For the past couple of weeks my macro lens, a Tamron 90mm f2.8, has been sitting on the table having blown the dust off it and decided it was time to start having a play with my camera again just for the fun of it. Since having my family, my photography has become mainly portrait based, documenting my boys lives as they grow and change. Busy family life hasn't left me with a lot of time left to just take photos for no reason other than that I enjoy it. At the beginning of January my youngest started nursery so this has given me the perfect opportunity to get out without the "help" of a three year old! 

Many moons ago in life BC (before children!) I particularly loved macro photography. Getting up close to a subject and filling the frame, looking at things in a slightly different way. A couple of years ago I had received a macro lens for Christmas but not really having the time to get out and about with it, it had ended up in a camera bag gathering dust. I decided as part of my new years resolution to use some of my new found time to address my photography bucket list and getting some use out of my macro lens was definitely up there on the list. 

Armed with camera, lens, Gorillapod 5K tripod and remote I headed down to a somewhat blustery Exmouth estuary. The thing that particularly caught my eye when I looked low to ground was the balance between natural and man-made objects. The buoys and the way that barnacles were covering the lower parts of them, the ropes and rusting chains with various shells attached. I set up my camera on the tripod and used the live view and manual zoom with a narrow aperture (about 20) to try to get sharp images. I have to say, despite feeling rather out of practise, I am pleased with the results and am now planning more macro trips out.