Close Ups

MACRO Photography

I started out my morning as early as I could. I always try to aim for golden hours as I prefer to take photographs with this type of lighting. Very soft and warm and great for highlighting branches and woodland lower than the normal day sunlight, often framing a scene perfect for capturing birds and other wildlife animals.

As I parked up, I proceeded to get comfortable, getting myself sorted with gloves and put my backpack on, which holds my camera, lens and all the necessities that I may need for a photo shoot. I decided I would start my walk up along the riverbank in the Water Meadows, which is towards the left of the Woodland Café. The area is very large and host many animals big and small and is also great for large landscape shots, which I wanted to use today in my photo story.

As I made my way down the winding path towards the bridge at the end a small Roe deer jumped out from behind the hedges. I stopped abruptly and just stood there not knowing what to do. I really wanted to take his photo but realised that my camera was neatly packed away in my backpack……Yes lesson very much learnt this day, ALWAYS have camera out and ready to take a quick shot at any second. But I also didn’t want to move as I was taking in every moment, which felt very special, and it was really nice to have this moment all for myself and not from behind a lens.

The deer only stood there for a very short period of time. He turned round and made eye contact with me then darted back into the growth as quickly as he had appeared and was gone. I carried on standing there for a moment, just quiet and still in case he decided to pop back out, but in the background, I could hear a couple of vans coming closer from around the bend. I hurried along hoping I would get to the end of the pathway by the bridge before they got there and hoped I would catch a glimpse of the deer bounding away, but I was too late, he had completely disappeared, and with the noise from the vans, didn’t seem to be coming back anytime soon after……..my moment was over.

At this point I decided to actually take my camera out and properly get ready for the day.

My plan……..as I like to try and have some kind of plan in place when visiting the park, was to walk around the boundary of the Water Meadows and see what I could capture feeding and flying around the river, but we had a lot of rain over the past week and I was not expecting the meadow to be as boggy and water logged as it was. I should have predicted it but was keener on what I could photograph than thinking about the weather and the conditions it would leave behind.

So, I had to change my plans, trying to think on the spot of different scenes and shots I could take, bearing in mind the weather was also changing and becoming quite dull and cloudy. I turned and made my way back onto the bridge. This is normally a great spot to find the swans basking in the summer sunshine. Today there wasn’t any sunshine, and no swans to be seen but I did notice quite a big spider’s web covered in dew drops from the morning dampness.

That’s it, I’m going to take close-up shots in parts of the forest and woodland that I find interesting and that stand out to me in very intricate detail. This was all new to me, I haven’t had my zoom lens for very long, so this type of photography was a challenge. I have looked at macro/micro photography before now, but it’s a lot of new equipment to buy for a niche that I haven’t really explored yet.

I opened my eyes to search for things I wouldn’t normally look at during my walks, and I found myself looking at my surrounding areas in a totally different way. Paths that are great for landscaping, scenic views and tall trees that I normally look at to capture speeding birds flying though the branches, were drawing my eyesight closer in at growing fruits and budding tree branches, decaying tree logs all covered in fungus.

I proceed back towards the woodland café and left past the Woodlarks enclosure. This is always a great spot for bird watching and capturing them landing on the branches briefly, but the sunlight was very much absent, and today my pictures were going to be all about the small things. Before moving on to head towards one of the back nature trails which runs along the left side of the zipwires, i realised that the grass was glistening in the sunlight, like small twinkle lights. It was the dew drops in the morning light. I bent down as far as i could get to the floor, without making myself completely wet and took the following photo.

Even though the photos for today were going to be based on the closer details of the park, I was still hoping that the deer would be present somewhere along the trial, so my eyes were always peeled for an unexpected sighting along the way.

I carried on down past The Nest and wondered off from the trail path through into the woodland area to the left, before reaching The Drey. This area is quiet and has felled trees lying around and a small stream at the back. This was great for lots of fungus and ivy growing amongst the logs and trees.

Fallen logs, often overlooked as mere forest debris, transform into vibrant micro-landscapes when viewed through a macro lens. I found myself drawn to the fungi and tiny clusters emerging from the decaying wood, where the contrast between the rough, weathered bark and the delicate, often translucent textures of the fungi was striking.

To truly capture their "architecture," I had to get down to ground level - sometimes literally crawling through the leaf litter - to find an angle that showcased the intricate details. Using a wide aperture allowed me to isolate these tiny subjects, blurring the chaotic woodland background into a soft, atmospheric bokeh that makes the fungi appear like a central character in a miniature world.

Higher up in the branches, the pussy willow catkins offered a completely different tactile experience. These early signs of spring are fascinating under a macro lens; they aren't just "fuzzy" but are actually covered in a dense shroud of fine, silky hairs designed to keep the developing reproductive parts warm. Photographing them is a lesson in patience, as even the slightest breeze can send these delicate bobs dancing out of focus. I waited for moments of still, soft light to highlight the silvery sheen of their "fur," which eventually gives way to vibrant yellow anthers as they begin to bloom.

I really enjoyed this different type of photography today, and will definitely be back for some different shots in the future.