The first quality lens I could afford was a 100mm F2.8 macro photography lens. A good (and somewhat affordable) choice if you are curious for the hidden world of insects and their interesting looks and behaviour. Which I had been for as long as I can remember. The way a pill-bug rolls up into a flawlessly round ball, really appealed to me as I child. And while other kids would panic at the sight of a hairy spider, I would put it on my hand, to investigate this interesting creature.
The First Cut is the Deepest
So, yeah, the interest for creepy crawlers was present from the very first beginning. But as soon as I set eyes on the insect world through a macro lens, a whole new, utterly fascinating world opened up for me. All these huge compound eyes, observing you just as curiously as you do them! The little miracles of creatures being reborn: caterpillars transforming right before your eyes into beautiful butterflies, while alien-like larvae pop out of their skin, to turn into the most wonderful elf like dragonflies… Dewy cobwebs decorate trees and plants with uncountable shining dew drops, transforming my oh-so-boring everyday environment into the most beautiful early Christmas Scene….
Squirting Spiders
I could go on and on about tasty dragonflies, squirting spiders,creepy caterpillars,pink grasshoppers,hovering flies,bees on a mission, very vain banded demoiselles, mean wasps and hungry hornets and to hiding damselflies… But as a photo says more than a thousand words, I invite you to take a look at my macro gallery and stare shamelessly at these wonderful models. I can guarantee you: once you looked through a macro lens, the world will never be the same again. Gotta love ’em little buggers!
Narcissus II Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) reflected in the water surface
Golden Silhouette Banded Demoiselle (calopteryx splendens) at sunset
Narcissus Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) reflected in the water surface
Fairy II – Small Copper
Dangling Black Darter (Sympetrum danae)
Broad-bordered bee hawk-moth (Hemaris fuciformis)
Mammoth Wasp Mammoth Wasp (Megascolia maculata flavifrons)
Fast Food Hummingbird hawk-moth | hummingmoth (Macroglossum stellatarum)
It’s not Easy being Pink rare pink grasshopper, due to a phenomenon called erythrism
Lady in Red II The four-spotted chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata) at sunset
Mellow Yellow European Peacock (Inachis io) on Rapeseed (Brassica napus)
Fading in Garden Tiger Moth (Arctia caja)
Out of the Green I
Frozen
White Snake’s Head and a flying bumblebee Snake’s Head fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris)
Purple Haze II Dewy cobweb in the heather
Blue Robber fly
Resistance is Futile Bumblebee (Bombus sp.)
Digger Wasp (Bembix rostrata)
Strike a Pose Unknown caterpillar (Geometridae)
It’s Not Easy Being Pink Rare Hybrid Pink Grasshopper
Green Hawker (female) ovipostion Green Hawker (Aeshna viridis)
Like a rainbow – cobweb at sunrise
Like a Rainbow Dew-covered spiderweb at sunrise
The Flow Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens) male on creeper
Wasp on a Mission Beewolf (Philanthus Sp.)
In a field of pink flowers, a pink version would have an advantage. Theoretically this could result in an entire pink population!
Awakening Black Darter (Sympetrum danae)
Narcissus Banded Demoiselle reflected in the water surface
Out of the Yellow Bee (Andrena sp.)
Narcissus Banded Demoiselle reflected in the water surface