Sometimes when you get really close to something, you don’t recognize what it is anymore.  In a sense, we can’t see the forest for the trees.  In this case we take that one step further — we can hardly see the tree for the bark.

 

I’ve mentioned in previous entries in this blog that I really like the world when viewed through a macro lens.  Bark is bark is bark ...until you get up close and really look at it.  My knowledge of botany is limited; I don’t know what kind of tree this is, but I know it was an evergreen, a conifer.  As you walk around the tree, the bark looks different as it is exposed to different sunlight.  The bark was different even amongst the several specimens of this kind of tree in the surrounding area.  This is part of the fascination.  There are new things to discover and see and appreciate wherever you happen to point your lens.

 

This shot was taken in the harshest of lighting, shortly after noon on a summer day.  Ordinarily, I don’t shoot much at this time of day, and prefer the indirect lighting produced by a cloud cover, but the harsh lighting actually helped emphasize the texture and the 3-D nature of this bark.

 

You want to get very close to your subject (sometimes as close as a few inches), so you want some optical system that will allow you to move in closer than most lenses normally focus.  I used a 100mm macro lens for this shot, but simpler (less expensive) equipment can yield similar results.  For example, diopters (close-up lenses) are available which screw in to the front of your lens (like a filter) and enable to you to move in for closer focus.  Another approach is to use a hollow extension tube between your lens and your camera, which similarly enables you to move in for closer focus.  Yet another approach is to use a tele-extender (tele-converter) which, like the extension tube, goes between your lens and your camera but, unlike the extension tube, contains additional lens elements.  With a tele-extender, you won’t get to move closer to your subject, but you will get to magnify your image by anywhere from 1.4x to 3.0x, giving you a magnification approaching that which can be achieved if you were able to move the lens physically closer to the subject.  A tripod is almost a necessity here as you want to maintain a fixed distance between the subject and the camera (to keep critical focus), and because you want to be able to compose your shot carefully (any movement at this distance can strongly affect your composition).  An additional reason for the tripod is to hold the camera steady during long exposures.  In full sun, you might get by with a hand-holdable shutter speed, but when the ambient light is reduced (either in shade, under cloud cover, or in the reduced light at other times of the day), you may need a longer exposure because of the small apertures you’ll want to use to keep as much of the scene in focus as possible.

 

I can say from experience that using a tripod in this situation also adds to the apparent mystique.  A passerby who sees you working with a tripod very close to a tree and aiming the lens right at the tree will certainly do a double-take.  I’ve had to do some explaining on more than one such occasion.