Up Close and Personal – Weekly Photo Challenge

“The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.”

Henry Miller

(6 photos)

BUTTERFLY BREAKFAST

This week Brie Anne has challenged us to share some close-up photography. As she points out, there is no need for special equipment to create details such as those in this week’s post. Because I’ve been a bit consumed with packing for our impending move, I’ve reached into the archives to share some of my favorites close ups.

BRIGHT IN BACK

“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.”

Frank Lloyd Wright

One of the things I love about photography is that it causes you to stop and notice the smallest details. For example, we often pause to admire a field of beautiful sunflowers raising their heads to the sky, but how many of us have actually stopped to study the back of the flower, or the texture of the stalk?

WINGS OF GOLD

 “The closest thing to Heaven, is having a peaceful mind, and a beautiful, pure heart.”  

Anthony Liccione

I have a good friend here on Kiawah who is obsessed with dragonflies. She’s also a photographer and has some amazing captures of these tiny, fast-moving creatures. The secret, she tells me, is to find a spot that they frequent and then sit quietly until they are used to you, at which point they’ll return to their usual routine. I find that to be true of most of nature’s creatures – and stillness is also a balm for a busy mind often cluttered with unnecessary chatter. So Suzie – this one’s for you 😊.

MORNING LIGHT

“If your pictures aren’t good enough, you aren’t close enough.”

Robert Capa

Over the years I’ve shared many examples of the lowcountry’s magnificent oaks. The shot above closes in on the symbiotic relationship between the beautiful spanish moss and the intricate turns of the oak’s beautiful branches. Often the details of a scene are more compelling than the big picture.

CHICKS-TO-BE

“Religion and art spring from the same root and are close kin.”

Nathaniel Hawthorne

This spring I shared many shots of baby chicks in an amazing bird rookery I was privileged to visit. The capture above is a close-up of one of the nests in which the eggs hadn’t quite hatched. I loved their soft blue color and wondered which of the mama birds might be waiting for this brood to appear.

FROND

“Keep close to nature’s heart.”

John Muir

Finally, the classic palm frond, found everywhere here in the south, and always beautiful, especially in it’s luminous center.

Interestingly, this week a study was published about the impact on city dwellers who spent 30 minutes walking in a natural setting vs indoors. Physical changes in the brain which have been proven to indicate a lessening of negativity were seen in all of the nature walkers; no change was found in the control group.  I for one am a strong believer in nature’s ability to soothe a troubled mind and deliver us back to our happier selves. So much the better if we do so with camera in hand 😊.

To close in on some other bloggers’ subjects, click here.

Tags: Macro, weekly photo challenge

• July 25, 2015
• Nature, Photography
• 102 Comments