Moment Macro 10x Lens | Best Camera Tool for Plant Lovers & Gardeners

Botanical photography of nature's flora and fauna stems from textbook illustrations of the natural world. Used in various cataloging styles, such drawings were a highly skilled job that required a comprehensive understanding of horticultural knowledge. Physicians, pharmacists, scientists, and gardeners often used pictures of plant life for proper identification and analysis. In fact, these practices can be traced back to sometime between 50 and 70 CE, when a book titled De Materia Medica, created by Greek botanist Pedanius Dioscorides, informed readers to identify plant species for medicinal purposes. Centuries of advancements were seen in the printing process, allowing colors and details to appear more accurately on paper.

Thus, time evolves, and technology advances. While hand-drawn illustrations are still widely prevalent and often gazed upon as an art practice, digital photography has become increasingly popular. Anna Atkins, an early pioneer of plant photography, made her significant entrance to the botanical world by creating over 10,000 images by hand. Her cyanotype printing method produced striking colors later known as 'blueprints,' expanding an exciting world for flora lovers and botanical identifiers across the globe.

If you're a gardener, arborist, forager, or novice botanist — studying the taxology of various plants can be intimidating, which is where photography can come in. Whether it's a hobby or you simply want to photograph bountiful harvests, photographing this unique subject matter is an art. How do you capture its beauty? If you wish for a macro shot, which camera tools are best?

Let's dive in.

Up Close & Personal

First, the most extensive advice I'll give is to use a macro lens to capture all the details of your botanicals. Slow down and remember the details. In all plant work, noticing each optical feature of a flower or tree is worth logging. Not a single spec should remain unnoticed. That's why the Moment Macro 10x Lens is the perfect tool for mobile photographers to capture details in everyday life.

It works like a little magnifying glass on your phone. With the sharpest glass imaginable and the most impressive bokeh you can capture with your phone, the Moment Macro Lens is perfect for getting lost in the tiny details.

Every Moment Macro Lens also includes a removable diffuser hood that creates even, soft light when shooting tiny details. Shadows can be painful when capturing macro photography — thus, the removable diffuser hood presses onto the front of the lens to provide even, filtered light across every scene. One inch long is designed to serve as the perfect working distance for the lens.

General Tips for Plant Photography

As an amateur food-forest builder and garden lover, I had the same questions. Throughout my photography journey, I've used digital and analog tools to capture my beloved land and found specific tips along the way. Below are tidbits of knowledge for your capturing journey and how I log my botanical observations.

1. Achieve Texture

Attempt to capture textures that are not usually seen by the naked eye.

If you choose to photograph with the macro lens, it requires a steady hand, mental focus, and just the proper distance. You'll likely end up in Twister-style positions to get the shot. Always try different angles on the same subject because it's challenging to tell if a photo really has captured a focus point and pleasant light. It also gives me lots of options to edit from. For example, flip your phone upside down when you find things like lichen and tiny mushrooms so the camera is as close to the ground as possible to get a level perspective.

2. Best Time Of Day

Plants love the sun, so you should too. Dark, eery images of your botanical subjects will seem out-of-context and a bit off. Plus, your important details might blur out when using tainted light sources.

Embrace the natural, sunny, and cloudless days when available. Most photographers will tell you that the midday sun is the worst for images, and while that might be true for most contexts, not in this case. The more sun, the better.

However, that doesn't mean you're stuck in poor conditions the rest of the time. Take note of every fleeting, passing day’s details to make them a part of your story.

3. Seasonal Highlights

Plants are alive; similar to humans, we adapt to look and feel different across various seasons. Look for year-round opportunities in our Earthly biology. Just because it's Winter and the leaves have fallen doesn't mean it's any less beautiful than Spring's flourishment.

"Take note of every fleeting, passing day’s details to make them a part of your story."

Final Thoughts

Nature photography, including floral or botanical photography, increases appreciation for nature's beauty and inspires action to preserve, conserve, and protect natural resources. But photographs of native plants can perform other functions, and the evaluation of photos needs to consider these other uses.

💌 There's More!

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