Extreme Close Up

Sunflower along Highway 159 near Moro, Illinois
Photograph by Tom Atwood

One of the most important decisions a photographer makes is where to position the camera. Sounds simple enough. But when you think about it, the possibilities are infinite, among them - how close? Moving in extremely close to this sunflower near Moro, Illinois reveals small, otherworldly features with otherworldly names: micro and megasporophyllis, hundreds of them, housed in the androceium, surrounded by yellow. Instead of just beautiful, an extreme closeup helps the gaudy sunflower become interesting, too. And for photographic purposes, that's better. Shutter: 1/250; Aperture: f/3.2; ISO: 100; Focal length: 35 mm. (Double-click image to enlarge)