I’m looking forward to summer now. Autumn is all well and good, with plenty of interesting leaves and migrant birds and I like Spring, though it’s always a sad time as you know it won’t last.
Teasel at Rufford Abbey
Winter, to be fair, offers a few frost-rimed photo opportunities but little else. In the English midlands we don’t have much to offer in the way of scenery or snowfall.
Calendula at Wilford
So that leaves Summer. Summer is easy – plenty of flowers and plenty of insects, including butterflies. There’s a lack of birds because they mainly hide behind leaves, but you can’t have everything.
I was speaking to Eddiethebugman earlier today. You may remember his guinea pig shots from an earlier post. He takes a lot of photos of insects (as you may guess from the name) and employs a technique called focus stacking, which produces brilliant images of insects.
As I understand it you bracket the focus settings and use a computer to put together a very sharp image using the best bits from all the shots.
Angle Shades moth
It’s beyond my technical capabilities, but I’m a great admirer of anyone who can do it.
He was telling me that he was once criticised for using the technique, as it isn’t “proper photography”. It’s a bit like the list of words you shouldn’t use in poems – there’s always someone ready to tell you what you should and shouldn’t be doing. I even read a poetry competition judge recently saying that you shouldn’t write poems about butterflies.
Small Copper in the garden
Who wants to live in a world without butterfly poems?
The same goes for photographs. I’m always happy to see good close-ups of insects, no matter how they are produced. If someone wants to spend hours over producing one perfect image I’m prepared to admire both the photograph and the craftsmanship.
My photos, as you can see, are more of a point and shoot affair with a large helping of luck and hit and miss. I’ve added a few to liven up the post.
Comedy carrot
I loved all your photos in this post! So cheerful and hopeful! (Am I really on Quercuscommunity’s blog?)
Are you trying to say you don’t associate me with cheerfulness? ð
Well..er…. ð
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These pics brighten up the winter here!
Glad to be of service. ð
I was wondering why the new year was seeming so empty and now I realise that it was just the lack of comedy carrots in my life.
I spent years trying to perfect seed beds and husbandry techniques then one day I realised carrots are more fun if you let them run free.
I don’t see anything wrong with Eddie’s technique. He is editing what is there to make it sharper and cleaner. A bit like what writers do with words. As for summer…If you could look out my window right now and see the gray misery that usually comes with March, then you would really long for flowers and warmer weather. And butterflies? I’m with you all the way.
The analogy with writers is a good one – it’s all about small improvements.. When I win the lottery I will make sure I miss Maine in March. ð
But do come in either summer of fall. Especially fall. Can’t be beat.
I bought a lottery ticket this morning so fingers crossed… ð
You never know.
Generally I just contribute to the winnings, but yes, you never know…
Yes lovely photos and great words ð I am glad there are at least two of us looking forward to summer. People up here appear to like this grey, cold weather ðĪŠ
I will resist a cheap shot about your weather. ð
Glad to hear there are at least two of us with hope in our hearts. ð
Oh! How disappointing ðð
Julia has asked me to point out that this isn’t the first time I’ve been a disappointment. ð
Some lovely ones here. Jasper is fun
Thank you.
I like the photos. Oh now carrots are great to pull up and see what they’ve done below ground. Summer means warm here, spring means wet, but we’re still in throes of winter which is just bitter.
Yes, despite all my moaning we do have a nice gentle climate,
Great pics!
I enjoy seeing photos of bugs and birds and plants and animals too, and these days the possibilities are vast. I would object if someone out-and-out faked something and pretended it wasn’t faked, but I pretty much assume that all the animals have botox and hair dye and facelifts these days!
Eddie was telling me that a lot of photographers use dead insects because they don’t move. He prefers to get up at dawn and find them before they start moving.