A photograph can capture a scene, an image, a fleeting moment, and transform it into an object of study.

Macro photography does this, but like super hardcore. By definition, macro photography is a 1:1-scale reproductions, where an object should be captured at life-size relative to the camera’s sensor. The lens needs to be able to focus quite closely on the subject, and it should be able to capture as sharp and distortion-free an image as possible.

A steady hand is needed, because shake can easily blur an image taken so close-up. Having a lot of light and a wider aperture can help cut down on shutter speed, but due to the closeness of focus, the focal plane also becomes quite narrow, such that you can only focus on a single facet of a complex surface.

With all that technical description provided, I invite you to instead picture me hopping around shoving a camera as close to a grasshopper as possible, framing photos poorly, and having it jump around.

Up close, you can really get a good luck at the way that the grasshopper’s body is composed of overlapping plates.

It’s pretty cool!

I’m also impressed by the spindliness of the legs.

And the insane length on one of the grasshopper’s antennas!

Obviously, I had an easier time getting photos from farther away than closer, so many of these pics aren’t ‘true macro.’ But, I think the technical aspects are less important than the fact that I’m happy with them.

They were fun to take, and I think they’re pretty cool to look at too!