18 1 June 2019 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113
WakeUp(withFirstLight)
EdwinGiesbers
HighlycommendedAnimals
OccupationProfessionalnaturephotographer
http://www.edwingiesbers.comFacebookGiesbers.Photography
Instagramedwin_giesbers
‘Thisimageof anorangetipbutterfly wasmadein
thegrasslandsof DeBruuknaturereservein the
Netherlands.In Aprilyouwillfindmanyorangetipshere
and,laterin theyear,someraresmallpearl-bordered
fritillaries.Thebutterfliessleepat nightamongstthe
vegetationwiththeirwingsclosed.Assoonasthe
morningsunhitsthewetgrasslandtheyopentheir
wingstowarmup.Atthispointyoucanseetheorange
spotsonthemalebutterfly. Whenthishappenstheyfly
awaylookingforfemales.Forme,thebutterfly is the
bringerof spring.Whentheplantsstarttoflowerand
thetreesandshrubsturngreen,thisbutterfly is oneof
thefirsttoappear.Tophotographthem,wellyouneed
toknowwheretheysleep.It’sbesttolookforthem
beforesunriseandphotograph
themassoonasit becomeslight.
If it getshotquicklyyouhaveto
workfastbecausethebutterflies
willdisappearearlier.’
EDWIN’STOPTIPS
1 Findoutwhereparticular
butterfly speciessleep.
2 Visita locationwhenyou
expectdewtobeonthe
vegetationtoenhancethe
bokehbubbles.
3 Shootintothelighttosee
bokehbubbles.
CactusRidge
AndrewWilson
HighlycommendedPlants
OccupationComplianceQAgamestester
http://www.awilsonphotography.comFacebook
andrewwilsonphotoInstagramandrew_
wilson_photoTwitterAnd_rew_Wilson
‘Thisphotoof mygirlfriend’s
cactuswastakenin our
livingroomnearlytwoyears
ago.I wasexperimentingwith
macro,andthiswasthefirsttime
I hadreallyconsideredusinga
backgroundtocomplementthe
subject.Wewerein themiddle
of securinga mortgageand
a redfolderfroma bankingcompany was lying around – this did the
job perfectly! I used an aperture of f/2.
to isolate the ridge of the cactus from its
main body. To get most of the ridge sharp
I had to get the plane of focus as parallel
as possible to it. To light the cactus I used
a Joby Gorillatorch and wrapped the legs
around my lens. I wouldn’t normally light
a subject from such a direct angle relative
to the camera, but I liked the uniform look- it illuminated the ridge and body of the
cactus without casting shadows, especially
when diffused with greaseproof paper!’
ANDREW’S TOP TIPS
1 Visualise how you want to frame the
image before taking any pictures.
2 Consider using additional lights
or refl ective materials.
3 Think about the background.Technique
Nikon D300, Tamron 90mm Macro, 1/1000sec
at f/6.3, ISO 250. Post processing: Photoshop,
slight correction to white balanceEdwin used a
Tamron 90mm
MacrolensThe legs of a Joby Gorillatorch
were wrapped around the lensCanon EOS 5D Mark III, Canon
EF 100mm Macro, 1/13sec at
f/2.8, ISO 100. Accessories:
tripod, Joby Gorillatorch,
greaseproof paper. Post
processing: Lightroom, tonal
adjustments to overall image
and local adjustments with
grad filter and brush tools
© ANDREW WILSON