Photography doesn't always have to be an "over the top" event such as a wedding, concert or a corporate awards ceremony.  Sometimes obstacles get in the way when you really want to take photographs and you are left wondering "what should I do now?"  As the country has been stuck in a record breaking heatwave for the last couple of months, I found myself in the same photographic predicament.  With temperatures in the upper 90's everyday, I didn't feel like lugging all of my equipment outside and dealing with the sun, heat and humidity.  I decided to make the best of the situation and create some photos inside of the house where it is cool.

In a situation like this, macro photography can be a lifesaver!  Macro photography is a fancy name for close up photography and once you give it a try, it can be a lot of fun.  This type of photography can be challenging as well because it forces you to be very creative in finding interesting subjects to capture that viewers will find captivating.  So with my camera at the ready, I began my exploratory trek around the house looking for something that would grab my attention.  The sky is the limit because almost anything can look really cool or freaky when viewed at a very close distance.  Some common subjects are flowers, insects, leaves, fabrics, food, water drops and textures such as clothing, wood, rust and stone walls.  As you will soon see, I was able to come up with some macro shots without barely breaking a sweat!  (Sorry, couldn't resist!).

Scroll down to see them...

Patterns and textures usually work well in close up photography.
I used a spray bottle to create additional interest by adding water drops to this leaf.

I broke one of my rules with this photo by going outside.  I looked out the window and saw this grasshopper and made a mad dash to try to capture this handsome fellow.  He saw my camera, turned and said, "Be sure to capture my GOOD side!"

This is where things take a bit of a weird turn.  I looked in the kitchen cupboard and saw a jar of rice and wondered if I could do anything interesting with it.  Amazingly the photo was taken with the camera looking through the plastic jar, I never took the rice out of the jar.

As I stated earlier, patterns and textures are often good subjects in macro photography and this photo gets a bonus because it contains both.  The item in question is a multi-purpose mat that is used in the kitchen.

While we are in the kitchen, let's see what we have in the fridge.  No, this is not the surface of some far off alien planet.  It's a big head of broccoli.  Yum!

Heading into a different part of the house, I continued to search for more interesting subjects.  As I entered my music room, I spotted my acoustic guitar and thought that it would make a tough challenge.  I focused on the white fret marker and adjusted the camera setting so that the strings would gradually go out of focus.

These designs are actually etchings in the windows of the front door of my house.  The windows are clear and transparent, the colors you see are the colors of objects outside.

This photo took a bit of work to set up.  I suspended the key in the air with a piece of string and I turned on some tiny lights in the background.  By adjusting settings in the camera, I was able to make the lights appear out of focus and create a dreamy, otherworldly background.

If you have any questions or comments about any of these macro photos, please ask by adding a comment below.  Have you given macro photography a try?  If so, that's great!  Share your photos by including a link so others can see your work.