Close-Up

Get Pushed Group Moderator, Rachel Melton, looks back at 2012 to discuss how the popular Flickr Group has helped to challenge and improve her photography. It’s a story not unlike that of the many members of the group.

Several weeks ago, when I had been loaned the incredible Sigma APO Macro 180mm (OS) lens for our review, I got to play around with close-up and macro photography. One of my creations was the photo shown above, Setting of the Second Sun, which may just have been an excuse to play with my son’s LEGO Star Wars figures.  Close-up photography is, to me, almost zen-like.  While it is a an art that requires precision, discipline and a lot of patience, you have absolute control over every aspect of the shot.  The process behind a photograph like this is often misconstrued as something that is entirely thought up in the photographer’s mind and then with a quick setup, you have the shot.  It’s not like that at all, it’s a process.  Using this photograph as an example, I would like to take you through the process behind it’s creation.  In the end, I hope that you will have a better understanding of building a similar shot, and I hope that you garner some wisdom from my process. The Setup You have to start somewhere, so let’s start with a basic setup.  I used a piece of foam core as my ground …

Another round of Get Pushed completed, another great set of responses. This month, we feature the response of photographer Ken Harris with his splash photography challenge. Read on to learn more about the shot and about Ken.

Featuring photographer Heather Utterback’s photo, “Crumbling Layers”, we explore the delicate balance between details and context. Getting close up introduces new scope and new interests. Read on to be inspired.

Wrapping up round 25 of the Get Pushed Flickr Group, we feature three great and inspiring photos from the likes of Diana Sussellman, Rich Levine and Sue F. Read on for our monthly wrap-up.

“Gerbera Daisies”, a photo by Ryan Shaffter, does not follow traditional compositional techniques and it breaks several rules along the way. But we feel that the photo is the better for it, as it is far more interesting and more aesthetically pleasing than it could be. Read on to see a large photo and learn about the power behind this photo.

Depth of field can be quite a photography tool, but too often we overlook the importance of the background. I’d like to introduce you to a photo, “Waving Gold” by Jos. The photo demonstrates to us how the foreground and blurry backgrounds can be used to enforce a pattern. Read on to see this great photo and learn what else we have to say about it.

This month, we explore eyes as a common theme among our Flickr pool. As one of the most emotive features of the human body, the eyes are powerful in almost every portrait. But what if the eyes are the subject alone? Read on to be inspired.

Spring is in the air and we just want to get outside. Many of us pick up our cameras and tripods and spend these early months photographing the spring blossoms. And so this week, we thought we’d inspire you with a common photographic theme featuring our favorite close-up subject: Flowers.

Photography is the art of changing and sharing unique perspectives. In this article, we explore just one simple way to change your perspective and get some great shots. This simple approach is an easy and effective way to improve your own photography.