In addition to art and printmaking, I also enjoy photographing nature when I get the chance. I love to photograph all aspects of the natural world, from slime moulds and fungus, to insects, birds, and mammals. I use my photographs as reference for my artwork, but oftentimes the photograph itself is the 'final piece'.
I specialise in photographing Scottish nature and wildlife local to where I live. Many are taken in my own backgarden and local woods, as well as nature reserves and public and private hides.
Macro Photography
Equipment used: OM1, M.Zuiko 90mm PRO IS Macro lens, Godox V860iii flash, Cygnustech diffuser.
I usually use a flash when photographing insects and other minibeasts as this helps to freeze the action. However for slime moulds and mushrooms I tend to use natural light and have a slower shutter speed as they don't move while the photogrpah is being taken. For some macro shots I use a technique called 'focus stacking'. This is where multiple photographs (usually 15-100) are taken in quick succession at slightly different depths of field and stictched together in specialist software to creat a single image with a greater depth of field.
Below you can see my set up for photographing a tiny mushroom. The camera is resting on a beanbag and a remote shutter is being used to avoid any camera shake when taking the images.
Below are some of examples of favourate macro shots so far:
A focus-stacked image of a tiny mushroom
A springtail climbing over a slime mould
A tiny 'gobular' springtail
A pair of slime moulds covered in fungus (focus stack)
A focus stacked image of a common darter dragonfly
A nocturnal parasitic wasp
