There’s been some talk about the Internet not being sharp enough, or somehow incapable of capturing sharp photos. It’s unlike the following will put all these claims to rest, but since this beatle cooperated by posing for me, here are a few fun macro shots.

Every once in a while your photography may hit a dry spell. When that happens to me, I sometimes look back at some old photos, and maybe get a macro lens and go shoot some of the tiny stuff that’s always out there if we stop long enough to notice. Here are some old shots from a couple of years ago that remind me it’s time to stop and think micro.

You may have heard of blueberries, strawberries, and other berries. Today I want to introduce you to a new species, the simpleberry. While photographing the park around the Sacramento, CA state capitol this past December, I went through a process I often experience when I come across an appealing scene. My first and most natural inclination is to include everything. I tried resisting that urge and focus instead on a very tiny portion of what lay before me, but I still came with this rather busy composition.

Yes, it’s a closeup, achieved with the maximum focal length of my 16-85 lens on my D300 camera, and yes, it features a nice combination of colors and in vs. out of focus elements. Yet it still suffers what I call the “everything-and-the-kitchen-sink” problem. Fortunately I was thinking through this and did what I’ve now learned to do in similar situations. I asked, “what is this shot about?” And “what do I really want to show here?” So I switched cameras to my D700, and using the very shallow DOF my 85mm f1.4D lens enables, I tried simplifying further.

Still, the result is a bit too complex. Even using my “draw a diagonal” across the frame” trick didn’t quite hit the mark.

A few minutes earlier I had taken this simpler shot (blown highlights and all), but it didn’t really come across to me as strong due to the busier background.

Maybe if I tried something similar now, keeping my eye on a more even background while simplifying the foreground subject…

And voila!, I found my simpleberries.