NATURE

2014.04.09 Macro Lesson with James Dunbar by Tom Glendinning

I love macro.

When I bought a macro lens a few years back now I was captivated at exploring tiny tiny worlds, millimetre at a time.

I got to know James Dunbar via TEDx BRS2013, learning that he shoots flabbergastingly  good insect behavioural photography. With a scientific background he is full of knowledge on the nature the now spends most of his time crawling around in.

Knowing the dangers of becoming hooked in macro obsession, I took up his offer of a trial lesson before he launched his new career teaching unsuspecting public the ways of 4:1 photography. Todays post is the results of that shoot.

It was very early in the season for insects, though while the misty air did not bring out flyers it did make beautiful spiders webs everywhere in leigh wood, Bristol, where he takes his lessons.

The shoot was almost entirely handheld with no image stabilisation! A big surprise for me. I also experimented with some off camera fill flash in a macro environment for the first time, creating gradated grey-black backdrops and allowing me better control of shutter speed and depth of field for desired effect.

James is now taking classes - get in touch with him and see his INCREDIBLE work at:

http://jamesdunbarphotography.com/

He is also running a kick-starter campaign to make a film about solitary bees. This is awesome.  

Solitary

bees you say? Check it out 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thesolitarybees/the-solitary-bees

There are so few documentaries about the miniature natural world!

You should totally support this by pledging with your wallet and spreading with social media.

As usual you also can view this set on Flickr

As always cutting criticism and comments via email (tomglendinning.photography@gmail.com) or 

facebook

, are hugely helpful and welcome.

If you don't like something then please, tell me - Also try to articulate why, it is tremendously useful to have constructive, critical feedback. You can view my full portfolio, contact and pricing information on my WEBSITE -

tomglendinning.co.uk

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Recent Nature Macro by Mister Tom

This set is from a combination of informal macro and nature shoots over the last couple of months during my wanderings.

I find the juxtaposition between new, programmed growth evocative of machinery or structures, and random decay/ recycling of plant growth particularly intriguing when looked at on a macro scale.

As usual you also can view this set on Flickr

As always cutting criticism and comments via email (tomglendinning.photography@gmail.com) or 

facebook

, are hugely helpful and welcome.

If you don't like something then please, tell me - Also try to articulate why, it is tremendously useful to have constructive, critical feedback.

Forget-me-not

1 Forget-me-not

Whysteria

2 Whysteria

Aquilegia with tensile support cables

3 Aquilegia with tensile support cables

Yellow

4 Yellow

Unknown

5 Unknown

Rose beside floating mines

6 Rose beside floating mines

Rose reaching

7 Rose reaching

Dying Flower on Leaf Skeletons

8 Dying Flower on Leaf Skeletons

Droplet

9 Droplet

Clematis

10 Clematis

Clematis

12 Clematis

dirigible fuelling bay

13 dirigible fuelling bay

The beautiful obolete

14 The beautiful obolete

Programming

15 Programming

Spacious hi-rise apartments facing the sunset

16 Spacious hi-rise apartments facing the sunset

Jardí Botànic de Barcelona by Mister Tom

Barcelona again.

This was one of my favourite places we visited. High on Mountjuic,

(Barcelona's own minature 'mountain')

behind the deserted 1992 olympic park, tucked away on the hillside, there is the 

Jardí Botànic de Barcelona.

Apart from a dazzling display of interesting botany from around the world

(out comes the 100mm macro, and barely leaves my eye as I wander glued to camera from specimen to 

specimen

)it's worth taking a nice broad look at the really great landscape architecture going on. Harsh opposing lines built from white concrete and rust red core-ten steel, the path you follow feels to be cut and edged into a climbing landscape. For me this hugely complimented the riotous colourful beauty of the planting

(even in January - such flowers!)

and provided a crisp monochromatic counterpoint.

So this set takes both colour and monochrome abstract images, one after the other, each complimenting or balancing the next. See what you think.

As before this type of organisational decision and arrangement came during post process but reinforces the general feeling I had when making the two different types of image.

As usual you also can view the set on Flickr

As always cutting criticism and comments via email (tomglendinning.photography@gmail.com) or 

facebook

, are hugely helpful and welcome.

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