Santa through a Macro Bubble

How Lee Hall Built a Christmas Macro Masterpiece with Platypod

There is something undeniably magical about macro photography. It lets us shrink down, explore hidden worlds, and discover details we otherwise walk straight past. This week, photographer Lee Hall did exactly that, creating a whimsical Christmas scene by capturing Santa inside a bubble. The result is part science experiment, part holiday cheer, and part showcase of what Platypod gear can really do when you let your imagination run riot.

Lee set out to create an image that felt impossibly tiny yet full of character. To pull it off he leaned on a setup worthy of a Christmas workshop. At the heart of it all was the Platypod Delta forming a rock solid foundation. From there, the Platypod Elbow and Platypod Clamp held both the bubble and the seed it rested on with quiet confidence. Honestly, watching this rig come together was like watching elves assemble a toy in slow motion.

But it didn’t stop there. Behind the bubble, Lee mounted his phone displaying an inverted photo of Santa. Why inverted? Because the refraction inside the bubble flips the image right side up again. Come on, that’s clever. This second element of the build was supported by a Platypod eXtreme paired with another Elbow and Clamp because, of course, Lee wasn’t settling for anything wobbly.

Finally, to lock down the camera itself, he used another Platypod eXtreme coupled with a Platyball Ergo. That combo ensured absolute precision while he focus stacked the final shot. Macro shooters know this well, the depth of field at that scale is thinner than a Platypod Base so focus stacking was the secret to getting Santa crisp from beard to boots.

What came out at the end is a festive micro world that feels both whimsical and technically brilliant. A bubble that becomes a snow globe, a seed that becomes a landscape, and Santa standing proud through clever refraction. It’s the kind of image that makes you want to grab your own Platypod gear, brew something warm, and start experimenting with your own tiny holiday scenes.

Here's what Lee told us: -

I used plain tap water for the entire setup. First I misted the surface with a very fine spray to create the base layer of droplets. After that I used a syringe to place the larger droplet that holds the image of Father Christmas.

The final photo was taken in a single exposure at ISO 200, f/16, and a shutter speed of 1/20 second.

As you know, I’m a creative macro photographer and I love working with water droplets. I’ve done similar shots with flowers, and getting everything stable can be a real challenge. This time I wanted to put Father Christmas inside a droplet, and the Platypod system made the process far easier. The stability of the eXtreme with its adjustable legs kept everything rock steady, and by sliding the second eXtreme with the Platyball and camera attached, I could dial in the focus with absolute precision.

Using Platypod has genuinely taken my photography up a level because of the flexibility and control the system gives me.

Huge kudos to Lee for the creativity, the patience, and the Platypod spirit. This is the kind of playful problem solving that makes our community so much fun.

Now go on, get inspired and make something small feel epic. Santa is watching.