Macrolicious Friday

I haven't even blogged since last week's Macrolicious Friday. I've been sooooo busy with things that I'll catch you up on later but after I posted my macro last week, I asked M if he liked it. With hesitation, he said, "yes, but it's not really what I consider a macro photo."

Ok, just so we're all clear here, I do know what macro photography is but after reading a definition of it, the definition has expanded somewhat from the original meaning.

Here is the definition I found the most:

Macro photography is close-up photography. The classical definition is that the image projected on the "film plane" (i.e., film or a digital sensor) is close to the same size as the subject. On 35 mm film (for example), the lens is typically optimized to focus sharply on a small area approaching the size of the film frame. Most 35mm format macro lenses achieve at least 1:2, that is to say, the image on the film is 1/2 the size of the object being photographed. Many 35mm macro lenses are 1:1, meaning the image on the film is the same size as the object being photographed. Another important distinction is that lenses designed for macro are usually at their sharpest at macro focus distances and are not quite as sharp at other focus distances.

In recent years, the term macro has been used in marketing material to mean being able to focus on a subject close enough so that when a regular 6×4 inch (15×10 cm) print is made, the image is life-size or larger. With 35mm film this requires a magnification ratio of only approximately 1:4, which demands a lower lens quality than 1:1. With digital cameras the actual image size is rarely stated, so that the magnification ratio is largely irrelevant; cameras instead advertise their closest focusing distance.

For purposes of Macrolicious Friday, the photos featured are photos that were taken with my camera's macro/super macro setting. I only have an Olympus point and shoot so if you need to, take that into consideration.

This photo was taken by M on March 20th, 2010. We were at Target Field sitting out in the sun and I wanted M to take a picture of my lips as my lip gloss was very sparkly in the sun. The picture reminds me of summer and with this weekend's weather forecast of mid to upper 80's, I thought it was appropriate. Click the photo to enlarge and see all the flecks of glitter including blue/purple on my lips.

Have a great weekend!