Interesting Photo of the Day: Red Bell Pepper Macro

Interesting Photos  •  Macro Photography

A great thing about macro photography is how close you can get to a subject, letting you appreciate the intricacies. It captures the subject from a different perspective and reveals the details that we fail to see normally. Consider the following image that photographer Sam Stephens took. It captures a really interesting perspective of how a red bell pepper looks up close:

“Red Bell Pepper Macro” by Sam Stephens (Via Reddit. Click image to see full size.)

Stephens took the image with a Nikon D7200 and a Nikon 40mm f/2.8 macro lens at f/14, ISO 100, and 0.8s. When photographing the bell pepper, it was backlit through the membrane. He also used an LED flashlight to light it from the side to make sure that the interior was properly illuminated.

Had he not shared the details of the image, once could easily confuse it for something else. The dominance of the color red makes it seem as if this is an image of a bloodstream. Even the cluster of seeds appears like a microscopic image of a blot clot, which gives it a strongly visceral feel.

Overall, it’s the lighting that Stephens used that made this unique image possible. The colors are fantastic, the subject is gorgeous and the light plays to the strengths of the composition. Really an amazing photo by the photographer.