I photographed the lichen growing on this concrete 'mushroom' thing using an 18-70mm zoom lens fitted with a lens reversing ring.

A reversing ring will convert any 'standard' lens into a close up or 'Macro' lens for a fraction of the cost of a dedicated Macro lens.

Fit a reversing ring to a zoom and you have a close up lens with a zoom facility - that's something a proper Macro lens can't do.

To use a reversing ring you have to make a manual exposure because the lenses electronics won't work, and in this video I control depth of field with a blob of Blu-Tak so it's all very low tech but with great results.

Costing from around £5 to £10 compared to a proper Macro which would start at the £250 mark, a macro reversing ring becomes a very cheap alternative. Image quality is as good as the lens you're using it on.

Personally I love low tech solutions to all photography. great images is more about you and how you think than the price of your kit. A lens reversing ring is a great example.

• I Mess Up Salsibury Catherdral Photo Shoot - EP31
• Photographing A Landscape Landmark PT2 - EP30
• Photographing A Landscape Landmark PT1 - EP29
• Exposure Bracketing Explained - EP28
• Woodland Photography with Gary Gough - EP27