiny wonders. These pictures made my day.
Tracy Atherley 3 years ago
Love the ladybirds, however I read they are rampart tarts and have high incidence of sti,s ...
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