I do not have a true macro lens.  I have been experimenting with what I do have so I can decide whether or not I need or want one.   I do have a set of “close-up” filters … 1x, 2x, and 4x … and they help me move in closer with the lens I do have.  The Schlumbergera or Christmas Cactus that sits in my kitchen window doesn’t always bloom at Christmas.  In fact, I bought it at Thanksgiving a few years ago when it was in a 3″ pot and in bloom.  It seems to bloom when the mood strikes.  I’ve seen in bloom in the spring and summer and again in the fall or winter.   This time, it did start showing a few buds a week or two before Christmas; those blooms have already begun to fade.  But there are new buds as you see in today’s image.  The lights from the fixtures in the room were reflecting off the bud and completely washing out the bud with any exposure that captured the rest.  So I held an Ott true-color light to the side aimed up and used a piece of white cardboard that was handy to bounce light back done on the plant.