Macro

Brief

It’s easy to understand why people become obsessive about macro photography. It requires a balance of both technical and creative ability, while providing an insight into the world that is often impossible to appreciate with the naked eye. Patience and understanding of your subject – and ethics, if you are photographing a living creature – are also crucial. If you choose to photograph plants or flowers, we want to see pristine examples (unless their flaws are intrinsic to the composition), and if you photograph animals or insects, then take the time to study and understand their behaviour, so you don’t cause them distress. And don’t feel you have to restrict yourself to plants or living creatures, either. We also want to see abstract landscapes and impressionistic still lifes in the entries to this category. Anything goes, as long as it’s taken in close-up.