Like A Fairytale

Once upon a time, a long time ago, there was a young woman who had big dreams of entering the enchanting world of macro photography. This journey started for her and a friend in an enchanting country called Kwadendamme in the always picturesque Zeeland in the great empire of the Netherlands. It was a fairytale adventure for the two best friends that immediately captured their hearts and captured their souls forever. It was a time when the world of photography was still full of mystery and wonder. And a time when the lens of their cameras served as a magical wand that revealed the beauty of nature in all its glory.

We Had No Idea

Back to reality, it's the year 2010, so yes, in that respect you can say it's been a long time. That year, a friend and I decided to take a macro photography workshop at Vlindertuin Tropical Zoo De Berkenhof in Kwadendamme, located in the province of Zeeland. The journey from our North Brabant home felt like an incredibly distant expedition for both of us. And we were both a bit nervous about what awaited us. We were both completely new to macro photography and we had no idea what exactly we were getting into.

Tea With Cake

Kwadendamme, looked nice when driving in. It seemed to be a beautiful rustic place where you felt welcome in the rural environment. Our destination, the Butterfly Garden, was certainly not the largest Butterfly Garden, smaller than we expected, but the welcome was very warm with the necessary coffee or tea and cake. We could use that after our long journey. And even though we were eager with impatience, we were also happy that we could first strengthen our inner being before entering that 'playground'.

A Short Theory Lesson

After coffee and tea with cake, we first received a short theory lesson as a foretaste of what was to come. Don't ask me what was explained in that theory lesson, the only thing that I remember is that to photograph the butterflies clearly, we had to focus on the back of the butterfly. In retrospect, I can say with certainty that I missed important information. The aperture, for example. I also don't know if I missed this, or if there was just very little discussion about the limited DOF. What I do know is that after this short theory lesson, we were 'released' in the Butterfly Garden where we were allowed to get to work armed with our cameras. Only 2 people could help us with the photographic part, out of at least 25 people. Afterwards, I say, "This was too little".

Missing Guidance

So what I remember most is that we certainly missed some guidance. Of course, the short theory lesson we had received did not stick. I immediately believe that valuable information has certainly been shared, but at the moment, in the excitement of the novelty of macro photography, an hour of theory lessons is not enough. So in practice, it turned out that we were just enthusiastic tourists for a day and that even though we had a very nice day at a beautiful location, the photographic yield could have been much better. Of course, I took a nice photo here and there, but when I scroll through all the 350+ photos that I saved from that day, I see a lot of mistakes, a lot of blurry photos, and photos with lousy composition. In short, photos in which it is clear that, despite the theoretical explanation beforehand, I had no idea what to look for next.

Learn Photography By Doing It

Now I can be negative about that and think it's a shame, but as always, you learn photography by doing it in practice. And by learning from your mistakes. I never attended a macro photography workshop again, but that doesn't mean my interest has gone away. On the contrary. Despite all the challenges that macro photography entails, my interest in macro photography has remained. Let's say it is a spark that smolders, and I am convinced that one day a breath of wind will come from the right direction to ignite the spark back into a flame. Until then, I'll enjoy other things... and the pleasant memory of this day in 2010.

Memories

That remains a memory of a factually unfinished journey. These photos are a lasting memory of a day that taught me that it is important to continue to challenge yourself to grow. It's also a reminder to myself that there is always room for self-improvement and creative discovery. Even after all the years that I have been photographing, I still feel like a novice in macro photography, and I have never felt like I have mastered this branch of photography... Who knows, maybe one day I write a new blog with ... Once upon a time