Photographer interview

From a young age I have always been attracted to the hidden world of small creatures and insects. I find them so interesting; not just their behaviour, but also their fascinating biology, fashioned by nature. I enjoy discovering and learning about these intricacies of shape, colour and structure through photography.

I always get inspired to take photographs of insects, especially if I’m lucky enough to find a species I haven’t seen before; and there are so many of them! So it is an endless source for unseen and original photographs.

The location is actually just a mile away from where I live. It’s basically my back garden! There is a small but very nice canal with clear water…and this water is home to so many insects and other animals all year round. So it is very simple for me as I live in an area which means I don’t need to travel far to find good subjects.

I am surrounded with meadows and forests, which are quite rich with insects, and that’s why I don’t need to make a special journey, though, I admit I would like to visit new places to take photos of more exotic insects and other animals.

Honestly, no. I was expecting there would be mayflies there, because at that time of the year there are so many. I didn’t need to look for long, because they were easily identifiable and in sufficient numbers.

That is very true. In the middle of the day, it is really difficult to take pictures of them because they are most active then.
So, the best way is to get there early in the morning, or at sunset, when they are less active. Morning is also fresher, air temperature is quite low, so all these factors play an important role when taking photos. Of course, the wind can be a macro photographer’s worst enemy. Luckily, mornings are usually the calmest part of the day, so it all makes it easier to manage the shot.

As I found them close to each other on a young poppy flower, I moved one very gently with a grass stem just to get them more into my chosen depth of field and to make the composition more attractive. The Mayfly didn’t fly away so it was really straightforward to take photo. The sun was just rising so it was nice to watch them, beautifully illuminated with the first light of a new day.

I used my tripod, a Sigma 180mm macro lens and a Sony α99 II camera.

I set the aperture at F5.6, to let just the right amount of light through the lens at right angle. This produced a more dramatic quality for the scene.

Not really, just basic editing in RAW including colours, contrast, shadows, white balance and other basic adjustments. I always try to make my images as close to perfect as possible in the moment of creation, so that there is minimal work after. Nowadays there are too many manipulated photographs, so it’s important to have the image as natural as possible.

I am sure people enjoy my photos, because with them I can bring them into an amazing world which is otherwise, inaccessible. I also feel that photography can make people more interested and thus more respectful of nature. This really drives my continued passion for macro photography.

My advice to other photographers would be they should keep taking pictures of what they’re interested in and keep sharing them with the world. Of course, macro photography also requires a lot of patience and hard work so it’s always a long term passion. My other piece of advice would be to respect the animals or plants that you photograph and ensure that your photographs are ethical. I think good animal photography can only be produced in this manner.

There are lots of species that aren’t in the place where I live and I would more than love to take photos of these. Ideally, I would like to work for organisations like nature reserves, parks, magazines or travel companies and be hired as photographer for these kinds of projects that would expose me to more diverse wildlife.

I love to compete and see how my photos compare with other international entries. Winning an award is always nice. Other than personal satisfaction it is also confirmation that you’re doing good work because it has been recognised by a specialised and respected jury. When we consider all these things it made a lot of sense for me to enter IGPOTY, which sets the standard for these nature oriented contests.