BUGS!!!

 

When I visited Ness Gardens recently I had hoped for lots of bright and beautiful flowers, but I was a little disappointed as there were fewer flowers on display that I had expected. So, as well as photographing the blooms that were there I took advantage of the good light and shot some bugs.

That being said I didn't always have quite the right camera settings and as these creatures are never in one place for long I was a bit worried that many of the images would be unusable. That would have been the case if I had not shot in RAW, but because I did I was able then to take advantage of the excellent Adobe denoise function to enhance the final image.

So love them or hate them these bugs are shown off to their best advantage.

The face of the bee in the first shot is obscured by its wings but I love the pose as its feet are outstretched as it comes in to land on the blue flower.

The ladybird was hunting for aphids on the leaves of an apple tree, you might need to zoom in on its face to see the detail.

Perhaps the hardest critter to photograph on the day was the water boatman, poised as I was over the edge of the pond desperately hoping I didn't fall in. Just as I thought I had the focus right the little bug would dive below the surface and I would have to start again. I know that in this shot the face is a little out of focus but the main body looks sharp and how surprised are you at the gorgeous colours that are revealed in this shot? Normally when you see these things scooting around on the surface of a pond they look so dull, well look again, they're brilliant.

I can't recall what the aphids were feeding on, possibly an embryonic apple, there were so many of them. These are probably my least favourite of all the bugs in this selection.

Which might come as a surprise when you look at the next image of a fly, especially as I suffered some very nasty bites from a horse fly that day. However I am really pleased with this shot and this one is definitely a result of some editing in Lightroom to improve the exposure and reduce the noise. I had the initial settings all wrong so all I got on the camera's LCD screen was a dark frame but with a little work I have revealed all the detail that was there.

The final shot of a damsel fly was a bit of luck too as they were so busy flying around it seemed most unlikely that I would see one at rest. Also if you look really closely a little way below its leg on the inside edge of the leaf there is a tiny (and I mean really tiny) little mite which would not have been visible to the naked eye.

Anyway, if you have read this far thank you for taking the time to not only look at the pics but also read a little about them. Why not leave a comment, perhaps say whether you have a favourite image from today's selection and what you like about it...

Not So Pretty!

One of my favourite songbirds is the Dipper, it is an amazing bird and I have often enjoyed watching them from a river bank as they dart past or sit on a rock bobbing up and down searching for insect larvae on the river bed before swooping down to catch a tasty meal.

At the start of the year I set myself a goal of photographing one but here we are just over 6 months into the year and I haven't had an opportunity to get out and as time is slipping by I worry that I won't meet my goal.

Yesterday was the first opportunity I have had in such a long time to go out beyond my local area and I headed down to Miller's dale in the Peak District in search of a dipper. It was a nice day and great to be out and about and I did spot what I had gone to see, one dipper flying past at high speed close to the waters surface and off into the distance. While I was thrilled to see it I was frustrated that it was my only sighting of the day.

However never one to waste an opportunity I put my various lenses to use and got a nice selection of landscape shots, some macro shots of flowers and a few close ups of a fly. Now I know its not the most beautiful thing you will see today but it is amazing what you can see when you get this close.

There Is Beauty Here

Flies get a bad rap and it is hardly surprising since they have some pretty disgusting habits but if you can put your prejudices to one side and look closely there really is something of beauty. Look at the glassy wings and shimmering thorax and those fantastic eyes.

The honey bee is industrious and popular but are viewed cautiously and fearfully because of their potential to sting. They too are marvelous creations and really quite beautiful. I love to photograph them hard at work and with their dusting of pollen.

Ugly Bug

I know this is really not a very pretty picture but nonetheless it is a fascinating shot of the fly which landed on my t-shirt. For a one-handed shot I am pleased with the clarity and detail and that is why I am sharing it.

It's In The Details

I had gone to Royden Parks' walled garden looking for flowers and flying things and I managed to get a decent selection of shots to share. Most are quite beautiful like the kestrel or the various flowers but this fly is a bit of a surprise with its shiny back and colourful eyes.

Also something that is not normally noticeable are the tiny hairs or the black spikes on the edge of the leaf.

We often miss the finer details and where insects are concerned (particularly flies) we brush them aside without a closer look but if we take the time they are quite spectacular, even if they have filthy habits.

Beauty and the Beast

I know that it is not very pretty but a close up look at the fly on this flower reveals some really good details (if you can bear to look) such as the speckled grey body and its spiky hairs. 

It also reveals details in the centre of the flower, for example who knew that the yellow segments at the heart of a daisy actually have black tips?

Having shown the beast I had to balance that with the beauty of the daisy which seems to shine in the sunlight. Often thought of as weed, like Dandelions, Daisies are really beautiful and deserve some recognition.

Remember there is a chance to win a limited edition print by visiting my facebook page just like and share the page to be in with a chance to win. The draw will be at the end of this week.