Understanding minimum focus distance

So, let's say you are out in the world, and you see the cool, small thing, or the fascinating…detail, and you get in close with your lens, and you frame up the perfect shot, but when…you have pressed the shutter button to focus, the camera just hunts around, and it never locks on.…This is going to be the first big problem that you are going to encounter with close-up shooting.…Sometimes, you simply won't be able to get your lens to focus when you're in close.…This happens because every lens has a minimum focus distance; inside that distance, your…lens won't be capable of focusing.…

For example, if your lens has a minimum focus distance of 8 inches, then you'll have to…be at least 8 inches from your subject for the camera to focus.…Now, if you are using a zoom lens, that minimum focus distance is the same, no matter what…focal length you have the lens set to.…This means that I may not be able to solve my focus problem by changing camera position and focal length.…Here's what I mean.…Let's say I want to take a picture of this flower. So, I am going to come in here, and…