I chanced across this explosive paragon of fluffiness on a glorious walk around Brisbane’s Botanic Gardens.
Sitting in the sub-tropics, this is a place where the plants seem more exotic, lush and a pleasure on the senses. It’s hard to stop being drawn into taking photographs. I will share more from my visit soon.
This landscape is barren yet rich in colour, flecked with beautiful orange and green hues. The water seems lifeless yet deep and inviting with an inky glow. It appears almost otherworldly.
But this is no fantastic lake in a forgotten corner of the world. It’s a small rockpool on the Tasmanian coast at a place called Bicheno. The seaside terrain is famous for its red colour, created by a vivid ochre type of lichen. The effect is compelling and beautiful for the eye and camera.
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During the stormy winter, this mature tree in Ravenscourt Park close to my home in west London was taken out by a freak bolt of lightning and reduced to a jagged stump and tangle of wood.
It’s a sad sight but one which provoked my curiosity. I scoured the area with my macro lens, capturing the textures and markings left by the impact and sawn debris. At close quarters, these are intriguing and almost otherworldly. I also found some beautiful, rich green lichen still clinging to its fallen host.
Even in death and destruction, nature holds beauty and food for the camera. What’s more, the lost tree is now recorded for posterity.
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The rain had been falling in pulses all afternoon. This was a welcome break in the weather when the sun streamed through the trees. I caught the light while the lens was at rest, creating a whole frame of bokeh and orbs.
With a second shot, I applied the digital paintbrush to make a blue frame punched through with light.
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After the rain, the moisture-dappled surfaces of some parked cars were irresistible to shoot with my macro lens. The fine focus honed in on the droplets, while more bokeh was revealed. All hail the wet weather!
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They seem to come crashing into the shot in a cloud of smoke.
But this is simply the joy of getting very close to a tiny slither of nature, being the blunt end of a small thorn-covered twig in this photograph.
I’ve only recently discovered this whole new world, and you can explore more of the joy of macro by clicking here.
