One of the things we were encouraged to learn was how to see the world differently, and macro photography became one way of exploring this idea. By photographing objects at close range, we were able to move beyond their familiar appearance and examine details that might otherwise go unnoticed.
One of the advantages of studying at an arts university is having access to professional equipment and the opportunity to experiment with it. Armed with a professional camera and macro lens, I worked in a blacked-out room using professional lighting against a black background. This created the opportunity to isolate the subject and focus entirely on its surface, texture and detail.
The object I chose to photograph was a simple brown leather jacket. Although familiar and relatively ordinary, the macro lens transformed how I perceived it. The enlarged images revealed textures, marks and variations within the leather that were not immediately apparent to the naked eye. Something I would normally have considered simply a jacket became a much more complex visual subject, demonstrating how changing our perspective can alter our understanding of even the most familiar objects.
Cheryl Nelson Costumes 