Have You Tried This Macro Photography Exercise? 

This type of photography is such a wonderful way to slow down, become mindful of the sights, sounds, smells, and textures around you. Thanks for another wonderful, inspirational video.

Thank you very much Kim, Am so glad to see that young people can appreciate these wonderful simple moments. Thanks for sharing your wonderful photos too.

I love the sentiment in this video Kim! “Sit still and let nature come to you instead of chasing after it”! The sounds, smells and even mosquito bites becomes part of a whole experience. Nothing to it, and yet a miracle and a marvel. It’s amazing that the choice of a lens can create such situation, hey? But really, it’s all about a mindset of allowing the natural flow of life run through us rather than we feel we need to be in charge. That’s is the true space to let creativity develop and blossom. Thank you so much for that spiritual reminder, Kim!

Your Zen like approach to photography and life is just so refreshing.

This sort of exercise is invaluable. One that I was given in a photography workshop was to stay in the one spot and take 5 different compositions. The idea was to look further than the obvious scene and look more deeply for alternatives.

Definitely inspiring. I love macro photography, and enjoy exploring my garden or the fields for beautiful things to photograph in the small.

Thank you. I have tried such technique. I went to a woodland trail that had a bench. Sat myself down and put a 50mm lens on. The idea was to take at least 5 images without moving from my spot. The idea was to use a lens that I don’t use a lot.

Wonderful! I once did a similar exercise: 15 minutes by bicycle, stop, 15 m walk to the left side, 15 minutes photographing - not more than 15 images. It was great and real fun!

Beautiful images Kim, awesome Vlog as always. Love your approach to your photography. Always so calm and considerate of your subjects/surroundings. Beautiful photography!

Excellent idea, motivated me to spend a couple of hours in the garden getting to grips with the positioning options of my new tripod. Was huge fun and very relaxing. Even with a seven year old 16mp camera, cheap kit zoom and a macro tube as a new photographer the results were very satisfying. The tripod made a huge difference for me. Thanks for another excellent video Kim, they're always a visual treat.

Macro photography is good because it allows you to shoot anywhere there is a bit of nature. A very inspiring video. Greetings from Krakow in Poland

Wonderful images Kim. I love your macro photography - it's so natural and beautiful to look at. You are absolutely right - the world around us is all go, go, go. Even when out in the car, people can't get to where they are going fast enough. We need to learn to slow down, breathe and take in the beauty of the world which is all around us. It's so important like you say for our health and well-being. When I look around at the direction the world is taking, e.g. fast food, fast cars, fast delivery services, etc., I wonder where it will all end??? More burn-out and people's health suffering detrimentally I imagine. People even eat fast - have you noticed??? It's the same with people... they don't seem to slow down and take time to listen to conversations properly - their minds are racing ahead at 100 miles per hour. We may have progressed as a society in a lot of different ways, but I wonder if it is really a good thing?

Kim very much enjoyed your latest post. You captured some very lovely images. I have spent twenty to thirty minutes capturing close-up floral images of a single fruit tree. As I move around a tree selecting compositions, the light changes providing new compositions. Sometimes I have circled a tree three times before the light finally plays out. Thanks for sharing.

Once again, I wanted to make sure I had enough time after work to sit down at my PC and watch your video. In the early spring, I did something very similar at my favorite local arboretum taking macro photos of the snowdrops and crocus that happened to be flowering at that time of year. Set my stuff on behind this little bench and got to work for about an hour. It turned out to be longer because I had multiple people stopping to ask what I was taking photos of because I had my tripod and my off camera flash set up and I am extra careful with moving so I don't hurt any of the flowers so that others can enjoy them. I got talking with this senior woman who walks there often and she showed me her favorite tree. Whenever she's starting to get a little tired and needs to stop, that tree is there for her to lean on. She was so sweet and hopefully I can run into her again on one of her walks. So often I get asked to take some photos of a family or a couple who can't get a full length photo. "You've already got a camera!" So people hand me their phones and I always take a few at different angles nd tell them that they can just delete any they might not want. It just makes me smile and happy to see other people smiling. And I can't just do a boring straight on photo like so many others do. I want to get a couple that will give them some joyful memories of that day. Your fly photos are beautiful! The mid flight is my fav. Like you said, the grass is one of my favorite subjects and one of my favorite all time photos is of some of the wheat grass like you've got there that has this almost "painted" look on the edges. People don't even NEED a camera for this. Like you said, anyone can sit down for half an hour in their yard, garden, park, and take photos with their phones! Angles and composition can be done just like with a full sized camera. Or, don't worry about either and just take some photos of whatever they enjoy.

Aw this was fab Kim I can't walk far but hoping it will improve these images were amazing this is food for thought I love just sitting listening to nature how wonderful, I just done this the other day sitting at the graveyard of all places but it was so quiet and calming thank you for this 👍❤️

That’s something I love about macro photography, I often just wander around my garden with my macro lens and usually get images I hadn’t imagined. Noticed your iso seems to always be 800, pushing your shutter speed right up, will try that as blurred images is frequently a problem for me doing macro. Thank you.

Summer has seemed to take a long time this year for us in Scotland as it was a cold winter in 2022/2023, enjoy the moments!..

Thank you for noticing the birdsong. I have watched so many photographers on RU-vid who completely miss it. I watched a landscape photographer who said something to the effect, "these ducks have been following me all day messing up all my shots." What???? I couldn't believe what I was hearing!! In another video I watched the photographer set up the shot and it was beautiful, but he never once noticed the constant call of an Eastern Phoebe in the background. Never mentioned it. So thank you for being the wildlife photographer you are. I really enjoyed seeing the bugs. Be encouraged. I love your channel and have only recently discovered it. Really a great talk on mindfulness and rest. So important and nourishing to our health and well-being.

Thank you, great idea, something I can try at my age, 89. I sit good!😀 Going to get my macro out.

Thank you Kim, for sharing the 30 minute exercise with me. I’m currently in Kentucky and anxiously waiting for warm weather, in order to experience my very own 30-60 minute exercise with nature.

I just stumbled upon your video and really enjoyed it. I learned from my daughter to look at the things around me again. As a baby she would reach out and stare at a leaf - I had long forgotten about that wonder.

Another wonderful episode! Thank you so very much!

Wow, what an interesting video! I learned so much! Excited to see your next one!

Hi Kim, thank you so much for this exercise, just brilliant.

Fantastic and relaxing video to watch, once my new macro lens arrives, this is one exercise I will be doing, Thank you Kim

Time. The one thing that there is never enough of. Even lunch hour is actually a half hour but in reality it’s about 10 minutes.😅. This is a wonderful exercise, I will do my best to try it. Have a peaceful week Kim. 🌲

That was such a beautiful video Kim! The images were amazing. I love photographing butterflies, bees and flowers so i definitely want to try macro with the proper lens or tubes. Thank you for another perfect Sunday morning vibe ❤

Thank you Kim for a wonderful video, and a great idea. I already tried it this morning, near my house, and will do it again.

Yes, the bee was awesome. We should look at all photography as mindfulness. I have transitioned into transport photography myself and even though it might be hectic it is soothing to stand there on a platform or bus stop and watch them go by, to various destinations. In a busy hub you are the one constant. Just like in macro photography.

Amazing idea Kim , what a fantastic collection of images, and that hoverfly in flight 😮

Many thanks i love macro and this was a very peaceful video

Another great video Kim. The hover fly in flight was amazing. The other image's that you took were great. Another thing i must try.

What a truly inspiring video. I have only just found you, what a great find. I will be giving this a go, thank you.

I absolutely love this video, has inspired me more than I would have expected. I have recently bought a very nice Simgma macro 105mm 1:2.8 DG MACRO HSM, great results so far, and this video has fired me up immensely. Mega thanks!

Hey Kim, Serendipity is not a word you hear used all the time but it describes your experience perfectly "the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way". I gave up buying macro lenses many years ago when I learned about extension tubes. They are MUCH cheaper, allow you to turn almost any lens into a macro lens and get the benefit of different focal lengths in a macro setting and typically allow you to get much closer to your subject. I am actually going to try your technique today. Great video on Macro. Thanks!

Thanks Kim, what a lovely approach to our fantastic hobby. I don’t have a dedicated Macro lens, but I’m going to get one now!

Great idea! I just bought my first camera a few days ago because I wanted to get into macro photography. I've been practicing indoors, but I think tomorrow I'm going to try outdoors for the first time! Thanks for the inspiration.

Great idea Kim. Inspired me to sit and photo the roses in our garden.

Wonderful video! Photography, and macro especially is always like a therapy session for me. Very rarely am I able to just focus & feel so relaxed as I do with a camera in my hands. On a side note, all my photography gear is from mpb! It really is fantastic and a great place to get good quality gear for a fraction of the price!

Greetings from Colombia, South America. Great message to create your 1 sg mt exploration area. It makes your Universe million times bigger. Great job Kim ! The flying bee was a big surprise.

Creative rest! Yes. Really enjoyed this exercise in action. It was a great podcast and definitely inspiring. I've often just simply sat in my backyard taking in nature, watching grass grow. Love the fly in flight image Kim. Absolute cracker that one.

So inspiring. I have a flower garden in my backyard and side yard. Thanks.

Wonderful video, Kim. It's full of inspiring content. Thoughtful.

I am so going to try this. Thank you for inspiring me.

thank you KIM for sharing this I for one am going to try it ,thank you

Hi Kim - What a great idea!!! Thank-you for sharing this idea with us, it's certainly an exercise I shall plan to do when our spring arrives 😊 Cheers, Stu Wellington, NZ

Thanks Kim, I really enjoyed that!

Great video Kim. I thoroughly agree with the utility of macro lenses. I bought mine about a year ago and recently noticed in LR that it has taken over the top spot of most used from my 24-70. I love this macro stuff. I believe the plant in your shot of the bug at 10:30 mark was an Equisetum. Those plants are among the oldest living plants still around; they were here 100 million years ago! Although they can become invasive in residential landscape, they can make for some interesting photography.

Something some people don't realise with Macro lenses, is they are also generally great prime lenses for other forms of photography, definitely a usable lens beyond just macro

Stunning fly images! They are such interesting creatures. Bravo.

Got an incredible picture of a paper wasp a few days back. Its a shame I can't share it here. I agree with you Kim 💯 % we need to pause and enjoy nature ❤

Lovely Video : ) I start every tour like this, to get into the right mind set and focus my senses. Also: Sitting in grass for half an hour in shorts is a great way to get a tic or two :D

Brilliant idea and brilliant content. Great macro shots.

What a great idea for next year in my wildflower garden. I know I've seen so much more wildlife whenever I've taken time out to just stand and look for a while. It'll be a good tester for me to do it with my camera next time instead of my guitar..🍷

Very inspiring Kim. Thank you for this. New subscriber!

Great exercise-you have made think about getting a macro lens. Thanks!

I try to do this on a hoar frosty day. Only needs to be 10 minutes and it's amazing how the vegetation (weeds) become beautiful, sparkling and jewel like.

I like the meditating vibe of this video, Kim :)

Insect photography is my main interest. What I really like is being able to pick up my gear and go less than one minute walk from my door and get great images. I tend not to sit on the ground as at my age I will need 15 minutes to get up again. I do however tend to stand near a plant that will attract pollinators. I still remember capturing my first insect in flight it is a great feeling. (Was going to say I got a buzz but decided against it)

This reminds me of what I do occasionally while birding. I call it the Big Sit. Find a pond, seashore, meadow and sit down from dawn to dusk, with time for the obvious lunch and toilet breaks. Sit, be quiet. No talking, so doing this solo is best. It doesn't take long before a seeming parade of wildlife will appear.

❤ great idea for photos

Thanks Kim for a new challenge 😊

Hi! I usually do you technique, choose a spot and remain there to see what I can capture. Still practising and trying to learn from my mistakes, with my Zuiko 60 mm. Great pictures Kim!

It might be at odds with your sponser, but I would advise anyone thinking of taking up macro photography to buy some macro tubes before committing to a macro lens (mpb probably sell them too I guess). They convert any lens into a macro lens, and are far cheaper than buying the whole lens. By the way, "Creative Rest" is a fantastic term which fully captures that zen-like period when you are at one with the the camera and your surroundings. Love it

Wonderful photography indeed❤

That spider shot is the best for me ,. Well done !

Thanks for this. I’m thinking that I might try a variation of this exercise and go out to one spot perhaps over a series of days each time with a different lens on my camera. It could be interesting to see what becomes visible in that same place at different focal lengths.

Great video, and tips, Your the best. thanks for a sunday video.

What a wonderful idea. I concur about mpb just traded one lens for another, it was a very good experience. I thought I had finished with my kit…maybe I need to add a macro lens…Thanks for another great video.

This video came at a good time as I'm considering dipping my toe in macro photography. I really like the pics you took they were really clear and great detail and loved the spider pics. One question if I may, I was looking at your shutter speeds especially where the flowers and grasses were concerned, and noticed that they were higher than ive seen sugested in other vids, for example in one vid it said a shutter speed of 200, iso 200 and f12 were optimal settings for macro. Obviously, your settings were working as the pics were so very well detailed. I was just wondering about your thoughts about the settings.

Thanks Kim. Your video really opened my eyes to ways to be creative outside my back door. Peace from Fort Lauderdale

Nice video - great ideas and inspiration.

I likes the mood of video. The depth of field is the only point i argue.

What a GREAT video! Thank you and best wishes from Austria Heimo

OMG!! Kim those insects are amazing

The fly (or any insect) in flight is so rare. I came to believe it could only be captured by accident. But, maybe just sitting, quietly in one place, increases the odds. Great pic!

Beautiful images and so clever to catch an insect in flight.

This is a really helpful video!

For many, sitting still or being quiet is now a rarity, yet it is something to be cherished at every opportunity. This idea of just using a 1m square is a similar principle to the old naturalists of history who spent their entire lives just getting to know their garden or local patch. Personally, I have found that just sitting or lying on a patch of grass focusses the mind, and helps to concentrate your senses in a way that rushing around looking for this, that, or the other never can. I remember as though it were yesterday lying back in a hayfield in my childhood Warwickshire village and just watching and listening to the skylarks; watching butterflies flitting about , with the bees and wasps [stinging and the myriad of non-stinging ones] going about their business. If I moved my head to one side, I could see a tawny owl dozing its way through the day... and all this from sitting still, being quiet and allowing nature to settle in your presence. NOTE: Do wear sun screen, wear a hat and roll down your sleeves - it is amazing how many tiny insects will come to you to investigate, and some may not be averse to having a nibble! PS. Please don't wear insect repellent - firstly, you want the little scamps to come to you, and secondly, DEET is ai industrial plastic softener, and you may well end up with melted finger prints in your equipment.

Fantastic idea, love the video. One very basic question from a novice, how did you decide on the aperture and shutter speeds?

Hi Kim lovely images . Thank you so much for the inspiration. My photography has absolutely died a death since the pandemic kicked off in 2020 . My last photo trip Into wales was literally a week or so before lockdown . We live next to the river Avon in Worcestershire. So wildlife galore. I do actually need a massive kick in the backside . But thank you for a bit of inspiration. Regards Martin x

Love the bee Kim fantastic

Perfect! Just need to fetch my new macro prime lens from the post office to start this exercise in my garden. Thank you for sharing the exercise!

Great vid & pics.📷 think I might look into getting a macro lens. It's a whole new world down there.

Superb images. 👌

U go girl

Interesting exercise, Kim. And amazing results! Those yellow flowers are called buttercups here in Nova Scotia. :-)

Thank you.

What a great example of being able to find a photograph anywhere. Excellent work!

This video was so calming and also inspiring. I can’t wait to try this idea. I don’t have a macro but do have a prime that’s got a decent close focus length

Nice video, thanks for sharing

Good video thanks.

Awesome video ❤

Im doing this exercise and finding it very helpful. Thankyou. To make it harder, I set a timer and walk till it goes off, and that is my spot. What camera are you using?

Fantastic Video. Beautiful Photos. Greetings from Germany , Marcus

Great,n Amazing😊

It's often a nice surprise finding spiders that you didn't know were there. Lovely shots, Kim

ICM sitting there would be great too!

Great video and photography meditation session idea. I'm a beginner photographer, I was wondering what budget lens to use for macro work?

♥️♥️♥️