Behind the Lenz: The art of small things in macro photography – Walla Walla Union-Bulletin

Story and photos by Steve Lenz

Photography is many things to me. Primarily it is storytelling. It is a way to take a slice of time, freeze it and share that moment with others.

Often those moments are obvious such as your child blowing out their birthday candles or the kiss in a wedding ceremony. Yet, there are fascinating dramatic moments going on all around us all the time that escape our gaze because of the scale they exist on.

Macro photography is one of the most fascinating forms of the hobby. It brings us into this small, overlooked world and shows us the incredible lives of the miniature. It gives us a window into the existential stories that all life shares.

A great stress relief for me is to grab my camera and explore the miniature universe and its stories: A fruit fly that looks like an alien visitor sunning itself on a leaf; A jumping spider waiting to ambush unsuspecting prey, catching them midflight; The smallest North American ant species all rising in unison across the valley to form clouds of mating queens and drones.

The camera equipment to capture this small world is readily available in a wide array of options. There are small macro adapters for cell phones, point and shoot cameras with specific macro features, and expensive professional camera lenses.

My preferred setup is a Canon 5D Mark 3 with a 100mm 2.8 macro lens, an extension tube, and an off-camera flash either handheld or mounted on a flexible bracket.

Techniques and equipment are as variable as the subjects you are photographing. Ive seen people modify empty Pringles cans into flash attachments or print color patterns on 8.5x11 sheets to use as backdrops. This DIY nature and spirit is one of the fun parts of macro photography and helps bring it within reach of anyone with a camera.

Possibly the most important technique is how one finds their subjects. I have always had a love for nature and science, a love for how all of this universe works and fits together in a fantastic functional puzzle of subatomic, molecular, cellular and organismic pieces. This love has driven a curiosity in me that leads to finding my subjects and wanting to understand how they live their lives, what we may have in common.

Find what you love and tell its story.

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Behind the Lenz: The art of small things in macro photography - Walla Walla Union-Bulletin