The Gift Of The Mundane

Not so long ago I recall a young friend of mine Facebooking that there was nothing to shoot with her new camera. I think we've all had days when we felt stumped, camera gear in hand, looking around saying to ourselves "I've been here in this place so many times, there's nothing left to make a picture of."

These are the days when the most mundane things can be a gift.

One thing I enjoy doing is looking up close at average things that we tend to take for granted. I like taking on the challenge of making an interesting image of something ... mundane. A bug, an anthill, a dandelion, a tossed away piece of chewed gum ... whatever. Digging deep into one's creative genes to try and step up to the challenge is actually a lot of fun, if not great practice. It doesn't always produce award-winning images, but I love the way it make me see the world differently.

Most of what I am speaking of here could be loosely described as "macro" photography. Close-up compositions! And, they can, and do, present their challenges, especially with regard to depth of field issues ... but no worries, it's all about the fun. Most point-and-shoots have a macro setting which can keep enthusiastic hobbyists busy, but DLSR owners have a good many more options starting with dedicated macro lenses and ending with something as inexpensive as "close-up lenses" which are no more than magnifier filters that screw into an existing lens. Like a magnifying glass, you have to get up real close, even on top of your subject to use them. But, they can really be great fun.

I have ultra wide angle and other lenses with macro capabilities, and they are wonderful, but my favorite toy in this department is an amazing $35 attachment lens by Opteka (called the HD2 0.35 x AF Fisheye) that just threads into your favorite lens and acts as a macro (magnifier) and fisheye (sort of). While the edges of the frame do blur softly (an often desirable vignette effect), the center of the glass will be sharp as a knife when used properly. It's just the most fun $35 dollar investment I ever made, bar none. In my quest to capture and immortalize the mundane, I use often this little lens screwed into my 35mm Nikkor prime lens and make images from as close as a half an inch from the subject matter. Too cool.

So, next time you're scratching your head and thinking, "what is there to shoot?" Start looking the small stuff you walk over everyday, and challenge yourself to make an interesting shot. You'll learn a lot about being up close and personal.

A wild wood violet, ubiquitous but lovely.

The lowly dandelion, more beautiful than you thought.