tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19242494230627296292024-02-08T01:54:02.393+00:00Matt Cole Macro PhotographyLatest images, news and general thoughts of a macro photographer (who occasionally photographs larger things as well!)Matt Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451598566179709030noreply@blogger.comBlogger214125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924249423062729629.post-4641726976481272062018-08-15T22:56:00.003+01:002018-08-16T19:48:50.269+01:00Building a Wildlife PondI'm not sure 'building' is the right word for a pond...digging maybe? Anyway, I've been busy this summer trying to whip my garden into shape as it's been neglected in favour of house renovations since we moved in in early 2016. One garden feature I have always wanted was a pond and my kids are finally at the age when I can trust them not to fall head first into it, in theory, so I thought I'd give it a go this summer.<br />
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My garden is reasonably large, albeit square and fairly featureless until recently, but I decided I only had room for a fairly small pond. I wanted a simple, natural looking wildlife pond so no fish or electric filters. So one June morning I set to work. The following are progress shots typically taken hurriedly with my phone so the quality isn't great.<br />
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<b>2nd June</b>: I decided on where I wanted the pond and made a rough 'kidney' shape with an electric extension lead (all I could lay my hands on!)<br />
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I then started digging...</div>
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after a while I had removed all of the turf</div>
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and I then dug terraces to allow me to place pond plants. The deepest part of the pond is approx 60cm deep<br />
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I placed a large piece of plastic on the grass next to the pond on which I put all of the soil that was being excavated<br />
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<b>3rd June:</b> the next day I bought a UPVC pond liner, laid it in position and filled with water. Ideally I would have used rain water but this wasn't an option. One of the main challenges I faced was how to hide the edges of the liner to make the pond look as natural as possible. I decided the lift all of the turf around the edges of the pond and to insert the edge of the liner underneath it. In the photo below you can see how the turf has all been cut and lifted. This worked reasonably well although I still wasn't happy with how much liner was visible beneath the turf.<br />
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<b>4th June: </b>The following day I bought a selection of pond plants and added some stones and rocks to one end to create a shallow end of the pond and an area in which animals can escape the pond</div>
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<b>16th June: </b>A couple of weeks later things are looking a bit more established. I've added some lily pads and more stones and rocks that I scavenged from around the garden. Many of the smaller stones were in the soil that I removed for the pond. I've also planted a wildflower mix directly behind the pond to try to add to the natural feel of this part of the garden.</div>
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<b>30th June:</b> Another couple of weeks and things are looking even more established. I had to ensure that I kept the turf around the pond well watered in the hot weather as some of it was sitting on top of the pond liner and hence was prone to drying out.</div>
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<b>8th July: </b>I still wasn't happy with how much of the pond liner was visible beneath the turf and so I decided to lift the turf again and to bring it forward a few inches so that it sloped over the edge of the visible pond liner and, in places, touched the pond water. My thinking was this will not only make the pond look more natural but will also keep the turf damp. I then added some soil in the cavity behind the turf and added some grass seed to it. In my view this has worked really well and it's really starting to look natural and established only a little over a month after the pond was started.</div>
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<b>15th August:</b> Fast forward to today and I've now added a seating area behind the pond. The plants are all very established as are the wild flowers behind the pond. I'm really pleased with how it has developed and can't quite believe the transformation in two and a half months.<br />
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I haven't seen much by way of insect life in the pond but I'm really pleased to have seen a number of frogs. They're quite evasive at the moment but a tiny one did pose for me last night in semi-darkness allowing me to take the photo below. It's nothing special but it's significant as it's the first image I've taken of my new pondlife!<br />
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Canon 1D mkIV and Sigma 150mm macro, 1/15, f 2.8, ISO 1600:</div>
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<br />Matt Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451598566179709030noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924249423062729629.post-88865128493557463682018-08-13T20:51:00.001+01:002018-08-13T21:00:44.863+01:00Bee FliesI'm a bit slow updating this blog but I will try to keep it ticking over. Here are a few images of a Bee Fly feeding on flowering redcurrant in my garden from back in the spring.<br />
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I may have mentioned previously that I'd never seen Bee Flies in and around my Leicestershire patch at all until I moved 13 doors up from my previous house and have now had them in my garden for 2 years running! They're amazing looking insects. These images were taken handheld using a Canon 1D mkIV with Tamron 60mm macro lens and an MT-24EX flash.<br />
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<br />Matt Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451598566179709030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924249423062729629.post-92190391577178486752018-05-07T21:29:00.000+01:002018-05-07T21:29:09.854+01:00Photomicroscopy: Different image stylesI mentioned in a previous post that I have been using a microscope quite a lot in recent months and have been very much enjoying taking different styles of photograph. I was playing around with some images earlier and thought I'd put them together in a composite to show just some of the different optical techniques that are used within microscopy and how they can result in quite different looking images.<br />
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The subject here is a type of rotatoria, a tiny aquatic organism. This one is 0.3mm wide and in each photo it has been photographed at 160x magnification using an Olympus OM-D E-M1 and a Zeiss GFL microscope.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn2zpIdLB1MXNwtMi8DXNNENRsioY43ian_Wo67oymFMck4vo_q9Qibj2pSKbENVAtZ5PaCOso4xS1HsMVZ6SPMrIkpcRL_Dm4u_5U5RMnG34OvayLTfuc1PA-swtHTaqzeirV-mMqb7Ji/s1600/rotatoria+composite+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="899" data-original-width="1189" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn2zpIdLB1MXNwtMi8DXNNENRsioY43ian_Wo67oymFMck4vo_q9Qibj2pSKbENVAtZ5PaCOso4xS1HsMVZ6SPMrIkpcRL_Dm4u_5U5RMnG34OvayLTfuc1PA-swtHTaqzeirV-mMqb7Ji/s320/rotatoria+composite+.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The top left image is taken using a technique called Variable Amplitude Contrast (VAC), top right was taken with traditional brightfield, bottom right was taken using phase contrast and bottom left was taken using darkfield.<br />
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The same subject, the same camera and microscope, but 4 different ways of viewing the subject which all result in very different looking images.Matt Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451598566179709030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924249423062729629.post-30990610511337363162018-04-08T22:27:00.004+01:002018-04-08T22:27:47.623+01:00Outdoor Photography ArticleI'm very pleased to have a 7 page guide to insect macro photography in the latest (May) issue of Outdoor Photography magazine.<br />
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The article provides some pointers on learning about your subject, technique and composition, using flash and wideangle macro. There's also some info on equipment.<br />
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(iPhone images below)<br />
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<br />Matt Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451598566179709030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924249423062729629.post-42976695022151937542018-04-01T12:11:00.000+01:002018-04-09T10:50:59.462+01:00Microscopy<div style="text-align: justify;">
Having had a long-standing interest in insect macro photography I have often been tempted to take the next step and to examine and photograph microscopic life. However one of the main reasons I didn't was because of my erroneous belief that there was little scope for creativity in photo microscopy or much potential to take different styles of photograph.</div>
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Back in the Autumn I was very kindly given a book on microscopy which made me realise that, actually, there are a variety of ways to photograph microscopic life and plenty of scope for different lighting and other photographic techniques. Fast forward a few months and quite a lot of background reading and I became the proud owner of a 1960s Zeiss GFL microscope stand with a trinocular head (meaning a camera can be attached without having to remove the binocular eyepieces) and a selection of good quality Zeiss objective lenses. Although a vintage model (and older than I am!) the Zeiss GFL that I bought is in excellent condition, is superbly built and works as well as the day it was made. It also has very attractive 1960s styling which provides a nice contrast to my Olympus E-M1 which I can connect directly to it.</div>
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The hairy wing veins of a Green Lacewing (from an old prepared slide that I borrowed). Zeiss GFL, 100x magnification, dark field</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW04SVlWSdDeXAoOwiU2iIocI42c1ArXkiXNGHv-OSReYOzfU3WRarhiFDHVw-U451AyzkBE3jGZNCgsudRZMdD99A-q2lmL1WbzUNb4FuG-5EPdf9WIXOqSQUkxUAiHr7e9EKFbPBzdNQ/s1600/web1140395+800px+a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW04SVlWSdDeXAoOwiU2iIocI42c1ArXkiXNGHv-OSReYOzfU3WRarhiFDHVw-U451AyzkBE3jGZNCgsudRZMdD99A-q2lmL1WbzUNb4FuG-5EPdf9WIXOqSQUkxUAiHr7e9EKFbPBzdNQ/s320/web1140395+800px+a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A benefit of my Zeiss GFL is that it is capable of three different styles of image: (1) is 'standard' so-called brightfield where the image has a white background (2) is known as dark field where a black background is achieved and the subject is side lit which provides a very different image to bright field and (3) so-called phase contrast which provides a pale to mid grey background and the subject is normally shown with a lot of contrast which helps to pick out detail.</div>
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An iPhone image of my Zeiss GFL with trinocular head and Olympus OMD E-M1 attached. Note that I also connect the E-M1 to my iMac (which also sits on my desk) and can view the image directly on the iMac screen. This makes fine focusing much easier.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiptf5nks_Bc05cV15gAN11SivQm_qeaotcHkTkTPVd8sBCdemX3ntuHSlbJHqBhNfSntqkPIBVF71-bqRzAW6yStulcDlabYdOxLwgTk9vtKditGXEswTbt5A1-T1ptMJr23t3XytBqVPn/s1600/IMG_0660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiptf5nks_Bc05cV15gAN11SivQm_qeaotcHkTkTPVd8sBCdemX3ntuHSlbJHqBhNfSntqkPIBVF71-bqRzAW6yStulcDlabYdOxLwgTk9vtKditGXEswTbt5A1-T1ptMJr23t3XytBqVPn/s320/IMG_0660.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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I have bought a number of prepared slides to view through the microscope, some, unbelievably, dating back to the 1860s, and have also made some of my own (temporary) slides viewing the life in standing water in my garden. It's a bit of a cliche but microscopy really does open up another world and I've very much enjoyed building my knowledge and skills over the last few months - though I still have a lot to learn.</div>
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Below are some of my favourite images taken so far.</div>
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Pine pollen composite, Zeiss GFL, 400x, darkfield, most were stacked</div>
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from 2-4 frames in Zerene Stacker (ZS)</div>
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A section of a young pine cone showing individual pollen grains, Zeiss GFL, 100x, </div>
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2 shots stacked in ZS, darkfield</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmOu2_r-Aajp76oDhY8yHvuF3gX7k1FS_p8f6duuX4IEq0YSkyAXeKyhK1FMQt3-q2MDhxG4HDM7POXzCrfy57aa39eWynXWa5g_Sj4BHpNxlbr9cvA9hFYMskvnHOU3-Jtue2h6FqKtKF/s1600/web1210426+800px+b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmOu2_r-Aajp76oDhY8yHvuF3gX7k1FS_p8f6duuX4IEq0YSkyAXeKyhK1FMQt3-q2MDhxG4HDM7POXzCrfy57aa39eWynXWa5g_Sj4BHpNxlbr9cvA9hFYMskvnHOU3-Jtue2h6FqKtKF/s320/web1210426+800px+b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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An individual diatom (a type of microalgae with amazingly detailed shells). Zeiss GFL, 400x, Phase Contrast and stacked from 6 frames in ZS</div>
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An individual radiolarian (a type of microscopic protozoa, again with amazingly detailed shells). Zeiss GFL 400x Phase Contrast, 20 frames stacked in ZS</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha84S_eBtvWFRp2_iZyXrD5H3bfobMInc80rkXsyojwl-dq_ZnvqIxQxskjP_S_7hiiid6EqTd8xOIWejK8ZmCDdSN_sCOw7cwV0EVN4ycc0Lqxb_304vkY6X2XYMWtW30L982Me-QJtaL/s1600/web+2018-02-24-22.05+900px+b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha84S_eBtvWFRp2_iZyXrD5H3bfobMInc80rkXsyojwl-dq_ZnvqIxQxskjP_S_7hiiid6EqTd8xOIWejK8ZmCDdSN_sCOw7cwV0EVN4ycc0Lqxb_304vkY6X2XYMWtW30L982Me-QJtaL/s320/web+2018-02-24-22.05+900px+b.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Filamentous algae Oedogenium. Zeiss GFL, 400x, Phase Contrast, 14 frames stacked in ZS</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUUN3ItHuOc2DpyS01sLfz5BdyCsDmlMR-wJsAdLQ1-WeFdEq-O_xp7Fc3NHmKSt__HNHB4fDj-zFueJVmK56dpRbFAjxfXrCYypxEqaq4waSS1NXO0PJD47rRb9ye6SCCIk5Vctd50lG/s1600/web+2018-03-04-13.17+800px+a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUUN3ItHuOc2DpyS01sLfz5BdyCsDmlMR-wJsAdLQ1-WeFdEq-O_xp7Fc3NHmKSt__HNHB4fDj-zFueJVmK56dpRbFAjxfXrCYypxEqaq4waSS1NXO0PJD47rRb9ye6SCCIk5Vctd50lG/s320/web+2018-03-04-13.17+800px+a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Pine pollen, Zeiss GFL, 400x, Phase Contrast, 4 frames stacked in Zerene Stacker (ZS)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-iR1WBUwVEVMKoZsRbjStR3KdPeDHdA9er6vjNfr2w33f-HWcUlaamuR2SKBB-_CXhIBFkL1HMuIEKKbjMZLc1lNVwfwCz0XKkAWHVgz9d0eIpnVEv888oF_KbUr9iffHpaGcNPMcIP2/s1600/web+2018-03-10-16.09.09+800px+b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-iR1WBUwVEVMKoZsRbjStR3KdPeDHdA9er6vjNfr2w33f-HWcUlaamuR2SKBB-_CXhIBFkL1HMuIEKKbjMZLc1lNVwfwCz0XKkAWHVgz9d0eIpnVEv888oF_KbUr9iffHpaGcNPMcIP2/s320/web+2018-03-10-16.09.09+800px+b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Polypodium (fern) rhizome, Zeiss GFL, 160x, brightfield</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvM95zib8AX7zn0NhRoncG0-OQKWww2oHRFzVtQetXrZBOHWyI01aW22NUUvfMi0jjngaIBSlxRSbRnc_R16giRb1sU-mLlsiUIke-aGT5Kf1GS18sF8q6sipg3dwaB3FiWcaCo2GKHEvz/s1600/web+3170716+800px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvM95zib8AX7zn0NhRoncG0-OQKWww2oHRFzVtQetXrZBOHWyI01aW22NUUvfMi0jjngaIBSlxRSbRnc_R16giRb1sU-mLlsiUIke-aGT5Kf1GS18sF8q6sipg3dwaB3FiWcaCo2GKHEvz/s320/web+3170716+800px.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A composite image of Diatoms. Zeiss GFL, 400x, darkfield, some diatoms stacked in ZS</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8r04InQmZasRqGC8OImkE3gponR5u38m5iZaQ7IpuXzO4C02AVWe2aAPPOkwoF8n2-HFLHDR0dfwoPyZJB-6RP0XtsqTt9ZHDTuI_D0uvwhuA4c6xS27Ul6JFgdNhwXfs1o30eaizUGg/s1600/web+diatom+composite+800px+b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="746" data-original-width="800" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8r04InQmZasRqGC8OImkE3gponR5u38m5iZaQ7IpuXzO4C02AVWe2aAPPOkwoF8n2-HFLHDR0dfwoPyZJB-6RP0XtsqTt9ZHDTuI_D0uvwhuA4c6xS27Ul6JFgdNhwXfs1o30eaizUGg/s320/web+diatom+composite+800px+b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A cross-section of a pine needle, Zeiss GFL, 100x, brightfield</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvat2jIx_xonxjV5GfXgAR_0ewBK3yc6ol_I_0uU6I1lGl7zzwIHEb35T8L7jqODerc2Lk57s3cB5_Ca6H3rK8z-ptbz67Nst7ZLhayhWjNvqvW7j6Gl6RFxx8-qGZOV5B61XYD6PGjd2/s1600/webC090295+800px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMvat2jIx_xonxjV5GfXgAR_0ewBK3yc6ol_I_0uU6I1lGl7zzwIHEb35T8L7jqODerc2Lk57s3cB5_Ca6H3rK8z-ptbz67Nst7ZLhayhWjNvqvW7j6Gl6RFxx8-qGZOV5B61XYD6PGjd2/s320/webC090295+800px.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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finally, another single diatom, Zeiss GFL, 400x, Phase Contrast, 6 frames stacked in ZS</div>
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Matt Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451598566179709030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924249423062729629.post-62304991317335928862017-11-14T16:01:00.005+00:002017-11-14T16:01:49.551+00:00Marbled White ButterfliesThe summer feels a distant memory but here are some images of a trip to Ryton Wood Meadows from back in July. This site is always good for Marbled White butterflies and so I try to manage one visit per year given the lack of nearer Marbled White sites.<br />
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As usual, I was keen to include the butterflies' habitat within the images so used a combination of my Laowa 15mm macro and Tokina 35mm macro lenses for many images.<br />
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The first is perhaps my favourite image of the session (Tokina 35mm):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84x841yoRD6_xim2akurAq-Hgu1lcicX0zrA9qibnuTOpTKxDSjc_MztwMYhFjndNCGTQSWER9OpGqBRIHzKL11CpFAqJJ6b91-lqnqpK5Fm9ze6kbNCumv4r5WrKAQPrXEleIvzsyebU/s1600/webC5A9559+1200px+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84x841yoRD6_xim2akurAq-Hgu1lcicX0zrA9qibnuTOpTKxDSjc_MztwMYhFjndNCGTQSWER9OpGqBRIHzKL11CpFAqJJ6b91-lqnqpK5Fm9ze6kbNCumv4r5WrKAQPrXEleIvzsyebU/s320/webC5A9559+1200px+c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I was lucky enough to find a mating pair of butterflies. This image was taken with the Laowa 15mm lens:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjON9iveuljg0FrYikFQE3Exbpx4_w0BDCjSqhyyYdO2xcDvfo0AEEx19C9Mod0j-RKfWZSDE5Ae0rF8zzwRlXB7FfWsOaeMuoAkucofT0PoDFZ8R6pkaMXyxzhWLWcBcxH9TitqDMemTHb/s1600/webC5A9946+1200px+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjON9iveuljg0FrYikFQE3Exbpx4_w0BDCjSqhyyYdO2xcDvfo0AEEx19C9Mod0j-RKfWZSDE5Ae0rF8zzwRlXB7FfWsOaeMuoAkucofT0PoDFZ8R6pkaMXyxzhWLWcBcxH9TitqDMemTHb/s320/webC5A9946+1200px+c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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while this came from the Tokina 35mm. The breeze had got up by this point was was catching the butterflies' wings:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgykudua4mdVFwXn5kxVt399e59NggqLSiKXDd9ymw7kZRgwufr82wuXpwNSEKPggfFDFCJpqMIpYSggXLfzybmE20qEcPd8q2iVWTi4fBYRorgD9h78j9svHOuKXeV5OFkA7Rfp0OepYge/s1600/webC5A9866+900px+a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgykudua4mdVFwXn5kxVt399e59NggqLSiKXDd9ymw7kZRgwufr82wuXpwNSEKPggfFDFCJpqMIpYSggXLfzybmE20qEcPd8q2iVWTi4fBYRorgD9h78j9svHOuKXeV5OFkA7Rfp0OepYge/s320/webC5A9866+900px+a.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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here's a more conventional shot taken with my Tamron 60mm lens:<br />
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finally, here's one taken with my Olympus O-MD E-M1 and Olympus 60mm macro:<br />
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<br />Matt Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451598566179709030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924249423062729629.post-81949322728637427302017-10-07T20:56:00.000+01:002017-10-07T21:07:34.062+01:00Spiders in BBC Wildlife MagazineI'm very pleased to have a couple of images, including a double page spread, in the October issue of BBC Wildlife magazine illustrating Adam Hart and Anne Goodenough's article on House Spiders. One image is a close up of a House Spider's eyes, the other (the double page spread) is a wideangle image of a Tegenaria sp. spider in my kitchen (using my Laowa 15mm macro lens).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS0sVt5LWBoheAb2Q4TkUZbbpAmAV7Q4A1c_3QgYnM4EPZiUaRnbOYlEOtuVhyphenhyphenYl3FyFcBMMrpeSbM7ZnAIRQmOjWQbcwr7cG-ZL0kTJ5YGvPbfDWlEIjPkcQWTMOGEFT1hAi_-CCWQjHL/s1600/2017-09-24+08.26.29+800px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS0sVt5LWBoheAb2Q4TkUZbbpAmAV7Q4A1c_3QgYnM4EPZiUaRnbOYlEOtuVhyphenhyphenYl3FyFcBMMrpeSbM7ZnAIRQmOjWQbcwr7cG-ZL0kTJ5YGvPbfDWlEIjPkcQWTMOGEFT1hAi_-CCWQjHL/s320/2017-09-24+08.26.29+800px.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here's the uncropped version of the image:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAa5Hus9XIsO77GPFsb5GIsKmXGdie2PqueXf1xVhKsKevBpoFwtErJfVSMBEiMz5VxoWDJQBA4gZFrdcmVBUSPIb7fmyRvBzoVp7inD1VxJicAbAgxDY4OoX7hynWViMPSdNv-jzW5jU/s1600/webIMG_5197+1200px+b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAa5Hus9XIsO77GPFsb5GIsKmXGdie2PqueXf1xVhKsKevBpoFwtErJfVSMBEiMz5VxoWDJQBA4gZFrdcmVBUSPIb7fmyRvBzoVp7inD1VxJicAbAgxDY4OoX7hynWViMPSdNv-jzW5jU/s320/webIMG_5197+1200px+b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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and here's a few more from the same session:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjct2Zt4kR1XmbAHgvIX7kFcWYmjqm_-gDDb91qWZVMCJWDGFP3E5phhRu4zKfJ2HHAgS2GbXGa4LH52SzjICanULq8E5bieclCSYUwAPCCMb-5j8wHGABT3qFj1wLCUcD2Uyq4-KPrhibe/s1600/webIMG_5180+1200px+d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjct2Zt4kR1XmbAHgvIX7kFcWYmjqm_-gDDb91qWZVMCJWDGFP3E5phhRu4zKfJ2HHAgS2GbXGa4LH52SzjICanULq8E5bieclCSYUwAPCCMb-5j8wHGABT3qFj1wLCUcD2Uyq4-KPrhibe/s320/webIMG_5180+1200px+d.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Matt Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451598566179709030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924249423062729629.post-1599129454125721722017-08-04T22:05:00.002+01:002017-08-04T22:05:42.183+01:00BBC Wildlife Magazine LadybirdsOver the years my images have been published in a variety of different magazines, books and newspapers but there's no doubt that I get the greatest satisfaction from seeing my images in BBC Wildlife magazine. I'm therefore very pleased to have 3 images in this month's (August) issue all illustrating Helen Roy's very nicely written article on Seven-Spot Ladybirds. I'm particularly pleased that one of them is in the form of a double page spread. Below are iPhone snaps of a couple of the images.<br />
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Matt Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451598566179709030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924249423062729629.post-46109734651640075652017-06-24T22:47:00.003+01:002017-08-02T13:32:03.383+01:00Laowa 15mm f4 Macro Lens Sample Images<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've written a number of posts featuring images taken with the Laowa 15mm macro lens including <u><a href="http://mattcolephotography.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/venus-laowa-15mm-f4-wideangle-macro.html">this review</a></u> and this <a href="http://mattcolephotography.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/large-red-damselflies-wideangle.html"><u>recent post</u></a> on photographing Large Red Damselflies. However I'm often asked to provide examples of images taken with this lens so I thought I would add this post in which I include some of my favourite images taken so far. </div>
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Four-Spotted Chaser Dragonfly</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1PoJfTUaUDgdkURMh2NrN_fKJwoRQuF2Oy3ehp101JVgYHI7E5OAuF3gFB1Cjr0NYHCkrtzm6MlIguSUy5Xr5IQyy_N-lPvNd3FE5JoVSnVSiw79OfDDdDRoZFurysDal3mj78KocLNHw/s1600/webC5A9130+1200px+alt+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1PoJfTUaUDgdkURMh2NrN_fKJwoRQuF2Oy3ehp101JVgYHI7E5OAuF3gFB1Cjr0NYHCkrtzm6MlIguSUy5Xr5IQyy_N-lPvNd3FE5JoVSnVSiw79OfDDdDRoZFurysDal3mj78KocLNHw/s320/webC5A9130+1200px+alt+c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Large Red Damselfly</div>
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A House Spider in my kitchen</div>
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Blue-Tailed Damselfly</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKmScUVZyee9P4Qaua7QOyiVUVH2NGhc9kBY0iDq9-Kfks9ut6LOpG4ziX7PdThUmKCZYlz90tD2hJ2tAcCEMqw08mwlzfdMyOy5616L0hKROORJA_fqp1Ve6F0VgmbIRNwda4-3gv83f2/s1600/Blue-Tailed+Damselfly+wideangle1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKmScUVZyee9P4Qaua7QOyiVUVH2NGhc9kBY0iDq9-Kfks9ut6LOpG4ziX7PdThUmKCZYlz90tD2hJ2tAcCEMqw08mwlzfdMyOy5616L0hKROORJA_fqp1Ve6F0VgmbIRNwda4-3gv83f2/s320/Blue-Tailed+Damselfly+wideangle1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Emerging Large Red Damselfly</div>
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Blue-Tailed Damselfly at sunrise</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBNwta7bTax3HkvPZNui4VwEgLTalEvLEGNJNqGf6l07uoQjj47IK_2A3vuiNdfkhW1NmYkxLl0SPrJT8aeJ37nNWDoFApHQGD2PWqmRXWbSen-gLU_WWK_ivKchgisqrerJOBqr8BRGSy/s1600/Blue-Tailed+Damselfly+wideangle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBNwta7bTax3HkvPZNui4VwEgLTalEvLEGNJNqGf6l07uoQjj47IK_2A3vuiNdfkhW1NmYkxLl0SPrJT8aeJ37nNWDoFApHQGD2PWqmRXWbSen-gLU_WWK_ivKchgisqrerJOBqr8BRGSy/s320/Blue-Tailed+Damselfly+wideangle.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Four-Spotted Chaser Dragonfly</div>
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Common Darter Dragonfly</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxvhR3eAsyqOHdOpmTDZEHHFxepfLPN7MvGNFYlAQdx8EpcOH-AbMr6rXKbe-2hbAkemInSJ2QsP1Itccke08Ds0MKJ1eotqFM9GFGOIXIz-gla4z_DYGiwQrsaGRtiyeCvM6pSLOH0WVg/s1600/Common+Darter+wideangle+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxvhR3eAsyqOHdOpmTDZEHHFxepfLPN7MvGNFYlAQdx8EpcOH-AbMr6rXKbe-2hbAkemInSJ2QsP1Itccke08Ds0MKJ1eotqFM9GFGOIXIz-gla4z_DYGiwQrsaGRtiyeCvM6pSLOH0WVg/s320/Common+Darter+wideangle+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Six-Spot Burnet Moth</div>
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Common Darter Dragonfly</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2iTX4PGpjSrNlAcSlPCIQQuuPEczeujLSm4IHHqDxJ3RXmBza_1c9d-C3AhQ-H-koT97vNpe3te6kEpsHcb3UuwkBk5m24zMIuL9DhV01AH51534-7sEAkL1PvCQ5HM70lwwB5my4A2Xg/s1600/Common+Darter+wideangle+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2iTX4PGpjSrNlAcSlPCIQQuuPEczeujLSm4IHHqDxJ3RXmBza_1c9d-C3AhQ-H-koT97vNpe3te6kEpsHcb3UuwkBk5m24zMIuL9DhV01AH51534-7sEAkL1PvCQ5HM70lwwB5my4A2Xg/s320/Common+Darter+wideangle+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Common Darter Dragonfly</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtanNoYN-qcC-cuW_tha8Grz7zWt9KPreC5pBFq0BzyUznDxC6RlXYG-EQjUvaa9VuZvRNLvE4ehgE26lTsdG3BNuNWfSg1930yauK5B-xnk3oOVSm45NyAntkEvzuUaA_dnatosnwGd8H/s1600/Common+Darter+wideangle5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtanNoYN-qcC-cuW_tha8Grz7zWt9KPreC5pBFq0BzyUznDxC6RlXYG-EQjUvaa9VuZvRNLvE4ehgE26lTsdG3BNuNWfSg1930yauK5B-xnk3oOVSm45NyAntkEvzuUaA_dnatosnwGd8H/s320/Common+Darter+wideangle5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Fly Agaric</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhveokNBVF8YubE-zIqSkWyFI9oIwqEEoRZ8sgwGwj4gMj_5CKlcpyiT6sC5JDByk9do7ysCIpQ6-rFEo33UP-yH3Gr8XCUeraXdTcNnaSsDrdkLphRD-O_mH1FHPZIXftgfVTV2uRgkpxJ/s1600/Fly+Agaric+wideangle+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhveokNBVF8YubE-zIqSkWyFI9oIwqEEoRZ8sgwGwj4gMj_5CKlcpyiT6sC5JDByk9do7ysCIpQ6-rFEo33UP-yH3Gr8XCUeraXdTcNnaSsDrdkLphRD-O_mH1FHPZIXftgfVTV2uRgkpxJ/s320/Fly+Agaric+wideangle+3.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Brown-Lipped Snail</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5flPDHoaNSdrsKfwWA7bn-8prVSBcvSctnNzvv1QEVPZn_p-JN_DEJiLSfqdm0tM_juiqmrqfrTrZxnz4sfNFAqJPyxwY2ZrQa-QzL1Sog2yFt5NjYqVR6yJ_IDJOvoGE7NeiOpI8EUPg/s1600/Brown+Lipped+Snail+wideangle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5flPDHoaNSdrsKfwWA7bn-8prVSBcvSctnNzvv1QEVPZn_p-JN_DEJiLSfqdm0tM_juiqmrqfrTrZxnz4sfNFAqJPyxwY2ZrQa-QzL1Sog2yFt5NjYqVR6yJ_IDJOvoGE7NeiOpI8EUPg/s320/Brown+Lipped+Snail+wideangle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Matt Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451598566179709030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924249423062729629.post-12328534321117434282017-06-21T21:49:00.001+01:002017-06-21T21:49:12.328+01:00Spring BeesIn early spring the main subjects of my photographic attention were the various solitary bees that were visiting my garden on a regular basis. I've yet to process all of the images I took but here are a few of them.<br />
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PLEASE CLICK TO ENLARGE IMAGES</div>
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Firstly, here's a mining bee, probably Andrena haemorrhoa</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj57Gegp1IpHGLmpy77wIUeU7frvHAGxIcBMqWmJCudxnloYFGqIze0vWtOmfBZgSdJuhviaqHE_E7oqHCt1lJ596Wi4ZfhgW2Y2MlQG01XhgtfoQsuSP0qm9mYT8sSc9dQ9-dzGIu5yGST/s1600/webC5A8069+1200px+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj57Gegp1IpHGLmpy77wIUeU7frvHAGxIcBMqWmJCudxnloYFGqIze0vWtOmfBZgSdJuhviaqHE_E7oqHCt1lJ596Wi4ZfhgW2Y2MlQG01XhgtfoQsuSP0qm9mYT8sSc9dQ9-dzGIu5yGST/s320/webC5A8069+1200px+c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The next two are Tawny Mining Bees (Andrena fulva)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQGLbiga0xWAW0gLVt-caC8_AWHMVqPlN7bDEfV70ej70-7SvydRpGjPB8UVdiMl8HFitQqsAD3NZGLn3uG42LJmiMXOwu_MQ2OytVAnivVM6R4RIFnElMq1vLJX3-TSDO1xGb3Yi4NV6z/s1600/webC5A8127+1200px+a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="824" data-original-width="1200" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQGLbiga0xWAW0gLVt-caC8_AWHMVqPlN7bDEfV70ej70-7SvydRpGjPB8UVdiMl8HFitQqsAD3NZGLn3uG42LJmiMXOwu_MQ2OytVAnivVM6R4RIFnElMq1vLJX3-TSDO1xGb3Yi4NV6z/s320/webC5A8127+1200px+a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3bRK3-53aQpizhqYtmtieu_Uew1bDMsyccWdgTo31vd2o9zt6x-1x0qtl_5qjGU0o2CO2dUXi-G-LNOUGudBwMK6hAZdR0eGjSLPOHwBrD7ANHDYn695sK5Do8v1e3jrEq0CAi1aMKFW/s1600/webC5A8166+1200px+b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl3bRK3-53aQpizhqYtmtieu_Uew1bDMsyccWdgTo31vd2o9zt6x-1x0qtl_5qjGU0o2CO2dUXi-G-LNOUGudBwMK6hAZdR0eGjSLPOHwBrD7ANHDYn695sK5Do8v1e3jrEq0CAi1aMKFW/s320/webC5A8166+1200px+b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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and finally, these next three are Red Mason Bees (Osmia rufa), all feeding on Forget-me-not</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYIqDklgW6aqvHHX87IGqjqApfKspz2TfYHSQ2xh2HBK5C4kwHEx-3ZVUxgJDySjCyFCQVfCYYvQrekN9kuqff3O6uX46nVQ_3swE9eKnkOLFFNNpzxwt34yUWwGm-MOshIlbgsbxANxcj/s1600/webC5A8178+1200px+a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYIqDklgW6aqvHHX87IGqjqApfKspz2TfYHSQ2xh2HBK5C4kwHEx-3ZVUxgJDySjCyFCQVfCYYvQrekN9kuqff3O6uX46nVQ_3swE9eKnkOLFFNNpzxwt34yUWwGm-MOshIlbgsbxANxcj/s320/webC5A8178+1200px+a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzBmWC6gHQzlEIY_dt0Y99bRzOHRl_PSk-hncKYWY8ZFVHcgQiMngecpsJLZb5LuShZhskVjRzki_Qt4Vdbhe7wcYEG1KYUf-tUcJ559Kgnd9DAjB2h7ikxRxnZZp71juLS-bE6HTuneby/s1600/webC5A8211+1200px+a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzBmWC6gHQzlEIY_dt0Y99bRzOHRl_PSk-hncKYWY8ZFVHcgQiMngecpsJLZb5LuShZhskVjRzki_Qt4Vdbhe7wcYEG1KYUf-tUcJ559Kgnd9DAjB2h7ikxRxnZZp71juLS-bE6HTuneby/s320/webC5A8211+1200px+a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Matt Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451598566179709030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924249423062729629.post-31786609604837192142017-05-20T12:14:00.001+01:002017-05-24T15:16:10.626+01:00Large Red Damselflies (wideangle)As regular visitors to this blog will know, one of my favourite styles of photography is wideangle macro. This year I found a good number of Large Red Damselflies at a local nature reserve and so decided to try to photograph them with the Laowa 15mm macro lens.<br />
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Using the Laowa 15mm lens requires a certain amount of preparation and planning. First, I had to take a flashgun of some sort as small subjects are always so close to the lens that they are in deep shadow (Large Red Damselflies are only approximately 30-35mm in length). I decided to take the Laowa KX-800 manual-only twin flash with diffusers. Second, I wanted to choose a day with a blue sky as I think that always looks far nicer than a grey or white sky. Once on site, I had to find a viewpoint that looked attractive through the viewfinder and showed the damselfly's natural environment. This isn't as easy as it sounds as the 15mm focal length provides a very wide field of view and unattractive elements will often creep into frame. Finally, I had to find a co-operative damselfly that would allow me to move the lens to within 1-2cm (literally) of it. The cool weather and relatively early start helped in this regard.<br />
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Having done all of that the next challenge is to get the exposure right. The Laowa 15mm has no auto-aperture control so the aperture has to be selected manually on the lens (as opposed to via the camera's controls) and the image you see through the viewfinder is the stopped down image rather than the wide open aperture that modern lenses allow you to look through. As a result, when the lens is stopped down the viewfinder (and liveview) is very dark. The flash also takes a lot of adjustment. I like to take images at a variety of apertures but being manual only the KX-800 requires you to increase the flash output at small apertures and reduce it at larger apertures.<br />
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Having done all of that I took a selection of images. I think my favourite is the one below. Although the aperture is not recorded in the EXIF data, I think this was taken at around f16.<br />
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PLEASE CLICK TO ENLARGE IMAGE</div>
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Choosing the right amount of background detail is never easy but, for me, the above is about right.<br />
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The image below was stopped down a bit more - somewhere between f22 and f32 and has more detail in the background:<br />
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while the next one was taken at around f8:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1WVb5xk-bVlIhq25u6Nsj8ENiUeGovLVuDLVtFSdg8sSaIoEQKPuTOX5Ex3uXuUfdyGvJ7yeY29_IW3b9iZ3usuyjizFfpRWXiWmIA7Fpccz8iOLQPp-S52fprT5_hJbpzBebHmulufC/s1600/webC5A9000+1200px+a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1WVb5xk-bVlIhq25u6Nsj8ENiUeGovLVuDLVtFSdg8sSaIoEQKPuTOX5Ex3uXuUfdyGvJ7yeY29_IW3b9iZ3usuyjizFfpRWXiWmIA7Fpccz8iOLQPp-S52fprT5_hJbpzBebHmulufC/s320/webC5A9000+1200px+a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In order to illustrate how essential the flash is, the following image shows what happens when the flash doesn't fire!<br />
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and here's the equivalent image when the flash did fire (this was taken at f32):<br />
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Finally, here's an image showing a Large Red Damselfly emerging from its aquatic nymph stage. This was taken with a Sigma 150mm macro lens:<br />
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the contrast between the adult damselfly in the wideangle images and the aquatic nymph from which it emerges is remarkable. The newly emerged adult quickly expands its wings and slowly, over a few hours, its adult colours develop.Matt Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451598566179709030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924249423062729629.post-90713695464850511412017-04-28T20:47:00.000+01:002017-04-28T20:47:57.876+01:00What camera equipment do I use?'What equipment do you use?' is perhaps the most common photography question that I am asked. Those unfamiliar with photography are most interested in what camera I use (and, yes, I have been a recipient of the old classic comment beloved by all photographers 'wow, you must have a great camera!'). Those more familiar with photography realise that the camera is far less important than the lenses and hence tend to ask about the latter. Questions about flash are also quite common.<br />
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The slightly glib answer I could give to questions about my photography equipment is that it is the photographer that creates the image and not the equipment. However, that isn't entirely true. Equipment alone cannot create a great wildlife image but having the right tools for the job certainly helps. Since I don't tend to say a great deal about equipment on this blog or elsewhere I thought I would outline here the various bodies, lenses and other bits of kit that I currently use for macro photography.<br />
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<u><b>Camera Bodies:</b></u><br />
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<ul>
<li>Canon 1D mkIV</li>
<li>Canon 60D</li>
<li>Olympus OM-D E-M1</li>
</ul>
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As I've already indicated, for macro photography I consider the camera body to be far less important than the lens. Macro doesn't really require fast auto focus, rapid frames per second, high ISO performance and many other features of top end cameras (though, on occasions, all of these do come in handy). For many years I have therefore used Canon 60D and 7D bodies and, until recently, felt no need to replace them. Some months ago, however, I sold my 7D and replaced it with a used 1D mkIV which, I realise, seemingly contradicts what I have just said about not needing a top end camera! On occasions I was wishing I had better ISO performance and also felt that the 1.3 crop sensor would come in handy when using the MP-E 65mm lens giving me a more useful magnification range. I also felt some of the other features would come in handy with non-macro photography (plus I got a good deal!).<br />
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The Olympus is a micro four thirds camera and has the benefits of being smaller and more lightweight than DSLRs. The smaller sensor also provides greater depth of field (for an equivalent field of view) which is also useful for macro photography. The <a href="http://mattcolephotography.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/olympus-om-d-e-m1-review.html"><u>following post</u></a> provides some of my thoughts on this camera (from an article in Wild Planet Photo Magazine).<br />
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<u><b>Macro Lenses:</b></u><br />
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<ul>
<li>Canon MP-E 65mm</li>
<li>Sigma 150mm</li>
<li>Canon 60mm</li>
<li>Tokina 35mm</li>
<li>Laowa 15mm</li>
<li>Tokina 10-17 fisheye</li>
<li>Olympus 60mm</li>
</ul>
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The MP-E 65mm is a specialist macro lens and provides a magnification range of 1x to 5x. It's therefore the lens that I use for all high magnification work.<br />
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The Sigma 150mm is the old non-stabilised version but it's still a great lens. The longer focal length provides a long working distance and also helps to separate the subject from the background.<br />
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The Canon 60mm tends to be used as a replacement for the MP-E 65mm when I'm trying to photograph an insect that is just a bit too large to fit into frame with the MP-E. I recently photographed Bee Flies using the my MP-E (on my Canon 60D) and the MT-24 flash but the long proboscis meant I couldn't comfortably fit them in frame. I quickly grabbed my Canon 60mm and the problem was solved (<a href="http://mattcolephotography.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/bee-flies.html"><u>see here</u></a>). That said, a problem I do have with the Canon 60mm is that it is an EF-S lens and won't physically fit on the 1D mkIV. I'm therefore considering swapping it for a used Tamron 60mm which will work on the 1D mkIV (even though technically it's also meant to be for APS-C sized sensors) as well as the 60D.<br />
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The Tokina 35mm, the Loawa 15mm and the Tokina 10-17 fisheye are all used for 'wideangle macro' type images (<a href="http://mattcolephotography.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/wideangle-macro.html"><u>see here</u></a> for more info on wideangle macro). Unlike the other lenses on this list, the Tokina 10-17 isn't a true macro lens capable of lifesize reproduction. Of the 3, I use the Tokina 35mm the most by some margin. It's an excellent lens.<br />
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Finally, and as you may have guessed, the Olympus 60mm macro lens is used with the OM-D E-M1.<br />
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One thing you may notice from this list of lenses is the inclusion of less well known manufacturers in the form of Tokina and Laowa (and, perhaps soon,Tamron). Many photographers stick to Canon/Nikon/Olympus perhaps due to a degree of snobbery but also due to a belief that other manufacturers produce inferior lenses. For macro photography at least, I would strongly disagree. All of the lenses on this list are excellent and the prime lenses in particular are pin sharp. I wouldn't consider swapping the Canon 60mm for the Tamron 60mm, for instance, unless I knew that it would produce equivalent results.<br />
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<u><b>Flash:</b></u><br />
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<ul>
<li>Canon MT-24 EX twin flash</li>
<li>Canon 420 Speedlite</li>
<li>Laowa KX-800 twin flash</li>
</ul>
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I use the MT-24 EX for the vast majority of my flash images (diffused as <a href="http://mattcolephotography.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/macro-flash-diffusion.html"><u>shown here</u></a>) with the 420 Speedlite occasionally used as a slave. The Laowa KX-800 is a simple to use, manual-only, flash (i.e. no ETTL) and is a useful accompaniment to the Laowa 15mm lens.<br />
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<u><b>Other useful equipment:</b></u><br />
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<ul>
<li>Manfrotto MT055X tripod</li>
<li>Manfrotto 410 junior geared head</li>
<li>Lastolite reflector</li>
<li>Wimberley plamp</li>
</ul>
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I'm sure I occasionally use other bits of kit as well but these are the 4 other items that I would struggle to manage without. The Wimberley Plamp is very useful for holding foliage steady when photographing something perched on that foliage. The people at Wimberley kindly sent me the Plamp II and some other related bits of kit (<a href="https://www.tripodhead.com/products/plamp-main.cfm"><u>see here</u></a> on the Wimberley website) at the back end of last summer so I'm looking forward to testing that out this year.<br />
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On more than one occasion a photo magazine has asked me to name the one bit of kit or the one lens that I couldn't manage without. That's always a tricky question to answer. A slightly easier question is, if I ever had to dramatically streamline my photography kit which bits would I hold onto? The crucial bits of kit, which would allow me to take 95% of the macro images that I would like to take, would be; a Canon camera body, the MP-E65mm, the Sigma 150, the Tokina 35mm and the MT-24 flash. Oh, and a tripod, tripod head and a Plamp. Really, the rest are luxuries that I could fairly easily manage without if I had to!<br />
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<br />Matt Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451598566179709030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924249423062729629.post-50384024028550568702017-04-25T21:12:00.001+01:002017-04-26T19:17:35.501+01:00Bee FliesI've always been intrigued by the Bee Fly (Bombylius major) given its unusual, bee-like appearance and impressive long proboscis. My intrigue has only been heightened by the fact that I see bee flies very rarely. In fact, despite my long standing interest in insects and macro photography, prior to this year I had only ever seen them on one occasion. This was a few years ago in a family member's garden in Essex. For some reason I just never saw bee flies in my own garden or at local nature reserves.<br />
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In January 2016 I moved house just a few doors up (13 to be precise!) from my previous house and the selection of insects that I found in my new garden was, not surprisingly, very similar to that found in my old garden. However, imagine my surprise when I spotted a bee fly in my new garden during the warm weather earlier this month. In fact, during this warm spell I saw several and at one point counted 4 individuals sunning themselves on my fence. Since then the temperature has dropped considerably and I've seen only a fleeting glimpse of a single individual.<br />
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I'm left wondering if there have always been bee flies around here - including in my old garden, though this seems unlikely given how avidly I scoured the garden each spring looking for bees and other insects. Or maybe they have always lived in the gardens surrounding my new house and stayed very local - though I didn't see any last spring. Or maybe they are new to the area? I suppose time will tell if I will see some each spring from now on.<br />
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Anyway, although they are very skittish I did manage a few images when the temperature cooled late afternoon/early evening and they became more approachable.<br />
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This first image shows a Dark-Edged Bee Fly (Bombylius major) that paused for a few moments to clean its proboscis.</div>
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The next two images show an individual feeding on Grape Hyacinths</div>
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<br />Matt Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451598566179709030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924249423062729629.post-82962657575933222452017-04-21T22:23:00.000+01:002017-04-21T22:23:00.733+01:00Updated 'Macro Hints and Tips' and 'Wideangle Macro'Apologies for the lack of posts in recent months. I am slowly getting back into the saddle and new posts will be appearing soon.<br />
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In the meantime I have updated 2 of the most read posts on this site: First, the '<a href="http://mattcolephotography.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/macro-photography-hints-and-tips.html"><u>Macro Photography Hints and Tips</u></a>' article and second my guide to '<a href="http://mattcolephotography.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/wideangle-macro.html"><u>Wideangle Macro</u>'</a>.<br />
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<br />Matt Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451598566179709030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924249423062729629.post-84111979015343663842016-10-01T10:11:00.002+01:002016-10-02T12:22:05.002+01:00Black-Tailed SkimmersI haven't done a huge amount of photography this summer but I did manage a few sessions at a local nature reserve photographing the Black-Tailed Skimmer dragonflies. I was fortunate to find one as it was emerging from its larval stage, something that I never tire of watching.<br />
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This first one was taken with my Tokina 35mm macro lens to show the newly emerged dragonfly in its natural environment:<br />
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I also photographed the same scene with my Laowa 15mm wideangle macro lens. This obviously provides a much wider field of view:<br />
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and here's a recently emerged individual, photographed with the Tokina 35mm:<br />
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and finally two more conventional portraits of a female Black-Tailed Skimmer, this time photographed with my Olympus E-M1 and Olympus 60mm macro lens:</div>
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<br />Matt Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451598566179709030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924249423062729629.post-81779836668081242032016-07-09T10:37:00.000+01:002016-07-09T10:39:16.658+01:00Practical Photography magazineI'm afraid things have been a little hectic in recent months hence the lack of posts on this blog. But just to prove I'm still alive here's an article in the latest (August) issue of Practical Photography magazine featuring my images and some of my text.<br />
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This issue of Practical Photography has a large section on wildlife photography containing images and tips from Mark Hamblin, Laurie Campbell, Ben Hall, Stefano Unterthiner (and, rather flatteringly, yours truly).</div>
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I should perhaps add that I wasn't responsible for the use of the word 'minibeasts' in the title (!) or the recommendation to fire a fast burst of images when taking macro. That is not a technique I would ever personally use when shooting static insects and would only consider it for photographing a moving target such as a dragonfly in flight.</div>
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Matt Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451598566179709030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924249423062729629.post-29695706753806880092016-02-15T22:42:00.003+00:002016-10-01T10:12:47.640+01:00Miscellaneous ImagesA few miscellaneous images from last summer that didn't make it into any previous blog posts.<br />
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A pair of Red and Black Froghoppers</div>
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A Soldier Fly</div>
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A Blue-Tailed Damselfly</div>
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A Small Skipper Butterfly</div>
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A newly emerged Six-Spot Burnet Moth</div>
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and finally, a Damselfly freshly emerged from its exuvia</div>
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<br />Matt Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451598566179709030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924249423062729629.post-36484765347061563862016-02-04T21:36:00.000+00:002016-02-04T21:36:04.401+00:00Top 10 Images of 2015A house move and significant new responsibilities in my day job have meant it's taken me 5 weeks to get around to posting my favourite images of 2015. Better late than never I hope!<br />
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Looking back at my reviews of previous years they strike me as rather self indulgent (!) so I won't bother with a review of 2015 other than to make a couple of brief comments. I took fewer photos than in previous years largely due to house renovation and the job responsibilities referred to above but, for some reason, I published far more articles and images in magazines than in previous years (previous blog posts will refer to some of these). I also had an image Highly Commended in the British Wildlife Photography Awards which was nice. In terms of my actual photography in 2015 I particularly enjoyed playing with my new Laowa 15mm wideangle macro lens and several of the images below were taken with that lens.<br />
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Despite not taking a huge number of images in 2015 there were a few that I liked. So what follows are my favourites based on my entirely subjective preferences.<br />
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I always enjoy seeing Tawny Mining Bees in spring and was particularly pleased to capture this female against a blue sky</div>
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The first of my images taken with the Laowa 15mm macro. This is a Blue-Tailed Damselfly photographed early in the morning</div>
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Another bee in sunshine, this time an Andrena Haemorrhoa mining bee</div>
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A Brown Lipped Snail in its aquatic habitat, taken with the Laowa 15mm</div>
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A backlit Drinker Moth caterpillar</div>
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A wideangle Blue-Tailed Damselfly</div>
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and a wideangle Common Darter</div>
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The smaller fly on the left had caught and was devouring the larger fly (more info <a href="http://mattcolephotography.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/predator-v-prey.html"><u>here</u></a>)</div>
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This image is perhaps nothing special as a standalone image but this was the first time I'd seen a Roesel's Bush Cricket at my small local reserve</div>
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and finally another wideangle Common Darter</div>
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So perhaps not the most varied selection of images but they're all images that I enjoyed taking for various reasons.<br />
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<br />Matt Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451598566179709030noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924249423062729629.post-84051587013993790872015-12-13T13:24:00.001+00:002015-12-13T13:24:21.969+00:00More images taken with the Venus Laowa 15mm wideangle macro lensBack in August I posted <a href="http://mattcolephotography.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/venus-laowa-15mm-f4-wideangle-macro.html"><u>this review</u></a> of the Venus Laowa 15mm wideangle macro lens. It's taken me a while to get around to it, but here are a few more images taken with this lens during a couple of early morning sessions in August.<br />
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I should perhaps add that my views of the lens haven't changed. I still consider it to be an excellent lens that is capable of taking unique images but it isn't the easiest lens to use. My review above elaborates on these points.<br />
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Common Darter Dragonfly</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUeLt0EhHGnNUCjG5roFsRRl8nScNNYmVdlvZF-r7pH7UPPlAlxqvCp7fZROjoyKCvHFokqmnbRUjPnmAAMziADdlKSHqGoYcqzHLh_VMT6REcyWEbZWgpinDkApkTsOxGB64aklv1a_uP/s1600/webIMG_4497+1200px+a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUeLt0EhHGnNUCjG5roFsRRl8nScNNYmVdlvZF-r7pH7UPPlAlxqvCp7fZROjoyKCvHFokqmnbRUjPnmAAMziADdlKSHqGoYcqzHLh_VMT6REcyWEbZWgpinDkApkTsOxGB64aklv1a_uP/s320/webIMG_4497+1200px+a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Six-Spot Burnet Moth</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhruY4IyW1yGlYSzVWSLds6eolR8xNjyIHRRs41wGk10sQ9V9bvXzp9YrYVWXZcU4EoS9NkKZwgKIyF0uDAXkQvNgfS9qToxmTux3sLjiQ5y3EqHg62yG73u_kPw2pWkr5AIs4g59ilgktR/s1600/webIMG_3583+1200px+b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhruY4IyW1yGlYSzVWSLds6eolR8xNjyIHRRs41wGk10sQ9V9bvXzp9YrYVWXZcU4EoS9NkKZwgKIyF0uDAXkQvNgfS9qToxmTux3sLjiQ5y3EqHg62yG73u_kPw2pWkr5AIs4g59ilgktR/s320/webIMG_3583+1200px+b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Common Darter Dragonfly</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWPdPbTP6qEFw4Dry2Lbdr-5_yE8qxe7C66bMRRIHZVX5Aa1RdcrcyshY2tRLwnOkS7hnsPIj2WKqDbSP-BrJ8JyF1rF_tL6-or5frC-_lvApJb13ekBaY07siESXubisgAY_90xiyO5LG/s1600/webIMG_4550+1200px+a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWPdPbTP6qEFw4Dry2Lbdr-5_yE8qxe7C66bMRRIHZVX5Aa1RdcrcyshY2tRLwnOkS7hnsPIj2WKqDbSP-BrJ8JyF1rF_tL6-or5frC-_lvApJb13ekBaY07siESXubisgAY_90xiyO5LG/s320/webIMG_4550+1200px+a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Blue-Tailed Damselfly</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDlPSwLvqwX5bmDLIXoxjEOtFEZxtsRk1oDgncDJTCPBbPGQhXcomyy5So9czNz4Ixtbg57-3LOwWpJKGWd3z1uO4IjkWk_pVAu3ngWyzXzuyjoG_0bwXKMj89Ad7nw3WuiB2SIpOfNlfF/s1600/webIMG_3626+900px+b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDlPSwLvqwX5bmDLIXoxjEOtFEZxtsRk1oDgncDJTCPBbPGQhXcomyy5So9czNz4Ixtbg57-3LOwWpJKGWd3z1uO4IjkWk_pVAu3ngWyzXzuyjoG_0bwXKMj89Ad7nw3WuiB2SIpOfNlfF/s320/webIMG_3626+900px+b.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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Brown-Lipped Snail</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieANaA-mGxa_qY9uHACRXlOVCqjJ3NGint7egkgZ43Pwz1BYVBi5VVW14UzaFNllnYBsv3UKUKsvGfnXwZ9pQjsnYUElx_QN5olMbSq-qErRKWK7jzV8PGy2NCi6PlRrL_X1c3hl-ep6Qp/s1600/webIMG_3760+1200px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieANaA-mGxa_qY9uHACRXlOVCqjJ3NGint7egkgZ43Pwz1BYVBi5VVW14UzaFNllnYBsv3UKUKsvGfnXwZ9pQjsnYUElx_QN5olMbSq-qErRKWK7jzV8PGy2NCi6PlRrL_X1c3hl-ep6Qp/s320/webIMG_3760+1200px.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Blue-Tailed Damselfly</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrAdS446x2dsZvWCCWPeYl4ROdiyVZvJb56B9HS0ST69ESfXBcPLIufXNY8oJdP08aMTJKDkDiuuCVwOXLZ_d0H0fx3DOPpgwAD767n06MjRUV9X06qI457bypaXOZmHaa94A4uyYsS9SY/s1600/webIMG_4325+1200px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrAdS446x2dsZvWCCWPeYl4ROdiyVZvJb56B9HS0ST69ESfXBcPLIufXNY8oJdP08aMTJKDkDiuuCVwOXLZ_d0H0fx3DOPpgwAD767n06MjRUV9X06qI457bypaXOZmHaa94A4uyYsS9SY/s320/webIMG_4325+1200px.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Common Darter Dragonfly</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjte_LFtcCbY7e0Bby70HuM6xrvkGv9RGBfPdqJwRgoimQ3i7JFFdfjZ20FfZHgwdPPr0Ce-K-uRnkb82AklnzuoqOF4oTKo0OvtiBD64YJSIpkOy0cadFTOjCI95V0TDsK4GMguKJ9uz1v/s1600/webIMG_4394+1200px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjte_LFtcCbY7e0Bby70HuM6xrvkGv9RGBfPdqJwRgoimQ3i7JFFdfjZ20FfZHgwdPPr0Ce-K-uRnkb82AklnzuoqOF4oTKo0OvtiBD64YJSIpkOy0cadFTOjCI95V0TDsK4GMguKJ9uz1v/s320/webIMG_4394+1200px.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Common Darter Dragonfly</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszgqs_h2IWnbi9nJeA2O2cmAxJbiER4PVIidGSvqpy0RTGhuItg_yrjUziF6_4112otp_zoE1GZW9U_eJXqUvHWxajAZKtA71DYTE1vq4CTdQkXUTNzAjLaQW-l3ZdMqLRnOcCZXSRWvy/s1600/webIMG_4520+1200px+c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszgqs_h2IWnbi9nJeA2O2cmAxJbiER4PVIidGSvqpy0RTGhuItg_yrjUziF6_4112otp_zoE1GZW9U_eJXqUvHWxajAZKtA71DYTE1vq4CTdQkXUTNzAjLaQW-l3ZdMqLRnOcCZXSRWvy/s320/webIMG_4520+1200px+c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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and for completeness, here's a Fly Agaric from November</div>
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<br />Matt Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451598566179709030noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924249423062729629.post-4730584872868303272015-12-11T20:53:00.000+00:002015-12-11T20:53:20.711+00:00BBC Wildlife Calendar 2016BBC Wildlife calendars - free each year with the December issue - have adorned the wall of my office for many years. I'm therefore very pleased to have one of my images included in the 2016 calendar. The image is a close-up of a Brown Hawker dragonfly and provides the image for April.<br />
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As usual the calendar features some excellent images from photographers such as Andy Rouse, Daisy Gilardini, Stefano Untertheiner, David Tipling, Suzi Eszterhas and Elliott Neep. I'm very honoured to be included in such company.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfCJaImyns7zAjIzQ-fB9ZhOTE2uiKxQLbc90l6gFBhGPgXuyQcawCeKGIyjC-MdcERtlUh6ff8z24NN1U8w4Appub-0ejbCsw1c9LlS47JVmR0re8LBl2UD-GFwcHOLxgjmyraOEO1R4W/s1600/webOLYP110135+crop+levels+aRGB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfCJaImyns7zAjIzQ-fB9ZhOTE2uiKxQLbc90l6gFBhGPgXuyQcawCeKGIyjC-MdcERtlUh6ff8z24NN1U8w4Appub-0ejbCsw1c9LlS47JVmR0re8LBl2UD-GFwcHOLxgjmyraOEO1R4W/s320/webOLYP110135+crop+levels+aRGB.jpg" width="236" /></a></div>
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<br />Matt Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451598566179709030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924249423062729629.post-37114137869479914682015-11-10T20:13:00.000+00:002015-11-10T20:18:26.386+00:00Fly AgaricsI haven't done a great deal of photography lately but here are a few Fly Agaric images from late September.<br />
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This first image was taken with the Venus Laowa 15mm wideangle macro lens:<br />
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... as was this image:</div>
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Finally, I switched to my Sigma 150mm macro lens:</div>
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<br />Matt Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451598566179709030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924249423062729629.post-84195694603742848862015-10-14T11:49:00.000+01:002015-10-14T13:10:25.982+01:00Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015The winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition were announced yesterday. This is always an important day in the wildlife photography calendar and one I look forward to each year. The overall winner was a powerful image by Don Gutoski showing the brutal aftermath of a battle between a red fox and an Arctic fox. The winning and commended (now called 'finalist') images can be found <a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/wpy/gallery/2015/index.html"><u>here</u>.</a><br />
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'A Tale of Two Foxes' by Don Gutoski</div>
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I think 'A Tale of Two Foxes' is an excellent image. It is powerful, unusual, well composed (I like the symmetry of the foxes' heads) and tells a story. One can only imagine such encounters between red and Artic foxes will become more commonplace as climate change extends the range of the former into that of the latter.<br />
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In my view the competition features some inspirational images this year. There are a number that I particularly like but the following are some of my favourites:<br />
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'Shadow Walker' by Richard Peters </div>
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'Still Life' by Edwin Giesbers</div>
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'Battling the Storm' by Vincenzo Mazza - </div>
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this image doesn't quite work for me until you spot the Whooper Swans on the water. </div>
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'A Whale of a Mouthful' by Michael Aw</div>
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'Sea Eagle Snatch' by Auden Rikardsen </div>
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(this formed a part of the portfio prize and Rikardsen's portfolio as a whole is very impressive)</div>
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...and there are several others that I really like too.</div>
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I was particularly keen to see the images in the Invertebrates category. Within this category I try to imagine which image I would have been most pleased to see on the back of my camera. By this yardstick, of the 4 winning and finalist images, my favourites would be 'Waiting for the Sun' (below) and 'Wings of Summer' by Klaus Tamm. These are the two images I would have been most keen to rush home and process had I taken them! I notice that this category only features 4 images - all other categories feature at least 5 I think. One can only assume that the judges felt that only 4 invertebrate images met the required quality standard which perhaps reflects a lack of submissions of invert images or just a general dearth of quality. Both are slightly troubling and suggest that the competition is still struggling to cast off its recent reputation for 'not really doing insects'. By comparison, the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards always features a much larger, and often higher quality, selection of insect images. Hopefully, the presence of the dedicated Invert category (introduced last year) will result in a greater number of high quality insect images being submitted to WPOTY.<br />
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'Waiting for the Sun' by Edwin Giesbers (again!)<br />
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Overall, I think the judges have done an excellent job this year. All decisions are of course highly subjective and one can never fully agree with all of them. But, this year's winners contain a number of highly original images featuring a wide selection of subject matter. The reduced emphasis on flagship species is very welcome.</div>
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However, I can't resist the urge to have a slightly mischievous moan. In my WPOTY blog post 2 years ago (<a href="http://mattcolephotography.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/wildlife-photographer-of-year-2013.html"><u>here</u></a>) I was critical of the number of similar images in recent years and I highlighted the 3 images below<br />
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WPOTY 2010 by Marcelo Krause</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">WPOTY 2012 by Luciano Candisani</span></div>
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WPOTY 2013 by Jordi Chias Pujol</div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">all of which seemed to suggest that the judges couldn't resist side-on head shots of aquatic reptiles! As if to maintain this tradition, this year's competition contains the following image:</span></span></div>
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'Cuban Survivor' by Mirko Zanni</div>
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Individually, all of these are very nice images but given the presence of the previous images, I still struggle a little to understand how this latest image was deemed to be sufficiently original to see off competition from over 42,000 other images.<br />
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However, I shouldn't end on a negative note as I think this may have been one of the best WPOTY for several years. Well done to the winning photographers and to the judges too. </div>
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Matt Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451598566179709030noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924249423062729629.post-86772862952096506682015-10-13T14:31:00.002+01:002015-10-14T20:45:10.569+01:00'New' SpeciesThis summer the vast majority of my photography took place at a local nature reserve only 10 minutes from home. There were several reasons for this, the main one being that for some reason I particularly enjoy photographing my local wildlife. I will occasionally venture further afield but I like that to be the exception rather than the rule.<br />
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The downside of focusing so much attention on one local site year-after-year is that the insect species that appear at different times of the year become fairly predictable. This can encourage creativity as it forces me think how to photograph Common Blue butterflies or Four Spotted Chasers differently. But I don't normally expect to see 'new' species. <br />
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Imagine my surprise therefore to discover 2 new species of large insects at this site within the space of a couple of weeks this summer. The first discovery was this rather handsome Roesel's Bush Cricket found in early July in a patch of rough grass. This is a species that I'd never seen before, not only at this site but anywhere else either. In the UK its range has been expanding from the south east so it is possible that it is a fairly recent arrival at the site.<br />
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Later in July, on the same patch of rough grass (while looking in vain for more Roesel's Bush Crickets) I found this female Long Winged Conehead. It is a nymph which is why it has short wings and the straight ovipositor distinguishes it from the Short Winged Conehead. Again this is a species that is gradually moving north in the UK and is now increasingly common in the midlands.<br />
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I can only hope that both of these species become established at this site.Matt Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451598566179709030noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924249423062729629.post-54450783523469384942015-09-14T11:38:00.000+01:002015-09-25T20:33:55.431+01:00Success in British Wildlife Photography Awards 2015I'm very pleased to have a Highly Commended image in the 'Hidden Britain' category of the British Wildlife Photography Awards 2015. The image is of a tiny Globular Springtail, just 2-3mm in size.<br />
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Globular Springtail (Canon 60D with MP-E 65mm lens and MT-24 twin flash)</div>
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I've photographed Globular Springtails many times but on this particular occasion I wanted to achieve something a little different. I noticed that the wet leaves on my garden lawn (this was taken in winter) often contained Globular Springtails and by holding a wet leaf up and shooting into sunlight I was able to create unusual lighting effects. The use of flash added to this and also helped to darken the background thereby emphasising the light on the leaf and the springtail.<br />
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What particularly pleases me about this image being highly commended in the BWPA is the fact that it didn't require a long journey or a trip to a remote part of the UK. I simply walked into my back garden. Come to think of it, my highly commended image in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition in 2010 was also photographed in my back garden. I think this emphasises the often rich biodiversity that exists around us which often goes unnoticed.Matt Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451598566179709030noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924249423062729629.post-55092192664542312352015-09-03T19:57:00.002+01:002015-09-03T19:57:33.101+01:00Fungi Article in Outdoor PhotographyWell, it's now September and the weather has turned decidedly autumnal so it will soon be time for me to start thinking about fungi photography. I'm also very pleased to have a short guide to fungi photography in the current ('autumn') issue of Outdoor Photography magazine.<br />
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I particularly like the image on the cover of this issue taken by Mark Littlejohn<br />
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<br />Matt Colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451598566179709030noreply@blogger.com0