Macro photography - using depth of field

Last month, I spent a relaxing afternoon making and then photographing these woven items under guidance from Cherie, the Artist in Residence at Wintjiri Arts & Museum at Yulara, in Australia's Northern Territory. Even though the finished items were far from perfect, I found it refreshing to  try a new craft, and I always love doing macro photography (photography producing images of small items larger than life size).

Using a macro lens limited the camera's depth of field - which is why the objects in these photos above are not completely in focus. But, as an artist,  I quite like having these soft and sharp areas - the narrow focus creates a sense of scale and adds interest to the image by drawing the eye to a particular feature - in this case the red section of the bangle.

This photo was taken from further away allowing more of the composition to be in focus. The items in the foreground are mostly in focus but the far edge of the little basket and the raffia in the background is somewhat softer.