Mantastic macro

HOW MANY TIMES have we realised that we should have had a wide-angle lens fitted to our camera when we had decided to go macro, or vice versa?
I was on one such dive in the Maldives. Manta rays were not expected to be on this particular dive site, so it seemed an easy choice to fit a 105mm lens and concentrate on the local macro reef life.
It became apparent within the first few minutes that this had been the wrong choice. Recalling that sinking feeling on seeing the rays on the cleaning station, my only option was to settle down to watch the marvellous spectacle of these most graceful of creatures.
Or was it? I decided to have a go with the macro lens and see what happened. Digital cameras allow you to experiment and not worry about the results and, surprisingly, of the shots that were taken, several have become keepers.
The unusual perspective achieved gives great close-up images with large subjects, allowing distinctive body areas to be highlighted.
So next time you make the wrong lens choice, it may not be so disastrous after all…