I started out thinking that photography was the art of recording what we see. But after years of practise, I now realise that that is incorrect: photography is the art of capturing what we do not see.
Photography shows us what we do not see
As photographers, we set up a shot based on an understanding and intuition of what is likely to make a good photo, taking advantage not only of the subject before our eyes but also the angle, lighting, framing, white-space, camera settings, and so forth. Despite all this skill and effort, even the best photographer does not know exactly how the image will come out until it is viewed full size. In my experience, it is at this stage—when editing my photos on a monitor—that I often discover details and qualities that I was totally unaware of at the time of shooting. In the case of flower photography, I might discover a previously unobserved botanical detail, quality of light, a background feature, or a tiny insect that I didn’t notice at the time.
Take this tiny saxifrage flower, for instance. It was only when editing the photo on my computer, that I became aware of the prismatic colour variation in the petal markings. Do you see how they change from yellow (near the base) through orange, ending up deep red towards the tips? I knew the plant well from my own garden and textbooks, yet it was only through photography that I discovered these markings.
Such discoveries are particularly common when exploring close-up (macro) photography. Zooming in on tiny details of otherwise familiar plants opens up a world of beauty that is normally unavailable to the naked eye. And the great thing about macrophotography is that you don’t need a big or beautiful garden — even a window box, vase of cut flowers or a houseplant can provide suitable subjects.
The following 30+ macro photos were all taken in my garden over a few months in the spring and early summer of 2024, and have been chosen to showcase a range of subjects, artistic styles, and macro techniques. Hopefully there is something here to inspire everyone: gardener, photographer, botanist, scientist, and artist.
Dwarf umbrella plant | Darmera peltata ‘nana’
This member of the saxifrage family throws up tall flowering stems in the spring before its round umbrella-like leaves emerge. The corymbs are fascinating in their structure and create quite a remarkable sight, worthy of close-up inspection. In this macro shot, I like the varying stages and sizes of the developing and then opening buds, and then the strange reproductive centres that are revealed.
It was only after I got this macro shot up on the screen that I noticed the tiny green beetle in one of the flowers (top-right).
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro | 120mm, ISO 250, ƒ5, 1/125 s
Mare’s tail | Hippuris vulgaris
Mare’s tail is an aquatic plant and a British native. It grows in shallow water or, like this one, in garden ponds. Looking for all the world like one of the ancient spore-bearing horsetails (Equisetum), it is in fact an unrelated, flowering plant. Speaking of the flowers, I think those little pink bumps at the base of the leaves might be them.
Macrophotography is great for revealing tiny botanical details that normally escape observation.
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro | 120mm, ISO 800, ƒ6.3, 1/125 s
Large red damselfly | Pyrrhosoma nymphula
This fast flying insect was resting for a few seconds on the spearmint that grows in the margin of my pond. He stayed still long enough to enable me to get close enough to capture this shot. Usually, they get spooked before I can get near enough, so I’m very pleased with this photo. Although I didn’t get all of his body in focus, I managed to focus on his eye — and what an eye! Without macrophotography, I’d probably never have been able to see these amazing animals in such detail.
TIP: With animals (and people), try to lock focus on the nearest eye. If other parts of the body are out of focus, the image will still look natural. Conversely, an otherwise sharp image will often look unnatural if the nearest eye is even slightly blurry.
LUMIX G 42.5/F1.7 | 85mm, ISO 200, ƒ5, 1/320 s
Thrift | Armeria marítima ‘Alba’
Thrift forms little pom-pom flowers a half to one inch across (1-2cm). However, few people have noticed that each flower head is actually a posy made of a dozen tiny flowers, each with five petals. And only when you look with a magnifying glass (or a macro lens) will you see that each flower carries five stamens with two distinct colours: teal and yellow.
SIGMA 56mm F1.4 + Ext. tubes | 112mm, ISO 800, ƒ5.9, 1/250 s
Korean rock fern | Polystichum tsussimense
This is a young frond of the Korean rock fern. I tried to capture the precise geometry of the parts and especially the dark midrib. The section near the tip has an almost fluid-like pattern, reminiscent of turbulent flow seen in fluids.
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro | 120mm, ISO 320, ƒ4.5, 1/125 s
Foxglove | Digitalis purpurea (hybrid)
This is one of the many self-sown foxgloves that grew in my garden this year. This one is dominated by the genes of D. purpurea ‘albiflora’ — a white version of the native foxglove. However, it has acquired some influence from the purple variety, colouring the back of its throat, and giving the whole plant a beautiful soft pink look.
The unusual perspective of this photo — a kind of ‘bee’s eye view’ — is looking up, into the back of the lower flowers, showing the hairs on the lower lip and stamens on the roof of each flower. Those stamens daub pollen on the backs of bees as they crawl in. The hairs are believed to deter smaller bees (that wouldn’t reach the pollen) from entering.
LUMIX G 35-100/F4-5.6 | 200mm, ISO 800, ƒ13, 1/160 s
Red barrenwort | Epimedium rubrum
I brought this group of leaves indoors so I could photograph them under more controlled conditions. I snipped off a few leaves that were overlapping, so I could better see these four clearly. A table lamp provided backlight, as well as diffuse natural light from a window. I was able to capture the vein structure in a way that would have been difficult in the garden.
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro | 120mm, ISO 320, ƒ4.5, 1/125 s
Columbine | Aquilegia ‘Blue Star’
Columbine flowers are intriguingly complex, with five inner trumpet petals that stretch from the front to the back of the flower. The nectar is right down the bottom of each trumpet, so pollinators have to get right inside and use a long proboscis.
TIP: When photographing flowers close-up, try to focus on the closest part of the central boss of stamens. Alternatively, focus on the petal closest to the lens.
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro | 120mm, ISO 200, ƒ2.8, 1/160 s
Star of Persia | Allium christophii
This is one of the best ornamental onions for the garden. It is reliably perennial, opens in early May and flowers for at least two months with some of the largest heads (often over 20cm across). The seed heads are pretty enough to leave in place until autumn, too.
In this photo, the buds can be seen bursting out of the spathe in early May. The first hints of their metallic purple colouration are just beginning to creep in.
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro | 120mm, ISO 800, ƒ5, 1/125 s
Bumble bee | Bombus rupestris
Three weeks later, the Star of Persia has opened to the size of a football, and is avidly visited by pollinators. Here, a red-tailed bumblebee is collecting pollen. You can see the large yellow pollen sac on his back leg.
By photographing the bee on the edge of the flower head, the thin radial stems are also in focus, emphasising their spoke-like quality. The flowers open flat, as if laying the surface of an invisible sphere.
LUMIX G 42.5/F1.7 | 85mm, ISO 200, ƒ1.7, 1/1000 s
Ruddy clover | Trifolium rubens
Ruddy clover is a good garden perennial, growing to about 2ft (60cm) and flowering in June and July. It is related to the much smaller common red and white lawn clovers, but it’s a larger plant all round. The flower head, above, is about 2.5 inches (7cm) in height.
My aim in the photo above was to capture the entire structure of the opening flower, along with the sheath and associated leaves. I also wanted some out-of-focus flowers in the background to provide context. To prevent the photo becoming overly-busy, I arranged the shot with a plain clipped hedge in the background.
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro | 120mm, ISO 250, ƒ3.5, 1/125 s
Ruddy clover | Trifolium rubens
Focusing in on the details of part of the flower spike, we cross from the familiar to the unfamiliar. This kind of ultra-close-up macro allows us to see almost microscopic details: unfamiliar, yet compelling. At this scale images often become other-worldly, more abstract, architectural and geometric.
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro | 120mm, ISO 800, ƒ7.1, 1/60 s
Honeybee on iris | Apis mellifera on Iris sibirica
It was early evening when I found this honey bee, resting on the petal of one of my Siberian iris ‘Snow Queen’. He remained static while I took a series of ever closer shots. Out of two dozen photos, only a few captured him in perfect focus front to back. This was one of the best. Something about the perspective of this photo makes him look unusually large. He’s actually less than 2cm (1 inch) long.
TIP: Photographing insects is easier in the late evening and early morning when the cooler temperatures slow their metabolism.
LUMIX G 42.5/F1.7 | 85mm, ISO 400, ƒ7.1, 1/100 s
Begonia stamens
Another extreme close-up. This time of the centre of a begonia flower.
An important element in artistic flower photography is the quality of the background surrounding the main subject. In this shot, there is enough texture to make the blurry red petals interesting, but not distracting.
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro | 120mm, ISO 500, ƒ8, 1/125 s
Spruce stonecrop | Sedum reflexum
The inflorescence of many plants are interesting even before the flowers open. The buds of this stonecrop are held in a beautiful organic pattern: a kind of organised asymmetry. The star-shaped buds appear to have different numbers of petals. I can see ones with …5, 6, 7 and 8 points.
The red outer bracts turn yellow once the flowers open.
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro | 120mm, ISO 500, ƒ8, 1/125 s
Long-tailed spotted bush cricket | Leptophyes laticauda (nymph)
This tiny nymph of the was feeding in the centre of one of my osteospermum flowers. I had to use the maximum magnification of my macro lens and a tripod to get this photo (his body is less than 5mm long), and it was the only shot among two dozen where the eyes were in sharp focus revealing their compound surface texture.
TIP: I usually hand-hold my macro shots and use the camera’s autofocus. However, at extreme close up magnifications, the depth of field is so narrow that even the tiniest movement can ruin the shot. Using a tripod eliminates hand shake but can only be used, for stationary or slow moving subjects.
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro | 120mm, ISO 640, ƒ9, 1/125 s
Herb Robert | Geranium robertianum
Macrophotography can produce a wide variety of moods and styles. This dreamy portrait of a tiny woodland flower was achieved by photographing through foreground foliage. By allowing a leaf to partly block the lens, a blurry golden glow is cast over part of the image, helping isolate the subject. The silhouetted bud and leaf, make the image more interesting, providing additional botanical detail, without distracting from the main flower.
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro | 120mm, ISO 200, ƒ4, 1/500 s
Blue eyed grass | Sisyrinchium ‘Bellum’
The narrow depth of field in macrophotography normally results in only one small part of a subject being in focus. One trick is to adopt a suitable angle of composition such that two or more parts of the subject fall within the focal plane. In this case, I have photographed the flower side on, so the focal plane runs down the centre of the subject, ensuring the stamen, base of the petals, stem and leaf-tip are all nicely sharp.
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro | 120mm, ISO 200, ƒ4, 1/200 s
Pale yellow-eyed-grass | Sisyrinchium striatum
Another example of using the plane of focus to pick out several parts of a subject: in this case the centres of all four flowers along with some petal details.
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro | 120mm, ISO 500, ƒ8, 1/125 s
Burnet moth | Zygaena sp.
I was so pleased to find this day-flying moth fluttering rapidly from flower to flower in the meadow behind my garden. Fortunately, he alighted long enough on this thistle to gift me dozens of good photos.
He’s definitely a Burnet moth, but I’m not sure which species. He could be the Five-spot Burnet (Zygaena trifolii) or the Narrow-bordered Five-spot Burnet
(Zygaena lonicerae) — they are notoriously hard to distinguish.
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro | 120mm, ISO 200, ƒ6.3, 1/320 s
Cranesbill | Geranium pyrenaicum ‘Bill Wallis’
The flowers of this prolific little cranesbill are only 12mm (1/2 inch) across. I had never noticed its little plump white stamens before — so neatly striped!
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro | 120mm, ISO 200, ƒ4, 1/250 s
Garden snail on Geranium nodosum
Pretty pattern on the shell. I’ve not been able to identify the variety.
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro | 120mm, ISO 200, ƒ2.8, 1/320 s
Marigold | Targetes
Part of my orange and purple container display this year.
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro | 120mm, ISO 500, ƒ5, 1/125 s
Cinnabar moth | Tyria jacobaeae
I’ve seen one flying round the garden on several occasions in the last few weeks. This time, it settled on the doorstep to the house for long enough for me to get this shot.
One of the problems with close up photography is that the depth of field becomes increasingly narrow at higher magnifications, making it difficult to get all the subject in focus. You can see this here, where just a 2cm strip of the doorstep is in crisp focus — just wide enough to ensure all parts of the moth are sharp.
LUMIX G 42.5/F1.7 | 85mm, ISO 800, ƒ9, 1/50 s
Peony | Peonia officinalis ‘Alba Plena’
Selecting just part of a flower can create a powerful image. By photographing only the lower portion, the sensual folds of this peony’s petals are emphasised, like the layered fabric of a voluptuous skirt.
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro | 120mm, ISO 500, ƒ11, 1/125 s
Fleabane | Erigeron glaucus ‘Sea Breeze’
Focusing on the geometry of the middle of the flower revels a strong pattern and vibrant colours.
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro | 120mm, ISO 400, ƒ2.8, 1/125 s
Fleabane | Erigeron glaucus ‘Sea Breeze’
Here, a different take on the same flower. From this angle, a more abstract image is created.
Minimalism: simplifying an image by removing everything unnecessary often makes it more compelling.
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro | 120mm, ISO 400, ƒ2.8, 1/125 s
Greenbottle on spurge | Lucilia sericata on Euphorbia × martini
Common greenbottle flies usually eat carrion, but are also known to forage for pollen. This one, with its brilliant metallic colouration, is feeding on Martin’s spurge (Euphorbia × martini ‘Baby Charm’).
The inflorescence of many garden spurges is quite remarkable under close scrutiny. I like the repeated geometric branching of its green cup-shaped bracts, and the peculiar bright red crescent ‘claws’ tucked inside.
LUMIX G 42.5/F1.7 | 85mm, ISO 200, ƒ2, 1/1000 s
Lady’s mantle | Alchemical mollis
I’m very pleased with this shot. A clear point of interest, but with plenty of botanical detail in the background.
I had never noticed before that the tiny flowers of Lady’s mantle are square centred, with an eight-fold petal symmetry. Before opening origami-wise, the young buds look like perfectly wrapped cubic gift boxes.
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro | 120mm, ISO 200, ƒ2.8, 1/1000 s
Creeping thyme | Thymus serphyllum
By focusing on an isolated, upright sprig, I have been able to use the main clump of thyme as the background, ensuring the colours harmonise.
Now I’ve seen them up-close, I’m amazed how orchid-like these tiny thyme flowers are.
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro | 120mm, ISO 200, ƒ4.5, 1/200 s
Fading Lily | Lilium martagon ‘Album’
Sometimes death and decay make good subjects. The cobwebs on this fading martagon lily look like puffs of smoke — especially with the ember coloured stamens glowing below.
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro | 120mm, ISO 800, ƒ10, 1/125 s
Seed capsules | Geranium nodosum
A super-close-up shot of the tiny seed capsules produced by this cranesbill.
Once the seed ripens, the capsules flick the seed — slingshot like — using a spring mechanism.
Olympus 60mm f/2.8 Macro | 120mm, ISO 640, ƒ10, 1/125 s