So I know a lot of photographers do a regular Macro Monday post, but since my first macro lens just came on Monday afternoon, I’m a little tardy to the party this week. Story of my life. But, I’ve been having so much fun playing with my new lens that I wanted to share a few shots anyway. I got the Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens as a birthday gift, & I am having a blast playing. (Happy birthday to me! Just don’t ask which birthday it is . . . )

Here is a little peek at what I’ve spent the last couple of days doing . . . wandering around the house & yard seeing what I can find to get up close & personal with. I’ve always loved other people’s macro photographs, so I’m pretty excited to be able to experiment with my own. It is a whole new way of looking at the world & it is definitely going to take some practice, but I’m already in love.

One of my favorite things about macro photography is that it takes something ordinary & makes you look closer. That top left picture? That’s the brush I scrub my cast iron pans with. Exciting, huh? But I loved the way the bristles looked through the macro lens. That little bug? No idea what it is. My daughter found it on the side of the playhouse & called me over to see it. Those thorns are on the shrubs that we planted way too close to our front porch. We need to move them, but for now we just try not to brush up against them on the way to the front door, especially if we are wearing shorts. It’s so much fun to see if I can make an everyday object into something beautiful.

And now I find myself kind of wishing for a freak April snow storm so I can try my hand at snowflakes. (Not really, but maybe just a little bit . . . )

Another nice things about the 100 mm macro is that it doubles as a nice (& super sharp!) portrait lens. This is just a snapshot that I took when I first put the lens on my camera. It was too rainy to go outside & too dark in the house to do much, but I’m too impatient to wait for the rain to stop.

Today, we had a little visitor in our front yard, & I had to run outside & get a few shots of him. I don’t think he knew quite what to make of me down in his face like that. He froze & didn’t move anything but his little forked tongue until I left!

Now I’m (im)patiently awaiting delivery of my Cybersync triggers, so I can play with my other new toy – studio lighting. I’m equal parts excited & terrified. Here’s to learning new things!

Have you learned anything new lately? Leave a comment & tell me about it!