What is The Close Up Project? It has been a dream in the making for the last two years. It is the vision of two friends who want to share their love of photography and their love of macro work. The Close Up Project is a site focused on macro and close-up imaging.

The Close Up Project was founded by Dave Evans and Jon White. Dave has been a professional photographer for 15 years, loving macro work from the first time he started to use a camera. His studio Six Visuals specializes in close- up and macro imaging. He loves sharing his expertise and experience to help people learn the craft. Jon has a lifelong love of photography. He has pushed his craft to a serious level over the last year. As a professional web developer he brings his expertise to bear on this project. People who become a part of this community will get an incredible interactive experience.

Use reflections to create more dynamic compositions, show the world in a different light and see the world in a different way.

Both are self-described geeks looking to push the technological limits of production, post-production and presentation in their genre. With the technology available today the possibilities are limitless with what can be done. We are going to find out how far we can go. The gear being produced today opens up new shooting possibilities all the time. Combined with the software and post-production techniques being developed we can do things only imaginable a few years ago. Let’s expand our imaginations and create more.

The days of a print based world are over. How we share our work and disseminate information is wide open. We are a creative community and we will extend this creativity to every part of the process. This is not to say print is dead. It is now just part of a larger toolbox. Let us discover what else is possible.

Macro or close-up-what is the difference? Does the difference matter? A beautiful image is a beautiful image.

Macro and close-up are used interchangeably in many places but there is a difference. I will discuss more on that in another post but here it is in a nutshell. In order to be a true macro photo it must have a reproduction ratio of 1:1 or greater. 1:1 means the image on the sensor or film plain is the same as in real life. Many shots have a macro look but are not technically a macro shot. Many macro shots are actually close-up photos. Close-up shots are between 1:10 and 1:1. We are two geeks who love the technical aspect of what we do. We also love the science behind what we create and believe understanding the science can help you better your art. At the end of the day though what matters is the creativity and the art we produce.

We can miss so much detail with the naked eye.

Close-up and macro shots provide a different look at the world around us. One of the greatest strengths of photography is to reveal what we miss with the naked eye. Close-ups allow us to reveal yet another world we miss or cannot see. Combine these two and the things we can show about the world around us are unique and eye opening.

Education is one of the major goals of this community. It is a place where you can learn about techniques and gear. As well as read about the stories and details behind the macro shots others have done. This is a place where you can ask questions and find answers. We want to help you better your craft and expand your creativity. We don’t limit ourselves to just nature and animal shots. There are close-up shots all around. Don’t limit yourselves either. Go out and try to see all parts of the world differently. Look for the little things. Open your eyes and challenge yourself to look at things in a different way. It doesn’t matter what kind of photography you love to do. These are techniques you can add to your work.

There is so much beauty in the simplicity of the world around us.

We are excited about the things we will be able to do with this project and this community. We have people who will be contributing articles beyond ourselves expanding the subjects and expertise we can bring you. Over the next year we will be bringing you how-to videos, informational PDF’s and so much more. It is time to go out and create incredible images.