What essential macro tips do you wish you’ve known sooner?

As with many photography genres, macro photography may seem complicated or intimidating for any beginner. Fortunately, there are now many resources and opportunities for everyone to learn from other photographers’ experiences and practice. Case in point is UK-based photographer Andrew Lanxon, who shares his best macro tips — those he wish he had known sooner — in the video above.

However, Lanxon skipped the usual technical stuff like the best camera settings for macro, editing tips, or how to use flash for macro. Instead, he decided to discuss mindsets or attitudes that drastically transformed his approach to the craft.

For example, he found himself taking better photos when he started slowing down. This tip applies not only for macro photography, but photography in general. We may often find ourselves rushing to find a location for photographing the Golden Hour. Or, those who often do street photography may find themselves rushing to capture a decisive moment or two. It may also be the case for professional photographers who often squeeze in as many shoots as possible in a day.

In any case, macro photography, in general, actually requires a great deal of observation, which we tend to do better when we slow down. Lanxon, for example, found that he got better macro photos when he started spending more time appreciating his surroundings. The longer time he spent examining the bushes, peering under the leaves and branches, and getting low on the ground, the more those amazing macro worlds revealed themselves to him.

Finally, he also stressed two things that even pro photographers never fail to mention. Practice makes perfect, and don’t obsess over gear. One tells us where our focus should be, and the other points to a distraction we should avoid. We hear these reminders all the time, and for good reasons. As with many other things, do something enough times and you eventually develop your own mastery and style. Likewise, you don’t always need the latest and the greatest gear to produce impressive macro photos.

Do you also have some macro tips (or photography tips in general) that you wish you knew sooner? Tell us about it in the comments below. Or, why not share it in our group discussion if you’re already part of the Photofocus Community!