Small Stuff

It's a fast paced world, and unless you're committed to noticing small stuff in quiet places, you miss a lot of beauty.  Some photographers figure this out and then go out and buy a macro lens.

I don't have a macro, but every now and then, I hunker down to ground level, find something to rest the camera on, and focus on small stuff.  Maybe some frozen leaves, or beads of water on a blade of grass, or maybe two dragonflies connected in copulatory bliss.  If there's no moving air, the subject just sits there, waiting, doing what nature does and going unnoticed by most humans.

When you stop in the field, and stare into the dew-covered spider web in tall grass on a crisp autumn morning, it can transform your day.  That moment of wonder, a visual blast of colour and form, is like a drink from a mountain stream on a hot day.  If you really focus on simple, natural elements, look deep into them, the experience can 'take you to church.' Mystery, physics, cell intelligence, design, awe - whatever happens changes your brain, right there, right then.

Of course, you might have to be in a field, or forest somewhere, and if you're stuck in traffic on the way into the city, you'll have to take a rain check and go after the small stuff another time. But beauty and wonder in small things can appear to you anywhere, even in the parking lot, if you're tuned.  You just have to be looking for it, and willing to stop every now and then and focus in.