Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing
Camille Pissarro
One of the pleasures of an addiction to photography is that you start to see photos wherever you look! And by look, I mean REALLY look. While it’s wonderful to be able to photograph sweeping landscapes, iconic buildings, wild (and not so wild) animals, interesting people … look closer and you will find even more subjects.
And even when there seems to be nothing to photograph, look again. Even the smallest thing will make a great image if carefully composed. In nature especially, there are always small things to photograph.
It’s a while since I’ve participated in the Sunday Stills challenge – mea culpa. But this week Terri asks us to focus on things that are small or tiny, so how could I resist?!
While I don’t have a dedicated macro lens, I do enjoy close-up photography. Sometimes I use the macro setting on my bridge camera, other times I use a zoom to get closer while standing back. I like the shallow depth of field the latter technique produces.
And I’ve just bought a new phone, a Redmi Note 10 Pro, which has an excellent macro lens built in. It can be fiddly to use but when I get it right the results are very effective. The feature photo of a fly on a hydrangea bush in our garden was taken with that, for example. More of my experiments with that new phone camera will no doubt appear in my next monthly round-up.
Meanwhile here, quite simply, is a gallery of small things that caught my eye, and my lens, in the last six months or so, both abroad and closer to home. One or two may have featured before but I’ve tried mainly to choose some as yet unseen. A number are from our recent short visit to Hampshire, including one from the river walk at Buckler’s Hard.
Fallen gingko leaf in the frost, Keats House, Hampstead, north London
Apple blossom buds, Ealing
Catkins in Camberwell, London
Golden silk orb-weaver, Cayena Beach Villas, Colombia
[photographed from our shower but luckily on the other side of the window!]
Field Indian paintbrush (I think) in the Valle de Cocora, Colombia
Euphorbia in the rain, Dajti Mountain, Tirana
New leaves emerging, Kvaløya Island, Norway
Peacock butterfly, Norfolk
Backlit poppy with fly, Norfolk
Hydrangea, Hampshire
Bumblebee on salvia, Hampshire
Bees on thistle flowers at Hurst Castle, Hampshire
Meadow Brown butterfly at Blackwater Arboretum, Hampshire
Champagne cork art at Blackwater Arboretum in the New Forest, Hampshire
Seed head by the Beaulieu River, Buckler’s Hard, Hampshire
[this is either Hemlock water dropwort, which is incredibly poisonous, or Corky-fruited water-dropwort, which is harmless – I wish I knew which!]
33 Comments
Wind Kisses
Beautiful and sweet little lovelies…. There is sometime so special about things we discover along the way, and notice, because we decide to pay closer attention. I loved them al Sarah, but the chubby little be from behind (in Hampshire) made me smile.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Donna 😊 That bee made me smile too – partly because my husband was stood next to me at the time saying ‘You’ll never get a decent photo of them, they’re moving too much’! OK, the bee IS a little blurred, but I think that just adds to the sense of movement 😆
Wind Kisses
I think it is perfect.
bluebrightly
How cool that the first photo was made with your new phone! I really like the detail, the colors, and the bright background. I’m a Ginkgo fan, so I’m happy to see that. And oh, that hydrangea photo is lovely. Yes, there’s no shortage of subjects in this world of ours!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much, glad you enjoyed this selection 😊 I know how expert you are in finding the small details that make for interesting and often lovely photos!
Suzanne@PictureRetirement
I love the way you see things. The champagne cork is a winner.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Suzanne, but I take no credit for seeing the champagne cork – it was just there, off to one side of our path on a giant sculpture (photo to follow in a post next week) that no one could have missed!
wetanddustyroads
The apple blossom buds look like a puppy’s paw pads. And one can even see the pollen on the bees where they’re feasting on the thistle flowers. Great photos – enjoy your new camera (I mean phone 😉).
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you 🙂 I see what you mean about the puppy paws! And yes, it’s lovely to see the pollen dusting those bees.
thehungrytravellers.blog
Great stuff again, Sarah – and so many England shots! Love the catkin shot, catkins remind me of childhood.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Phil. The catkins were a lovely discovery in a quiet square near Camberwell.
grandmisadventures
I think you must be a very fun person to go on a walk with because I love how you notice such small things and capture them so beautifully. Sign me up for a walk with you anytime 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
That’s a nice thing to say 😀 And if ever you’re in London …
Mike and Kellye Hefner
All beautiful selections for the gallery, Sarah. I have to say that my favorite is the Euphorbia. Maybe it’s because I’ve never seen this plant before or maybe it because of its name. Either way, it’s a gorgeous photo.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Kellye 🙂 I’m glad to introduce you to a new plant!
Anne Sandler
Great macros/closeups Sarah! I especially like the spider!!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Anne 🙂 It was a bit of a surprise seeing the spider so close as I showered but of course I had to get a photo!
Terri Webster Schrandt
All I can say is wow, Sarah! Who thought a common, pesky fly could be turned into art? Finding tiny creatures among the flowers and plants is quite fun. My galaxy note 10+ is 4 years old but works like a champ on it’s camera, but as soon as I get a good deal on the Samsung 23 Ultra, I’m moving on. Believe it or not I really love that champagne cork! I enjoy seeing hydrangea blooms up close–fun post with fab shots! Glad you could link to Sunday Stills!
Sarah Wilkie
The fly was a real surprise to me, the sun really made his colours shine 🙂 And I believe you about the champagne cork, I love it too! I’ll share a photo with a much wider view in a future post so you can see the setting which was also interesting.
Terri Webster Schrandt
Oh I look forward to that, Sarah!
Brad M
I often forget my lenses have a much shorter focal length that can also be used. Thanks for the reminder with this nice collection of intimate photos.
Sarah Wilkie
It’s easy to fall into the habit of always using the same settings and forgetting what else our cameras can do!
Image Earth Travel
Wow, love the fly image!
I bought a Google Pixel 6A phone because reviews said it has a good camera but too late I find out that the phone compresses the jpgs – horror! So, to counteract this, I set the phone to shoot jpg and RAW. Also, some facial photos look really weird – almost like the face is melting.
I left Australia in March without my “Beast” – 3kg Nikon with zoom thinking I’d pick a good camera up in Japan. The FujiFilm XT4 was out of stock for 6 months, every country I’ve been to so I compromised and bought online the FujiFilm SX10. I’m reading the manual as there’s just so much new technology since I bought my Beast in 2013!
Sarah Wilkie
Oh I know, camera technology evolves so fast! And every camera has its little differences that take time to learn even if you have a thorough understanding of all the principles. I hope you’ll be very happy with yours once you get used to it 🙂
Marie
The fly is astonishing – you’re going to have a wonderful time with that new phone!
Sarah Wilkie
I was pleased with how that came out 🙂 This could be the phone to convince me that a phone camera can be more than an emergency option when you have no other camera to hand!
Alli Templeton
Love your showcase of the beauty of small things, Sarah. I particularly love the bees and the butterflies – they need all the help and attention they can get at the moment. They may be small but they’re incredibly significant, and when you take the time to look, they’re incredibly beautiful too.
And the light on the catkins is fabulous. 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Alli 🙂 Yes, it’s always special to see, and celebrate, our bees and butterflies!
margaret21
You’ve taken Small is Beautiful to a new level, Sarah. Some great shots here – love the meadow brown, the bee, the butterfly – all of them in fact!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Margaret 😊 I love this sort of photography so it was a good challenge theme for me!
Sue
Ah, very nice…I must go searching for some small things in my archive, or find some new ones! Love the Champagne cork Fly Agaric!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Sue – I’m sure you’ll have a lot too 😀 That champagne cork was a fun spot. In a future post I’ll show you all what it was placed on, which is nearly as much fun!
Sue
Very good!