Jun 23, 2023 Macro Meditations Part 1 (Nevada)

This is not about Lake Tahoe or the Great Basin, although our home on wheels was parked not far from them. I did, however, photograph the largest alpine lake and second deepest in North America during our stay. But after one day of enduring miles of single-lane road construction and negotiating precious road space between a row of parked cars and pedestrians with cameras, we had enough of the crowded resort lake.

 

So, I retreated to our campground adjacent to a casino/hotel/convenience store/cafe/gas station. Despite all that, the campground lay next to undeveloped land that for quite a distance works its way toward the mountains. From our campsite, I walked a path up gentle but rocky slopes supporting a great number of plants including tall conifers. It is a lush scene of greens and golds in the foreground of shadow-patterned mountains topped by deep blue skies adorned with fluffy clouds. I was enchanted.

I walked among the granite rocks and bristly shrubs - a sloping mosaic of textures and natural colors with hints of brilliant red and yellows from the small wildflowers. I traversed over the hard ground carefully as it seemed like rattlesnake country, and I was warned of bigger life as well – as in black bear. But no surprise, I saw little wildlife and nothing bigger than a blue jay. But I was perfectly content with these rare moments in our travels when I can wander off from the RV with my camera and macro lens, not restrained by time or with any expectations. It becomes a meditation of small things that comprise the natural world.

For all I cared, Lake Tahoe could be a thousand miles away. It was the abundant number of large dandelion seedheads mingling with the wildflowers that caught my attention. These are the ‘blow balls’ of folklore – blow all the seeds of a dandelion with one breath and the person you love will love you back. For the next two days, I searched for seedhead subjects. In whatever way possible, I knelt down and contorted myself to capture an image of the dandelion’s fluffy ‘parachutes’. I strained to be as still as possible as I engaged the automatic focus. The heat of the day was mostly ignored as I tried out various angles relative to the sun.

Creating unique compositions from this single subject was my complete focus and I was loving my time in Nevada. That is the power of a macro lens. The word ‘Macro’ refers to the lens’s capability of making small things appear large. It can do this by allowing the photographer a very short working distance. Everything is magnified; therefore, framing is altered with the smallest of movements. A slight change in angle or distance will have a noticeable effect on focus area, background, light, and composition. For all these reasons, the common dandelion seedhead becomes an uncommon subject.

The seedhead’s intricate and three-dimensional design fills the frame in infinite ways as the surroundings melt away into a gentle blend of natural tones. Through the lens, the fragile parachutes have a solid presence by way of their rigid stalks that attach to the central receptacle of the seedhead, as if undeterred by wind or animal. Out-of-focus parachutes among those that are in focus become a celestial microcosm of soft textures and radial patterns.

Nature’s detailed functionality becomes art through the macro lens. And therein lies the challenge of composing and focusing. As with any kind of photography, you can take macro photography to a level far out of reach by most. At the very least, putting the camera and lens on a tripod provides reliable focus points and allows the photographer to use focus stacking from multiple images to present perfect detail throughout. But for my time, I care not to be burdened with equipment. Rather, I find joy in the unfettered playfulness of handholding the macro lens. I love discovering what comes through the lens - a ‘let’s see what happens’ approach to photography. And there is nothing wrong with that.

“Where to next?” she asked.