One thing that I like about macro photography is that you can do it almost any place and anytime. Unlike wildlife or scenic photography you do not even have to leave your house if you do not want to. Also if you have some light sources you can shoot pictures in the middle of the night or when it is freezing outside.
Outside my front door I have a plant that has the most colorful leaves you could imagine. Seeing that I have not done any macro photography for the longest time I thought one of these leaves would be perfect to work with.
I am not someone that goes out of my way to do macro photography but I do like playing with the settings and looks you can get. This shoot was just what I needed to get my creative juices flowing. Add to that with the cold and windy conditions outside I can extend my fall color shoots a little longer.
Just taking pictures of what you find is okay, but if you truly want to spice up a photo you need to go a few steps beyond. When I first started to work with this image I shot it against a white background and that killed the look. Then I tried a black background and that helped but not a lot. Next I added some moisture to the leaf to simulate morning dew and that really helped it to pop but it was still missing something. The something was a sparkle in the background and more side light. I added a sparkly background and changed the lighting to more of a side / rear light and BINGO. It was exactly what I wanted.
