When shooting close up work patience is the key. How many times have your heard that in shooting photos. I have to constantly remind myself to Slow Down and take my time and really look at the subject and compose the image for maximum effect. The thing about shooting close to your subject is movement. Any camera movement or breeze and you can lose the focus of your subject ( but is this a bad thing?). Sometimes, I use a tripod and this allows me to relax and take my time composing the image but still you have to be aware of motion. Early morning is a good time to shoot because more often than not there is a calm atmosphere before it begins to heat up and wind arrives. You can always use barriers to block breezes (cardboard that surround your subject) so you can shoot longer into the day but this does not make for a spontaneous, intuitive compositions that can say more about your subject than a more studio like image. So, in alot of circumstances I shoot untethered to a tripod whereby I can get in close to my chosen subject using different angles and experimenting with the subjects color and softness to create a more interesting photograph. This intimate closeness to your subject sometimes generates a more authentic relationship in the final photographs than shooting a more defined sterile approach with a predetermined design in mind.
One other thing I have to be aware of when shooting without a tripod is my death like grip on my camera. Years ago when we had cameras with film in them (yes they still sell those camera with film) I was getting a scratch that went horizontal through a good portion of the frames on a 36 exposure roll of film. When I couldn't figure out what was causing this frustrating scratch on my film I brought the camera into the repair tech to find out what was causing these scratches. He couldn't find anything on the back plate that was rough enough to make the marks. After reviewing my shooting, I realized that I was holding the camera too tightly while shooting and putting extreme pressure on the back plate without realizing it. I was so caught up in the shoot that I didn't pay attention to my death grip on my camera. Now with digital that is not a problem but how you hold your camera still can make or break a shot. When shooting close up work hand held, hold you camera firmly with the camera sitting in the palm of your hand and don't squeeze the life out of it. Relax and focus, breath easily and press the shutter button calmly with out jerking the camera downward.
Finally, I always try and anchor the viewers eye to a focused detail in the close up. Sometimes you can go so abstract that no one knows what the subject is and might lose interest.
I have selected a few close-up images of nature and a few images that were set up with a more predetermined design in mind.
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