Tracy Calder
Tracy Calder is a photographer, writer and former editor of Outdoor Photography magazine. In 2018 she co-founded Close-up Photographer of the Year (CUPOTY). Last year she was awarded a gold medal from the RHS for her Plant Scars series. Her work has been exhibited at The Photographers’ Gallery, National Portrait Gallery and Saatchi Gallery. To see more, visit Instagram @tracy_calder_photo and www.cupoty.com
1 Get creative
Macro photography and shallow depth of field go hand in hand, but this needn’t be a problem if you approach the out-of-focus areas of your image with an air of curiosity and possibility. A wash of colour behind a plant can create a beautiful, painterly effect, for example.
2 Do the splits
If, like me, you started out using a film SLR, you will be familiar with the idea of using a split focus screen. Imagine my joy when manufacturers started to include this as an option in digital cameras! Simply switch to live view, select the split-image focusing aid and rotate the focusing ring until the separate parts of the image line up. It’s so satisfying!
3 Hit the ground
Just like wildlife, plants often look great when you get down to their level, so wear waterproof trousers and use a garden kneeling pad. While some tripods allow you to get down low, I find a beanbag can be useful. (I know one photographer who uses a
