Intimate

We have another slideshow for you today. It's called Intimate. That's the name of a song on my latest album, Simple Beauty.

I cherish the intimate relationships I have with my wife, family and close friends. Recently at my daughter's wedding I re-connected with one of my best friends from college. Intimacy allows you to pick up where you left off. It also allows you to be open, honest and vulnerable without fear of rejection or judgment.

To visualize this song and concept I bought a macro lens for my camera this year and experimented with close-up objects in my neighborhood, various gardens and on vacation in New Mexico, I also enlisted the help of Durham's Bob Ayers who has contributed several superb photo essays for wral.com. Bob's eye and gear are more advanced than my own and I appreciate his willingness to collaborate with me on this mini movie.

More about Bob in a moment. First, I wanted to invite you to send in your favorite macro or close-up photographs. Perhaps these are images that capture the heart and soul of your favorite flower, plant or leaf. Upload your images, and I will use them to create a special slideshow. The person submitting the best overall image will receive a copy of Simple Beauty.

I asked Bob Ayers to answer a few questions.

(1) What do you love about macro or close-up photography?

I love the intricate detail of God's beautiful creations in the images from macro photography. Detail you usually miss with your eyes.

(2) What kind of gear did you use for this project?

I used a Nikon D300 DSLR camera, and a Nikon 105mm f/2.8 VR macro (micro) lens

(3) How long have you been at it?

I've always been interested in photography. My wife bought me my first camera about 30 years ago, a Minolta 35mm SLR, and later a little Sony point and shoot digital. Photography became a serious hobby in January 2005, when I bought a Nikon D70 DSLR.

(4) Tell us something about yourself – where you work and what are your interests?

I'm a Senior Engineer with IBM in RTP. I've been with IBM for 38 years, working in the field of microelectronics. In addition to photography as a hobby, I enjoy tinkering with anything electronic, or working on vehicles.