My name is Kristīne Zāle, and I would describe myself as a macro photographer who aims to show the ordinary elements of nature in a new, closer, and more vibrant way. In my work, I try to reveal the small details that most people walk past every day without noticing. The delicate textures of a fallen leaf, the tiniest movements of an insect, the soft glow of a flower petal in sunlight, or the hidden shapes inside a mushroom cap - they all can become extraordinary when seen up close.

During the warmer months, I usually focus on flowers and insects, but when Autumn arrives, the subjects change. The world becomes quieter. The colours fade, the light softens, and the details that remain are more subtle and often more challenging to find. This is the time of year that invites a slower, more thoughtful approach to photography. And this Autumn, it was my goal to capture this quiet time between the warmer and cooler months through my camera. I’ve spent most of my time as a photographer in my local botanical garden.

The botanical garden has become my favourite place to explore throughout the year, and in late Autumn, it transforms into something completely different from the seasons before it. Most of the vibrant colours have already faded, the paths are layered with soft browns and yellows, and the air feels cool and damp as the days grow shorter. Even without flowers in bloom, the garden remains full of quiet details. Scattered acorns beneath oak trees, raindrops resting on fallen leaves, larch branches covered in delicate needles, curled leaves forming miniature landscapes, and tiny mushrooms appearing almost invisibly between the fallen leaves - they all become subjects worth stopping for. The silence of the season makes every small discovery feel more meaningful. Many days were rainy, and my hands often froze by the end of each walk, but this gentle atmosphere added something special to every moment I found.

I had the chance to explore these moments with the Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS. As someone who has used the Sony 90mm macro lens for years, I was curious to see how this new lens would shape my perspective on the season. Autumn can be challenging for macro photography since natural light is limited and the subjects are small and easily overlooked. However, this also presents a perfect opportunity to examine the world under your feet more closely, often rewarding you with extraordinary moments.

One of these moments happened near the end of a long walk with my husband. We were on our way to leave the garden after photographing under the last oak trees that still carried their leaves. I believed I had already captured everything I would find that day, but then I noticed a small patch of mushrooms between layers of fallen leaves. I had wanted to photograph a scene like this for a long time, so I crouched down to start composing some photos. Then something unexpected happened. After a full day of clouds, the Sun suddenly appeared. Warm golden light broke through and illuminated the mushrooms in a soft glow. It felt as if nature had gifted me these last minutes of the day with perfect light. Despite my freezing fingers, I forgot about the cold and focused on capturing this fleeting moment before the Sun set. It became one of my favourite scenes of the season.

During that same walk, I also found the smallest mushroom I have ever photographed. It was truly miniature, smaller than my thumbnail, and almost invisible among the leaves. I used the 1.4x teleconverter with the lens, which allowed me to get close enough to capture every detail. Without the teleconverter, I may not have been able to photograph it as effectively. I even placed my finger beside it for scale and took another photo because anyone seeing the photo without context would never guess how tiny it really was. Looking at it through the lens reminded me of why macro photography feels magical to me. Something that seems insignificant or even unnoticeable at first becomes a beautiful world of textures and shapes when viewed up close.

When I first picked up the FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS, my first impression was how light it felt. I expected a heavier lens, especially considering that it can achieve magnification ratios beyond 1:1 of up to 1.4:1 without a teleconverter attached. Instead, it felt almost the same weight as my 90mm macro lens. The rubber focus ring was a small but pleasant improvement, making the lens more comfortable to use in colder weather. I appreciated the familiar pull-back mechanism for switching to manual focus, and the two programmable buttons were immediately useful, since I could reach them easily no matter the orientation I was shooting in.

In terms of image quality, the lens delivered the clarity and detail I expected. Sharpness was excellent, even when viewed at a 100% zoom. What impressed me most was how consistently sharp the images were, even in difficult lighting or at higher magnifications. One example was a 45-image focus stack of a small acorn cap. With the 2x teleconverter, the acorn cap filled the entire frame at nearly the closest focusing distance. After stacking the images, the final result looked like a miniature landscape seen from an ant’s perspective. The tiny ridges and textures were revealed in a way I had never captured before. It was fascinating to see such a simple object transformed into something so detailed and complex.

The autofocus performance was faster than I expected for macro work. When I compared the 100mm lens to my older 90mm lens, I noticed that the new lens found focus more quickly, especially when comparing the speeds without using the focus limiter. Tracking also worked smoothly, but what truly changed my shooting experience was the full-time DMF option. Being able to adjust the focus ring at any moment, even before half-pressing the shutter, gave me more control over the final image. What I found truly impressive was that while using AF object tracking, I could gently guide the focus toward something slightly closer or farther away and the camera would continue tracking the new subject. This is something none of my other lenses can do, and it made photographing small objects among leaves far easier.

The teleconverters added even more possibilities. With the 1.4x teleconverter, I photographed mushrooms, tiny larch needles, a spider weaving through Autumn leaves, and raindrops resting on a fallen leaf. Each subject appeared larger and more detailed without the need for heavy cropping. The 2x teleconverter allowed for extremely close views, such as the focus stacked acorn cap. I also used it to capture other acorn details at high magnification. Resting the camera on the ground helped keep everything stable while shooting at f/5.6, the widest aperture available with the 2x teleconverter. The results were crisp and full of texture. I know that in summer this combination will become especially valuable for photographing skittish insects, since I will be able to achieve frame filling shots without getting too close and risking scaring them away.

Autumn light is often limited, but the lens allowed me to work in surprisingly low light conditions. I captured sharp handheld images at 1/100s, 1/40s, and even at 1/13s. I also made a 15-image handheld focus stack at 1/20s. The results with these shutter speeds truly surprised me.

I had already photographed the season a little and thought that it’s enough, but after getting my hands on the lens, I grew curious to try it right away, expanding the scenes I’ve photographed this Autumn by so much. Once I started using it, I became motivated to explore more, wander longer, and slow down to appreciate the smaller things. It encouraged me to look for subjects I might have missed otherwise. Without it, I would not have captured the miniature mushroom, the golden sunlight on the forest floor, the detailed acorn textures, or the many quiet scenes hidden beneath the leaves.

The Sony FE 100mm f/2.8 Macro GM OSS helped reveal the magic of late Autumn in a way that felt fresh and inspiring. It transformed simple details into tiny wonders and reminded me that even in the quietest seasons, nature still offers something extraordinary for those willing to look closely.