Often in photography, less is more. And in the case of abstract images, such as this stunning close-up from Chris See Casas, a simplified composition can create drama.
"I am researching water photography for my thesis and stumbled upon an article teaching how to do creative macro photography," explains Chris. "I had this urge to try it immediately, and all sorts of creative juices flowed from there on."
Describing her thought process, Philippines-based Chris says: "I wanted a photo that would create greater awareness regarding the importance of every water drop in an interesting way – most of the photos I see of water drops are too formal.
"This is the main reason I chose to shoot it in macro. I discovered the use of long exposure creatively in the process."
In high-magnification images, careful lighting and exposure is of critical importance, since any imbalances are immediately noticeable in the tightly composed frame.
Chris encountered several challenges shooting this image. "The first was finding the proper equipment to produce crisp light streaks. I experimented with many kinds of reflective surfaces and lighting equipment – flashlight, mini pin light and pen light.
"I used the pen light in the end – it works in wonderful ways! Secondly, identifying the proper way to point the light at the subject.
"I did many trials before landing a good shot like this. Thirdly, time; a lot of it was spent experimenting to get a shot this interesting. Long exposure and macro photography combined requires lots of patience."
The end result was a shot that Chris feels is unique and impossible to exactly recreate. In her own words: "I cannot replicate this one. Ever."
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