ALTERNATIVE MACRO
There’s more to close-up photography than flowers and insects, says Tracy Calder. Four photographers share how they retain an open mind, and a sense of play, when shooting everyday subjects
Training your eyes to see ordinary subjects in new, interesting ways takes time and patience. For Rob Blanken, the process begins by looking at the work of other nature photographers (especially the ‘real toppers’), which gives him an extensive frame of reference. Doing so also helps him to identify, ‘what has not been done yet’, which sparks ideas. Outside photography, Rob admires the work of painters JMW Turner (‘especially his use of colour’), Mark Rothko and Egon Schiele. While his style is very much his own, he admits there’s much in the world that he finds beautiful and fascinating, and subconsciously it must influence his work. But what, I wonder, does a former career as a dermatologist bring to the mix? ‘Dermatology is a profession that requires careful attention,’ he says. ‘Small differences can have important consequences. It’s the same with photography. I know quite a few dermatologists who paint or take pictures!’ In 2018 Rob realised that he was taking more and more ‘abstract’ pictures. ‘I was capturing ordinary subjects in unusual, often unrecognisable ways,’ he recalls. ‘Gradually the level of abstraction increased.’ By then he’d taught himself to think carefully before releasing the shutter. When Rob comes across a promising scene he stops, asks himself what feelings it evokes in him and then tries to capture this in the picture. ‘Emotion strongly influences the design of my photographs,’ he admits. ‘I’m looking for a story that can be interpreted in multiple ways. It helps that I have a lot of imagination and a romantic side!’ Sometimes Rob has an idea of what he wants in his mind’s eye, but often it’s a case of spending time with a subject and letting everything ‘sink in’. Working out how to tackle a subject comes naturally and quickly to him, but fine-tuning a picture is different. ‘I will try out everything in terms of composition, lighting etc,’ he says. ‘If I am shooting with a group, I invariably take the most pictures!’ Rob finds working on long-ter
