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<\/a><\/p>\nPhoto 2024 \u00a9 Maarten van der Voorde | FUJIFILM X-H1 and FUJINON XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR, 1\/125 sec at F4.5, ISO 500<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Becoming a Documentary Photographer<\/h2>\n
\u201cMy photography started when I was about 16 years old \u2013 that\u2019s a long time ago now,\u201d Maarten begins. \u201cI started with nature photography, but gradually began to collect other kinds of projects as a professional.\u201d<\/p>\n
His diverse career has resulted in a particularly sharp set of skills, though as recently as 2015, a happy accident caused a total paradigm shift in Maarten\u2019s approach to the art.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was travelling with a good friend of mine, a National Geographic photographer, and my job was to make images of him while he did his work. I had brought my FUJIFILM X100 \u2013 just for fun \u2013 but, one day, I left my main camera body behind. We were out there, and had some photos to do for the article, so he said: \u2018You have that camera, do it with that.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cI started using the X100, and it totally changed my mind about photography. It pushed me towards more reporting and documentary photography \u2013 that is what I do now. All my photography is documentary now. The story can be anything, everything, but fundamentally I am a storyteller.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nPhoto 2024 \u00a9 Maarten van der Voorde | FUJIFILM X-H1 and FUJINON XF50-140mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR, 1\/125 sec at F5.6, ISO 250<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
A Patient Approach<\/h2>\n
The way Maarten\u2019s pure documentarian spirit expresses itself in macro photography starts with his attitude to light.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes you have it and sometimes you don\u2019t. Light is like a gift. I have no flash, no light panels \u2013 I work only with what is available. You can see in my photos, when there is light appearing in the background, that is only natural. You can achieve a bokeh effect simply with sunlight coming through the trees.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I have a cloudy day, I have to work differently. You have to play with the light, not fight it. You must play with what you\u2019ve got to get really natural pictures.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nPhoto 2024 \u00a9 Maarten van der Voorde | FUJIFILM X-H1 and FUJINON XF90mmF2 R LM WR, 1\/1900 sec at F2.8, ISO 800<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Maarten\u2019s perspective on finding subjects for macro photography is similar.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will go where I know I can find butterflies or mushrooms. But you may have to go there several times to get the picture. With mushrooms, you have to go over the course of a few weeks, again and again. Sometimes I will come home with two or three pictures \u2013 and sometimes I don\u2019t have anything. That\u2019s the sport of this kind of photography.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I work with wildlife, I am the guest. I\u2019m the visitor in their environment, and no picture is worth making changes to their habitat. You could get the pictures you want \u2013 or you could go home empty-handed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn one of my pictures, the light is shining nicely on a frog. It took me three or four hours before I had that special light where it needed to be. I know there are people who would just take the frog and place it somewhere with that light \u2013 or better light, even. But all the bacteria on your hands can go into the frog because their skin is so permeable. You\u2019re killing the frog for the picture, and you must never do that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nPhoto 2024 \u00a9 Maarten van der Voorde | FUJIFILM X-H2 and FUJINON XF80mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro, 1\/140 sec at F2.8, ISO 125<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Redefining Beauty<\/h2>\n
Brightly coloured flowers and insects are tempting targets for macro photographers, but Maarten suggests that less classically beautiful subjects deserve just as much attention, while presenting a far more interesting challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cButterflies are beautiful, but the mushroom is a whole other organism. If you want to show it off, you will need to be so secure with your background. I will look very closely at the colours and the light, so I can give the mushroom the credit it deserves.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn one way, it\u2019s easy to make a picture of a mushroom in the forest. But it\u2019s difficult to get the drama and emotion to show how special it can be. If we didn\u2019t have mushrooms, we wouldn\u2019t even have forests \u2013 I would like to show that in the picture. They are very important organisms.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nPhoto 2024 \u00a9 Maarten van der Voorde | FUJIFILM X-H1 and FUJINON XF90mmF2 R LM WR, 1\/1900 sec at F2, ISO 800<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The Best Lens for Macro Photography<\/h2>\n
It\u2019s clear to see that Maarten is the type of creative who thrives on limitations. This characteristic extends to the way he selects lenses.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hardly ever use zoom lenses because I want to give myself borders. With a prime, you have to be more creative, and more specific with your subject. If you try making all pictures with one lens, you can see a shared atmosphere in the end result.\u201d<\/p>\n
When it comes to macro work, he has one recommendation that sits head and shoulders above the others: \u201cThe FUJINON XF80mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro<\/a> is one of the best. It\u2019s tack-sharp and has so much contrast \u2013 I don\u2019t think there is a better macro lens at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Photo 2024 \u00a9 Maarten van der Voorde | FUJIFILM X-H2 and FUJINON XF80mmF2.8 R LM OIS WR Macro, 1\/250 sec at F2.8, ISO 125<\/p>\n<\/div>\n However, he\u2019s quick to point out the excellent results that can be achieved with a variety of optics when utilising macro extension tubes like the MCEX-11<\/a> and MCEX-16<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s good to use other lenses as well. These images show people that you don\u2019t always need a super-expensive macro lens. You can try it with almost anything \u2013 macro photography can be fun for everyone.<\/p>\n \u201cI took one photo using the FUJINON XF16mmF1.4 R WR<\/a>, which is not a common focal length for macro, but it was perfect for that picture. I got the mushroom in the foreground and the entire forest in the background, with all this light coming in through the trees.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n