Creativity is the ability to look at everyday life from a new angle, a new perspective. It’s the same with digital macro photography. It just means looking at objects from a new point of view, be it the angle or the focus. Suddenly the familiar becomes fascinating. Suddenly there’s the ‘aha’ experience and one is left amazed that so much beauty lies unheeded all around till it is brought into focus through a photographer’s art.
Let’s be in no two minds about it - it’s an art. It takes an artist’s mind, an artist’s perception and an artist’s execution to get it right. It is the connection that a creative mind finds between the mundane and the magical. So it really is in the artist’s mind that the alchemy takes place and then it is presented to the world which can just look at it and marvel that so much wonder existed in things around.
Let’s take a look now at all the factors that come into play in an artistic mind to get the best out of digital macro photography. The first is skill. Now skill can come naturally which really is the best possible way it should be or it can be acquired, which might be a second but it can also rise to wonderful heights. One thing that needs to be a given in digital macro photography is a hand that’s as steady as a rock. Just a slight shake can mean a ruined picture. You also need to know the ins and outs of your camera, how to use it well and what it can do. The camera needs to be adjusted well so there isn’t too much work left for after. Jut because you can edit later does not mean that you should be lackadaisical while clicking. Now these skills come naturally to some, they can be learned by others. These are skills that can be honed and while a good eye is something inherent, you can teach yourself about what is good, what isn’t and what rises above all to the sublime.
To get the best out of what lies around, you need the best. You need the equipment that is made for digital macro photography. This just makes it easier to get exactly the kind of pictures you want. This kind of photography needs a lot of work before it can be labeled ‘perfect’ and the right equipment goes a long way towards achieving that.
What about the subject matter? Well, though everything around us can be viewed in a new light, some things really are more interesting than others. It is just revelation of what worlds of wonder lie around us and we just can’t see them as we rush around our daily business. We need the artists to open our eyes to what lies around.