When did you first feel like, “This is it. This is the work I want to be known for”?

It’s hard to pinpoint an exact moment; it was more of a gradual shift. Through the macro lens, I discovered a sense of wonder and amazement that I wanted to share with others. Photography transformed how I saw insects; getting close dissolved my initial fear and alienation, revealing fascination and undeniable beauty instead. They belong in this world just as much as I do, and that’s what I want people to take away from my work — to look beyond detachment and grow empathy for the creatures we share our planet with.

Which part of the creative process is your favorite, and why?

Being out in the field, searching for insects in the very early morning, is my favorite part of the process. The quiet and peacefulness of those moments are hard to describe. The sounds that usually fill the environment, like leaf blowers, distant cars, and people chatting on bikes, are absent. There’s only the rustling of leaves, the songs of a few early birds, and the soft stillness of the mist. Catching the first rays of sunlight while looking for insects to photograph is an experience I never get tired of.

What’s been quietly (or loudly) fueling your creative spark lately?

It can change daily, and that’s exactly what excites me about macro photography. Most recently, it’s been the structure of ice crystals and the challenge of capturing their delicacy before they melt. It’s very different from the constantly moving insects I usually photograph. Snowflakes feel like the embodiment of impermanence: one moment they exist in incredibly beautiful structures, catching light in unexpected ways, and the next they’re gone, never to regain that exact form again.

What’s something Affinity just gets right?

For me, it’s the all-in-one workflow. As a macro photographer, I stack nearly all my images. Before using Affinity, I had to switch between multiple programs to reach a final result. Now everything happens in one place. I open Affinity, stack my images, and edit in a single flow. That simplicity frees up time, giving me more space to be creative and spend more time out in the field.

Is there an Affinity trick you always end up sharing?

When using Focus Merge, you can sometimes get a haloing effect. The subject is fully in focus, but slight movement during shooting can cause blurriness just outside the contours. To fix this, I:Select the subject (Pixel Selection > From Layer Subject)Refine the selection if neededInvert the pixel selectionUse the Stamp Tool to quickly clean up the haloingIt’s a simple fix that makes a big difference in the final image.

Marit van Ekelenburg

Photographer

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Netherlands

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Pro Panel

Marit van Ekelenburg, also known as Macro by Marit on Instagram, is a Dutch macro photographer who creates intimate portraits of insects that reveal their hidden beauty. Working in the quiet of early mornings, her process centers on patience and precision, using diffused flash, focus stacking, and vibrant natural backgrounds to capture small creatures in striking detail. Through photography, Marit transformed an initial sense of fear and alienation into fascination, developing a deep appreciation for insects and their complexity. Her work invites viewers to slow down, look closer, and reconsider the beauty of often overlooked creatures, earning her an audience of more than 700K followers on Instagram.

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Creative work

This macro photograph highlights the rich texture and detail of a tiny weevil in a moment of stillness.→

Photography

Macro photography

Nature photography

A detailed macro portrait revealing the intricate patterns within a butterfly’s wings.→

Photography

Macro photography

Nature photography

Challenging perception, this macro portrait reveals unexpected warmth and personality in a bee wolf wasp.→

Photography

Macro photography

Nature photography

An intimate macro portrait of a damselfly, drawing attention to its delicate, jewel-like eyes caught in morning dew.→

Photography

Macro photography

Nature photography

This macro photograph reveals the surprising complexity of a weevil, so small it could be mistaken for a crumb.→

Photography

Macro photography

Nature photography

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“Affinity is where my macro photographs really come to life. It lets me bring out the tiniest details smoothly and intuitively, giving me the freedom to focus on what I care about most: the joy of discovery in macro photography.”

Q&A

It’s hard to pinpoint an exact moment; it was more of a gradual shift. Through the macro lens, I discovered a sense of wonder and amazement that I wanted to share with others. Photography transformed how I saw insects; getting close dissolved my initial fear and alienation, revealing fascination and undeniable beauty instead. They belong in this world just as much as I do, and that’s what I want people to take away from my work — to look beyond detachment and grow empathy for the creatures we share our planet with.
Being out in the field, searching for insects in the very early morning, is my favorite part of the process. The quiet and peacefulness of those moments are hard to describe. The sounds that usually fill the environment, like leaf blowers, distant cars, and people chatting on bikes, are absent. There’s only the rustling of leaves, the songs of a few early birds, and the soft stillness of the mist. Catching the first rays of sunlight while looking for insects to photograph is an experience I never get tired of.
It can change daily, and that’s exactly what excites me about macro photography. Most recently, it’s been the structure of ice crystals and the challenge of capturing their delicacy before they melt. It’s very different from the constantly moving insects I usually photograph. Snowflakes feel like the embodiment of impermanence: one moment they exist in incredibly beautiful structures, catching light in unexpected ways, and the next they’re gone, never to regain that exact form again.
For me, it’s the all-in-one workflow. As a macro photographer, I stack nearly all my images. Before using Affinity, I had to switch between multiple programs to reach a final result. Now everything happens in one place. I open Affinity, stack my images, and edit in a single flow. That simplicity frees up time, giving me more space to be creative and spend more time out in the field.
When using Focus Merge, you can sometimes get a haloing effect. The subject is fully in focus, but slight movement during shooting can cause blurriness just outside the contours. To fix this, I:
Select the subject (Pixel Selection > From Layer Subject)
Refine the selection if needed
Invert the pixel selection
Use the Stamp Tool to quickly clean up the haloing
It’s a simple fix that makes a big difference in the final image.