MINIATURE MARVELS

Drawn to the hidden dramas of the insect world, Sandip Guha uncovers nature's quietest stories through patience, precision, and reverence. Since picking up a macro lens, he has captured moments as fleeting as damselfly mating rituals and as rare as spider courtship. His work goes beyond beauty, documenting behaviour, ecology, and the fragile poetry of life in miniature. Asian Photography spoke to him about inspiration, hardships, mistakes, bucket shot and more. Excerpts:

- ANIRUDH IYER

What drew you to macro photography in the first place?

I've always been fascinated by the unnoticed creatures, the things people walk past without ever truly seeing. Growing up in Siliguri, I was constantly surrounded by nature's quiet brilliance, but it wasn't until I picked up a macro lens in 2015 that I discovered an entire universe hiding in plain sight. One that thrives under leaves, on petals, in the golden morning dew.

Macro photography, to me, felt less like an art form and more like a secret language-the subtle stillness of a butterfly's wing, the rhythmic prayer of a mantis, or the poetic synchrony of mating rituals among insects. These scenes aren't staged. They're real, raw, and fleeting. Capturing them requires patience, respect, and a kind of reverence for life's tiniest engineers.

What drew me to macro wasn't just the detail-it was the entire story that's captured in the detail. Through my lens, I began telling their stories-and in doing so, I found my own.

How has macro photography changed the way you see the world in daily life?

Macro has made me incredibly observant in my day-today life. I now notice the tiniest details that others usually overlook-a small insect blending into the bark, a perfectly formed droplet on a leaf, or the subtle movement of antennae in the grass. It's like my brain is always in "macro mode", constantly scanning for beauty in the little things.

This craft has sharpened my attention to detail beyond just photography. It spills into how I work, think, and even interact with the world. I've become more focussed, more present in the moment. Capturing the perfect macro shot isn't about luck. It takes serious concentration and timing. One second too early or too late, and the moment is gone.