Could someone please define macros for me? Sometimes, it's very obvious (like the structure of a fly's eye), but I have some closeup photos and I'm unsure if they actually belong in the macros category.

TIA!

From wikipedia: "Macro photography is extreme close-up photography in which the size of the subject in the photograph is greater than life size."

dave said:From wikipedia: "Macro photography is extreme close-up photography in which the size of the subject in the photograph is greater than life size."

So any close up picture where the picture is greater than the normal size of the subject could conceivably go into the macros category? Even if it's only slightly larger?

I am equally confused. Perhaps someone had too many pictures to put in a different category so they used Macros instead. Or vice versa.

I've been trying to determine the difference between 'Wildlife and Plants' and 'Miscellaneous/Other'. Although I could, I don't want to point out examples.

In the end, they're all good photographs.

tx_flower_child said:I am equally confused. Perhaps someone had too many pictures to put in a different category so they used Macros instead. Or vice versa.

I've been trying to determine the difference between 'Wildlife and Plants' and 'Miscellaneous/Other'. Although I could, I don't want to point out examples.

In the end, they're all good photographs.

If I remember correctly from last year, the Wildlife and Plants category would be for pictures of creatures in a natural habitat. Misc / other is for things like pictures of children or buildings, etc. That is, IF I'm remembering correctly.

joannakat said:

If I remember correctly from last year, the Wildlife and Plants category would be for pictures of creatures in a natural habitat. Misc / other is for things like pictures of children or buildings, etc. That is, IF I'm remembering correctly.

You might be remembering correctly. However, that is definitely not what shows up. The 1st picture in the Misc/Other category is an exquisite, hypnotic photograph that looks to be a Macro. I've also seen pictures of cats (not dissing cats or their photographers) in both the Wildlife and Plants and Misc/Other categories. So maybe it's just a matter of 'anything goes'.

The plants in "Wildlife and Plants" do not have to be the natural habitat. There always are many photos of bees, birds, and butterflies on blooms in gardens -- not at all definable as a natural habitat, for example. The wildlife in these photos, however, should be combined with plants. If there are no plants in view, it would be better to enter the wildlife picture as a "Miscellaneous" photo. We try to move photos to the correct category, but sometimes it's impossible because the photo owner has already entered five photos in that category.

The "Macros" category is full of "non-macros," so it's clear that many people apparently don't know the meaning of the term.

zuzu said:The plants in "Wildlife and Plants" do not have to be the natural habitat. There always are many photos of bees, birds, and butterflies on blooms in gardens -- not at all definable as a natural habitat, for example. The wildlife in these photos, however, should be combined with plants. If there are no plants in view, it would be better to enter the wildlife picture as a "Miscellaneous" photo. We try to move photos to the correct category, but sometimes it's impossible because the photo owner has already entered five photos in that category.

The "Macros" category is full of "non-macros," so it's clear that many people apparently don't know the meaning of the term.

Maybe because it's Macros / Closeups? Are the non-macros closeups?

We added the word "Close-ups" to try to get people to understand what the category is for.

dave said:We added the word "Close-ups" to try to get people to understand what the category is for.

Now I'm more confused. So can we post regular closeups there, or only the super-duper closeups better known as macros?

Oh, and happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I found that I myself struggled to decide which category to put a photo into, but in general, I think most people try to put them into the correct category. People can have different interpretations of the categories, so I just try to keep that in mind. If the rules were too stringent, that would become a problem too.

I know. Tis a puzzlement.