……just like I used to with my G3 and the close-up lenses……

That’s what I said to DM, after confessing the teensiest bit of dissatisfaction with my very expensive macro lens, which is rarely anywhere other than on the front of the bloody great heavy camera that’s in my hand, making it all the more ‘bloody great’ and ‘heavy’.

It’s not that I don’t lurve the lens, indeed I do. I reckon it’s almost certainly the best bit of kit I own, apart from the camera body itself, if I force myself to be sensible and not crown the starburst filter with that accolade. These days, probably 60-70% of all of my photos are shot with it (the macro, not the starburst) so any ‘dissatisfaction’ has to be viewed in that context.

BUT there is no escaping the fact that the G3, with its little set of macro lenses got as close as you’d probably ever want to be to your subject and still focussed. It did, of course, have its shortcomings – when I got a tad more sophisticated with my photography, I noticed the rainbow halos that it gave all of the out of focus edges so I know it wasn’t perfect but it certainly was where I wanted to be in terms of proximity to my subject. That caused me some bother when I started to print my photos. (Note the expression ‘started to print’ – for yonks and yonks now, my main ‘viewing pleasure’ has been on my monitor! (But I’m still in no way tempted by a ‘digital photo frame’ – somehow, I reckon they will all end up in landfill pretty sharpish, just like the foot spas and the Carmen rollers!)

So, David said ‘you need a tube’ and when I realised that my new camera was even ‘further away’ because of the non-crop, I decided I did, indeed need a tube and that’s what I got. As fast as my fingers would carry me, I got onto those lovely peeps at ‘Whorehouse Express’ as it’s affectionately known in our gaff and ordered myself the biggest tube I could lay my mouse on.

Now, I am back inside and thrilled to be there.

This dried iris seed pod was rescued by me from the garden a couple of weeks ago and stuck in a pot in the studio, awaiting a day when I felt I could do justice to it – either through ‘inspiration’ or ‘kit’. I’ve certainly got the kit bit…….

Last year, Terri was making a bit to be top dog chicken but her reign only lasted moments, even in the world of a chicken!