The theme of this week’s showcase of mobile photography is macro photography and small things. Macro photography is something that many of us overlook but when you take the time to open your eyes and look at the little things that surround us you’ll find a fantastic world of photographic opportunities. This weeks showcase perfectly illustrates this, with close-ups of spiders and insects, to plants and rain drops, the photos highlighted show the creative potential that surrounds us.
Featured photographers this week include: Daniel Augusto, Darren Harmon, Donna Doyle, James Peck, Itha, Jill Lian, @kutscher, lgarciaphot0, lsingh and Miki.
Do you have a favourite photo from this week’s showcase? Let us know which in the comments section at the bottom of the page. Finally, hashtag your photos with #mobiography for a chance of getting featured in future showcases.
Petit Rouge
‘Petit Rouge‘ by Daniel Augusto – “Every morning, as a I walk my two dogs, I’m always attentive to my surroundings, looking for something to take a picture. That morning, I saw that little red dot over a leaf, and got closer to realize it was a ladybug. I took this shot using macro mode of the Camera+ app on a iPhone SE. It was edited using Darkroom and Snapseed.”
A Garden Spider Hanging Outside My Kitchen Window
‘A Garden Spider Hanging Outside My Kitchen Window‘ by Darren Harmon – “There’s not really much to tell about this photo. I noticed the spider had built a web on the outside of my kitchen window. The picture was taken with my iPhone 6s Plus using the iOS camera app. I focused the camera on the wood of the windowsill then locked the focus. Then I held the phone up to the spider (through the glass of the window), moving the phone back and forth to manually focus on the spider and took the photo.
I switched to my iPad for which I do all my editing, first using Snapseed for basic edits and crops then using Stackables to change the background. I used Image Blender to blend both edits together and mask out the spider from the altered background to get the final result.”
Light As
‘Light As‘ by Donna Doyle – “My affinity for close-up and macro perspectives, and for photography in general, goes back to childhood. Before I even knew what a camera was, it seemed like I was photographing the world around me with my eyes and attentiveness. My first sense of a conscious memory occurred around age 5. The memory was so strongly visual that my naiveté made me think that I’d been born blind and had lived the first three years of my life sightless. Maybe it was the belief that a miracle had occurred — that I’d been gifted with vision — that made me look at my environment so closely. To this day when something catches my eye I lean closer, bend, squat, or kneel in order to get a closer look.
The result of my looking closer usually yields a photograph like this one. Lately I’ve been finding lots of feathers. I love the general shape of them; however, there are so many admirable details. Sometimes I photograph the feathers “on location” which is usually the back yard. I always take the feathers with me and also photograph them in my “studio” which is usually a table located near a window.
When it comes to photographing and editing, my approach is simplicity. For all of my photographs I utilize natural light — no lenses or equipment. Fortunately, my hands and elbows make a steady tripod. For shots like this one where the focus is an isolated object, I use a black background. I took this photograph with my iPhone 6s Plus, did most of the editing light-handedly using the phone’s editing tools, and used only Lux and Vignette in Instagram. As a poet, I enjoy playing with titles. “Light As” addresses both light as a quality of illumination and as a quality of weight. Many of my photographs feel like visual poems.
Since my iPhone is always with me, the majority of my recent photography has been mobile. Although I’ve considered adding another 35mm to my collection, or using one I have more frequently, something in me resists. When it comes to photography, most people want to know what kind of camera was used. Not many people think about what kind of person took the photograph. In my case it’s someone who doesn’t go looking for a good shot but who simply is always looking. It’s someone who has “a good eye”, formally untrained. Since I am legally blind in one eye, it’s literally about having “a” good eye. Mostly, the person behind my camera is a three-year old child who is still excited by, and grateful for, vision.”
Untitled
‘Untitled‘ by James Peck – “I have a passion for macro photos taken with mobile. I relish the challenge of not only finding the insects but getting the camera close enough without disturbing them to take the shot. The kids enjoy our “bug hunts” and it is great way for them to learn about nature.
The little Crab Spider in the photo was spotted by my daughter in our garden, he made a run for it but I managed to take this before he disappeared. It was taken on my Samsung S7 with a 15x macro lens. The edit was done in VSCO.”
Untitled
‘Untitled‘ by Itha – “I have a small garden and I usually find a lot of beautiful creatures living in it. I was watering one of my flowers when I saw this little assassin bug nymph that was walking on a leaf. Quickly I got my phone and macro and took this picture just when it was trying to go up.
The small details of nature is what inspires me to capture and share them to preserve that moment to anyone that loves nature like me.I took this picture with my iPhone 6s and the Easy Lens Band from Photojojo. I used Manual Photo Camera app and edited it on Snapseed. “
Wispy wishes
‘Wispy Wishes‘ by Jill Lian – “This photo was shot at Keuka Lake in Upstate NY. The dewdrops were glowing in the early morning light. It’s my favorite time of the day to photograph!
I used the app Mextures to crop and add a cool filter. It was shot on iPhone 7 Plus, using an olloclip lens.”
wassertropfen
‘wassertropfen‘ by @kutscher – “The power of water inspired me to take a deeper look inside…
How? With my iPhone and an extra macro lens.”
Letters and numbers
‘Letters and numbers‘ by lgarciaphot0 – “The photo is a piece of jewelry that belongs to my wife and the “B” is the first letter of her name. I wanted to honor her because it was our anniversary and she’s my best friend and I love her very much.
Well, I used my iPhone 7 Plus, ShiftCam macro lens, a small tripod. I always used “Darkroom” app than “Photoshopfix” app than finish off with “PhotoshopExpress” app. I take the photo in color than convert it to black and white.
Please let me know it there’s anything else you might need from me. “
Raindrops on a caladium leaf
‘Raindrops on a caladium leaf‘ by lsingh – “It has been raining hard in Texas. So when the rain stopped these Caladium leaves were full of water droplets. The unusual white leaf with its megenta vein just added to the beauty and drama. “
Sunflower
‘Sunflower‘ by Miki
Do You Have a Favourite?
Do you have a favourite from this weeks showcase? Let us know your thoughts on the featured photos in the comments below.
If you haven’t already done so, follow Mobiography on Instagram and hashtag your photos with #mobiography for a chance of getting featured in future showcases. Don’t forget to sign up to the Mobiography email list to get the latest news and updates direct to your inbox.
