The Smaller-The Better

Seeing nature through a macro lens brings new insights and perspectives that we all miss in our daily lives. The photos I enjoy taking are anything on the small scale, insect or plant.

I prefer images with a lot of colour in them and try to bring this through in the backgrounds with the use of composed, but out of focus flowers. Interesting insect behavior is also of interest to me.

I realize that flies, spiders and other crawlies are not something that everyone would enjoy looking at so tend to rather photograph something I find interesting or with a hidden beauty and then share afterwards. If one person other than myself enjoys the photo then it was worth shooting and sharing.

For all my photos I use a Canon 500d with Canon MPE 65mm 1-5x macro lens and a diffused flash. I do NOT freeze my subjects or kill them, all are shot in natural surroundings.

Fly with dew droplet

Drops

Drops of dew hanging on the end of a blade grass. Background is out of focus marigold flower.

Ant peering into dew drop

Explosion

Dew collecting on the hairy end of a wild grass of some sort.

Jumping spider

On a red marigold leaf. Shot at about 3x life size and cropped slightly.

Dew speckled ant

Shot early morning with settling dew.

Jumping spider

Sitting on a Creme Soda can.

Jumping spider

Poised on the bed.

Dew hanging

Same jumping spider

Posing crab spider

Butterfly

Unsure of type, may be a moth….

Butterfly

Same newly emerging butterfly as earlier.

Dew drop refraction

Bluebottle fly with dew

Butterfly up close

Butterfly of some sort photographed at about 4x life size. Was sitting on a flower feeding and is covered in a little pollen.

Crane Fly

Dew on web

Refraction in drops of dew hanging on a spiders web.

Wing Fly blowing a bubble

A bubble of nectar been blown by this tiny fly.

Refraction in dew

Dew settled on the petal of a poppy.

Dew and fly

by John Cogan