This Month…

THE DIRECTION OF THE LIGHT

In a real winter, you can find plenty of wonderful macro-photography subjects in ice, snow and hoarfrost. This has not happened yet this winter, although it is cold enough to fire up the wood-burning stove. When I was filling the firewood basket, I found a piece of wood with a very interesting photo subject. It was covered with mycelium threads… (Lees meer / Read more)

LIVE VIEW FUNCTION
When you are photographing static subjects, it’s sometimes easier if you can take the time to carefully evaluate your camera setting and composition.
Generally, when you shoot with a compact camera, you look at the image on the LCD screen, and with a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) you generally look through the viewfinder. But there are times when using the LCD screen… (Lees meer / Read more)

SHOULDER BRACE
With macro photography, there is clearly a difference in technique between photographing moving or static subjects.
By static subjects, I mean flowers, seedpods, fruit, details of leaves, mushrooms, etc. Even photographing butterflies or damselflies early in the morning, when they are still too cold to move, I consider static subjects. Often they are still covered with dew, and this can sometimes present a… (Lees meer / Read more)

INDIAN SUMMER IN DETAIL
In North America, the term Indian Summer refers to hot autumn days after the first frost, a sort of reversal of the weather. This is the time when the trees take on the intense hues of orange and red. Even here in the Netherlands, landscape photographers are often inspired by the majestic displays of color.
It can also be fun to… (Lees meer / Read more)

PHOTOGRAPHING MUSHROOMS
Although photographing mushrooms isn’t usually considered macro photography, I would like to impart some tips on this subject. After all, it is no longer the season for insects, and mushrooms are all proudly posing for us.
It looks like an easy subject for our lens, and this is true, at least in part. We don’t have any problems with wind, they stand nice… (Lees meer / Read more)

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT…
This time I would like to break out of my niche as a macro nature photographer. Now I’m just a photographer, without macro or nature.
I want to talk about how an image is created. The saying goes: “Opportunity makes the thief” and this also holds true for photography. Sometimes you will find a great spontaneous subject and make… (Lees meer / Read more)

ON SAFARI IN YOUR OWN BACK YARD
One of the nice things in nature macro photography is that you can start anywhere. Just look around in your garden, or if don’t have a  garden, in the park across the street. At any time of day, as long as sufficient light, you will find photographic treasures.
You can search for details of plants and flowers with… (Lees meer / Read more)

CAN BANAL
At the foot of the Pyrenees in Spain is the beautiful natural campground, Camping Can Banal. The owner is from the Netherlands, so there is no language problem for Dutch travelers. The campsite is only 70 km from the French/Spanish border (by Perpignan), near Olot. This site is for real campers with a tent. There is no room for caravans, and there are… (Lees meer / Read more)

TAKE A SECOND LOOK
We were in the Ardennes. It was towards evening when we came across a meadow with hundreds of Orange Lucerne butterflies swarming. Unfortunately, it was too late to think about photography.
Luckily the next day we had fine weather as well, and the butterflies were still there. The meadow was full of dandelions, and the butterflies were feasting on the nectar.… (Lees meer / Read more)

STOP THE WIND.
If you’re taking a picture of a flower, you’ll probably want to use a tripod. Because you need to get sufficient depth-of-field, a smaller aperture is chosen, but now you need a slower shutter speed.
With a tripod you ensure that the camera is perfectly stationary, but the flower is still dancing in the wind, and you can still get motion blur.… (Lees meer / Read more)

ORANGE-TIP (Anthocharis cardamines)
Female left, male right.
Butterfly season begins in April here in the Netherlands. Of course you may see butterflies as early as February, but these are adult butterflies that were dormant during the winter, and became active again as the weather improved.
Butterflies overwinter in several ways, depending on the species. There are species that overwinter as eggs, others as a caterpillar,… (Lees meer / Read more)

The male moor frog (Rana arvalis) turns a bright blue during the mating season. This change of clothes only last for a few days, then they return to their usual brown color. If you want to photograph this beautiful blue suit, you need to be at the right place at the right time, usually around March 20 here in Holland. You can find them in… (Lees meer / Read more)

AN OLD WORLD SWALLOWTAIL LAYS AN EGG.
It isn’t summer yet, but if you want to take a picture like this one, you’ll need an early start. Because you’ll need to plant fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) in your garden, which you can plant starting at the end of February. These swallowtails search out several different plants for their caterpillars to feed on, and fennel appears to… (Lees meer / Read more)

THE DIFFERCE BETWEEN A FULL-FRAME SENSOR (36 x 24 mm) AND AN APS-C SENSOR (22.5 x 15 mm).
On the left you see a northern dune tiger beetle (Cicindela hybrida) photographed with the EOS 5D MkII, and on the right, the same image as it would look like if it was photographed with a camera with APS-C sensor.
It is often said that a smaller… (Lees meer / Read more)

ICE ON GLASS.
This detail of ice crystals on a window pane was actually about 7.2 mm wide. The outside temperature was just above freezing, so the sharpest edges melted off. Because we’re shooting such a small area, there are lots of opportunities for unique compositions.
Technical data
Camera: Canon EOS 5D MkII
Lens: MP-E65mm f/2.8 1-5x Macro
Exposure: 1 sec at f /8
Lighting:… (Lees meer / Read more)

RED SWAMP CRAYFISH.
The photo on the left shows the threat-position, and above in it’s environment. I photographed it in Spain by a lake called El Pantano de la Sotonera.
The Red Swamp Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), sometimes called the Louisiana crawfish, originally comes from the Southeastern United States, and is threatening the European species.
Technical Information:
Camera: Canon 5D MkII
Lens: EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS… (Lees meer / Read more)