My goal with this image was to put the viewer inside the subject, not only to give a fresh perspective but also to put you in that world. When photographing other subjects I like to be at "eye level". The flower's purpose it to attract pollinators in the hopes of proliferation, I wanted people to see what the pollinators see.

When working this close and at this scale it is very difficult to obtain steady images. The lens I used to create this image has a 5:1 magnification; it brings out detail barely visible to the naked eye. Because of this it was necessary to shoot in a controlled environment; out of the wind and away from any vibrations. I used a mirror-less camera (so locking up the mirror wasn't an issue) but a delay had to be set on the shutter to cancel out the vibration caused by my finger depressing the shutter button. I triggered two off camera flashes remotely to light the subject and had the camera and lens mounted to a focusing rail.

Highly Commended - Macro Art