I haven't taken any macro shots for a long time, so as my wife is out with a friend tonight and Smallsteps is now in bed, so I decided to waste some time taking some pictures. The other day I was "window shopping" (window shopping used to be a thing) for a new lens, looking at a very nice Olympus 300 mm prime Pro, but for 2700€, I think I can do without.
Window shopping
noun
the activity of looking at goods displayed in shop windows, especially without intending to buy anything.
I remember doing it as a kid with my family when we were occasionally walking through the city after the stores had closed. We'd look in the windows, knowing that we would never buy these things. I still do it today, though I believe it is "out of fashion" since people feel comfortable just putting everything they want on credit, as if next month they are going to have more money than this month, when they couldn't afford to buy things outright.
I actually quite like window shopping, (online browsing) as even though I don't get what I am looking at, I like going through the buyer process. I remember reading a long time ago that planning a holiday is pretty much just as beneficial to reduce stress as going on holiday. It isn't the being away that has the value.
It is the journey.
The subject today was a couple of dandelion seed things, as our garden is absolutely full of them at the moment. There is far more weed than grass, and they have invaded everything, but I don't mind, because I quite like the look of them. I also like the idea of them, as they are prolific, because they are willing to travel. They are made for the journey.
The other thing I like about them is that they are so detailed and fragile, but also robust in the sense that each little seed seems that it will survive anything. I also like that when photographed up close and personal, they look like networks, with each seed being a node, with a hundred connections running from it.
They look great up close.
Nature develops some pretty fantastic solutions to problems, whereas as humanity generally just creates more problems with its solutions. But, at least while I have a macro lens in my hand and a little time to spare, I can close out the world of humanity's issues, and focus in on something far more beautiful, even if it is just a weed that grows anywhere and everywhere.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
Olympus EM-1
60mm macro