Macro Photography Art - Could Abstract Close-Up Photography Be For You?

Macro photography art is something most photographers eventually come around to experimenting with if they try macro or abstract photography. This is the style of photography that takes a subject up-close so the image is as close as possible to the actual size of the subject. It is considered an art form by many because the images are often eye-catching and highly compelling.

The beauty of macro photography art is the ability to see details that you would otherwise never see in life. For instance, how often do you get to see a wasp so close that you can see the tiny flecks in their eyes or the tiny hairs on their small bodies? You wouldn't since we ordinarily run from wasps.

This type of miniature or minuscule photography may not seem all that different from ordinary photography before you actually try it. After all, it's just another way to take a picture, right? Not exactly. There is a lot that goes into macro photography composition if you are going to capture stunning pictures worth being called "art."

Abstract Art

Abstract art refers to images or paintings that are not of ordinary objects or people. An untrained eye might look at an abstract macro photography art print and think the colors are pretty but someone must have had the camera way out of focus. What they don't see is the beauty in capturing different patterns and textures of color and light.

Abstract photos do not show your mother's face as it appears to the rest of the world, but a small part of that face that has been taken to the microbial level of skin cells, water, and light.

A rose is not captured as it appears on the bush outside your home on a bright Sunday morning. Rather, the camera is placed down inside the rose, using the water inside the pedals and perhaps a mirror or other enhancement tools to take advantage of the color inside the rose.

While you can't make out concrete pictures and lines in abstract macro photography, you can see beautiful creations of light and water that are not seen by the naked eye. This is the beauty of macro photography that inspires so many artists to pick up a camera and so many photographers to venture away from the ordinary.

Macro Photography Tools

If you find the idea of macro photography art intriguing, especially the abstract variety, you can start experimenting with whatever camera equipment you already have as long as it has interchangeable lenses or can be used with filters. The more you get into it the more you will feel compelled to purchase additional equipment that allows you to get closer to the 1:1 image ideal that macro photographers aim for.

The most basic equipment for macro photography art includes a dedicated macro lens and a variety of extension tubes and bellows. You can also use teleconverters, close-up lenses, and reverse rings to get closer to your subject and pick up different types of images.

A good tripod helps as well since you need a still camera and a still subject to get the best macro shots.
Once you start experimenting with this new photography art-form it can become addicting. You will want to see everything that you come across up-close, but the beauty of an ordinary shot will still hold its magic for you as well.