Landscapes and life on a small scale offer some of the richest picture possibilities for outdoor photography. Surprisingly, few people pay much attention to the real detail of the environment - the plants and creatures that live on a scale measured in centimeters and millimeters. For this reason, photographs of life in miniature have the ability to surprise. Moreover, even when a larger landscape lacks visual drama, or if the light is flat and dull, a tiny piece of the same habitat may well hold the potential for a striking image.

Simple observation is one thing, however, taking a successful close-up photograph is another. Just as our eyes are more comfortable working at normal distances, so cameras and lenses are easiest to use with full-scale subjects. To fill the frame of a 35mm slide or negative with an insect or small flower, the lens has to be able to focus down to a small distance only, and must also be able to give sharp images at such a short distance.

Regular lenses generally focus no closer than about 30cm (l ft) and are designed by the manufacturers to perform best at distances greater than this. As a result, close-up photography often needs additional equipment and some special techniques to go with it. This said, the reputation that close-up photography has for being technically difficult is no longer as well-deserved as it once was. The calculations that used to plague photographers, such as working out the extra allowance for exposure and exactly how close to position a flash unit, have largely been done away with by camera automation. And increasingly, the standard lens supplied with some cameras has a macro facility, allowing it to be focused closer than normal.

(For more information, see the 35mm Handbook.)