Water Droplets On A Leaf

Water and plants make for stunning macro photographs.

Both are natural materials and they combine to produce incredible results.

Professional photographers often add water to shots of flowers, fruit or vegetables to give their pictures a clean, fresh feel.

Adding water to a natural surface creates an entirely new dimension. Natural textures are already interesting when viewed up close, but sprinkling a few clear droplets onto them creates a new burst of life.

This photograph is a simple snapshot of a leaf on a garden plant, after rain.

You might want to try adding water to other subjects to see how they look. Or even experiment with photographing water on its own. Macro photos of flowing water can produce amazing results, particularly when you start playing with different shutter speeds.

Macro Photograph - Leaf Skeleton

Macro photography can open up intricate details that we so often ignore.

This leaf skeleton was one of hundreds, if not thousands, lying on the ground in Abbotsbury Sub-Tropical Gardens in Dorset, England. What was brown, botanical rubbish became an intricate masterpiece when held up to the light.

Leaves and light can create amazing photographs. If you're looking for something a little out of the ordinary, just look at how sunlight reveals lines and patterns in leaves, alive or dead. This had fallen but equally amazing views were to be had through leaves that were still attached to trees and shrubs.

Macro photography like this shows how important it is to get up to close to your subject. A photo of the entire leaf would have been interesting enough, but by getting really close to just one area I've been able to highlight nature's tracery.

The depth of field was achieved by holding the leaf at a slight angle, tilted away from the camera.

Camera: A350
Shutter speed: 1/320 sec
F-stop: f/3.2
ISO: 100
Lens: 50mm