These photos were taken as I experimented with a macro filter while wandering through West Terrace Cemetery in Adelaide, Australia in 2023. These photographs, presented as a diptych, showcase details and textures I noticed among the gravestones. I feel it’s very important to provide the readers/viewers with a non-representational focus, allowing them the space to speculate and focus on how the image makes them feel, rather than what the subject actually is. 

The macro filter I used for both images is an extremely cheap magnifying glass attachment that screws onto the front of my DSLR lens; the lens must be about 2 inches away from the subject for it to be somewhat in focus. Regardless of focal length or aperture, the filter causes immense blur, chromatic aberration, and some distortion, which I like for abstract monochrome photographs. Occasionally, I like to experiment by holding it in front of my lens at varying distances, instead of attaching it to my lens. I used +10 magnification glass for these photographs. 

I always say it’s not about how expensive your photographic gear is, but about how you use your gear and how creative you are with whatever you have at your fingertips to create the in-camera effects you like.