Getting up close & personal with Macro

Nature is a great provider when it comes to Macro photography.  Whilst on holiday in Krabi, Thailand, I was rather rudely struck on the head by this little fellow.  Except he wasn't particularly small ... not by my standards anyway!  He landed on the table in front of me, so I saw this as the perfect opportunity to give him his very own photoshoot - simply using a Panasonic Lumix Compact Camera! As you can see, the Macro function on this camera works pretty well! 

It was early morning, so a natural light, not too sunny, and I have not post-processed this image. 

F/2.8

Every modern DSLR camera will have a Macro function/mode and many of the everyday items we take for granted hold amazing detail, making them truly spellbinding under the macro lens. All you have to do is look for them! 

A standard zoom lens with a close-focus setting would do a good job of close-up shots if you don't have a macro lens.

Also an option, is the 'close-up filter' - basically, a magnifying glass that attaches as a filter to your standard lens. 

The closer you get to a subject, the more light you lose (which is why the background in my photo above is black).