Macro v. Zoom question…

Over the weekend, I was asked a photo question about whether to get a macro lens, when a zoom plus digital crop can provide this sort of result

My new favorite of my pictures. #butterfly #corvallis #nature #naturephotography #naturelovers #natureaddict #naturephoto #macro #macrophotography #closeup #color #awesome #awesomeness #red #orange

A photo posted by Ian Ciechanowski (@weeble555) on Jul 15, 2016 at 9:52am PDT

So, I built a little show and tell based on an image I took today of a mayfly in my back yard. Not sure why the mayfly was there and how I saw it, but I did and it stayed in place long enough for me to snap some off. I guess being a fly fisherman keeps me tuned to these little guys.

Will it answer the question about getting a macro lens? Probably not, but it will provide a visual starting place for the conversation. I’ll follow up with more on what a macro is and why it is useful.