Username      Password    
Macro
WINNER
Hoverflies Mating Mid-Air
Peter Firus  Australia
Peter’s suberb image of these hoverflies (Melangyna viridiceps) mating mid-flight was no easy feat. Achieving the perfect focus was the most challenging element – Peter manually focused his dedicated macro lens and set it as close as possible, for magnification, at about 40cm. Shooting with an aperture of f/11 meant that Peter had only 2-3mm of the subject in focus, so it was crucial to get a side-on perspective to get as much of the insects in focus.

Canon EOS 20D with Sigma 150mm f/2.8 1:1 macro lens; ISO 400; 1/250 sec at f/11


Judges' Comments

“It might not be the most artistic shot in the world, but to capture such a difficult subject in good light and pin-sharp detail, represents a superb photographic achievement by any standards.”

“A hugely ambitious shot with both insects’ heads in focus and done without a sophisticated flash set-up.”
2ND PLACE
Robberfly
Reynante Aguila  Singapore
Reynate spotted this ready-to-ambush robberfly while he was out in the field. The clean background leant itself to a striking portrait and Reynate managed to get close enough to capture the amazing detail in this shot.

Nikon D2x with 180mm lens; ISO 400; matrix metering; 1/40 sec at f/16


Judges' Comments

“Uncomplicated and to the point. This image of a robberfly shows what a fearsome insect looks like in great detail. The strong diagonal created by the grass adds further tension.”

3RD PLACE
Breakdancer
Frank Yuwono  Australia
Frank took this shot on his dining table using a simple sheet of A4 as the background. He lit it from above with a Metz 40MZ-2 flash with diffuser. Using Photoshop, Frank cropped the image, adjusted the levels and did some dodging and burning.

Nikon D80 with 105mm AF Micro-Nikkor lens; ISO 100; spot metering; 1/200 sec at f/32.


Judges' Comments

“Original shot of a popular subject. Excellent detail, good use of shadow and very well lit.”

”Perfect!”
MACRO COMMENDED
COMMENDED
Squid
Paul Springett UK
COMMENDED
Grass Snake
Colin Varndell UK
COMMENDED
Tiny Refractions
Vikas Malhotra India
COMMENDED
Boxing Mantis
Frank Yuwono Australia
Next category
>>Animals
View all other entries for this category
Next category to close: Categories closed for entries... Competition Categories