Tag: insects

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Animal Kingdom Arty Awesomeness

Beautiful Bees and Wasps

Beauty is in the eye of the bee-holder. The people over at the USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab do research on the native bee populations in the greater United States to get a better picture of how these bees interact with their natural environment. Speaking of pictures, they take multiple macro shots and stitch them together to create a complete and up-close view of the amazing insect. Lab chief Sam Droege makes their large catalogue of scientific photos freely available on Flickr.

Have a look at some of the lab’s stunning macro bee and wasp photos after the jump.

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Animal Kingdom Arty Awesomeness Featured Photoworthy

Incredible Macro Photography by Igor Siwanowicz

If you have a penchant for macro photography like I do, you’re sure to love the exceptional talents of Igor Siwanowicz. There isn’t much information about the photographer so his photos will have to do the talking. The subjects in front of Siwanowicz’s lenses include all manner of amphibians, insects, and reptiles. He captures the everso cute expressions on the faces of the chameleons and the Kung Fu poses that praying mantises are fond of.

Have a look at some of his stunning macro photos after the jump.

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Animal Kingdom Arty Featured Photoworthy

Beautiful Macro Insect Photos by Leon Baas

If you liked Miroslaw Swietek’s shots of dew-covered insects, you make take a shine to the macro photos by Leon Baas.

The Dutch photographer has always been fascinated by insects, and with the help of books, he taught himself how to take close-up photos. Afters years of experimenting with different lighting methods and equipment, Baas says he has managed to develop a style of this own. Have a look at his some of his wonderful macro insect photos after the jump.

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Animal Kingdom Arty Awesomeness Featured Photoworthy

Miroslaw Swietek & His Dew-Covered Insects

I’m not that great at macro photography, but of the ones I have taken with my aging Canon G6, I’m very keen on this one – the gold beetle. Amateur photographer Mirosław Świętek is anything but amateur when it comes to snapping close-up shots.

Between the wee hours of 3am and 4am, Mirosław takes a trip to the forest near his village of Jaroszow, Poland, and photographs slumbering insects covered in the early morning dew. Whilst the insects are in a state of torpor, which is insect’s equivalent of sleep, he using a torch to seek them out and then sets up his camera and flash right next to them. The results are nothing less than spectacular. See a selection of our favourites after the jump.

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Animal Kingdom Arty Awesomeness Featured Video Clips

This is Beautiful: My Father’s Garden

We had a garden once. And then came the two terrors, Big Min and Lil’ Pun, who decided to re-decorate it for us by digging up the soil and gleefully eating the succulents. I would have severely disciplined them if not for the fact that they’re so very cute. Yes I know, I have a soft touch. But you didn’t visit to hear about my appendages.

Mirko Faienza, a cameraman from Italy, decided to document his father’s front garden and the insects that call it home. It’s an amazing little world made that much better by Mirko’s spectacular videography. The music is great too, it’s a truly beautiful piece. See My Father’s Garden below or watch it in HD on Vimeo.

He created the short film with his Panasonic 500 camcorder and an HD lens. See more of Mirko’s work on his website.

[via Laughing Squid]

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Arty Awesomeness Featured Photoworthy Science & Technology Weirdness

Zoom and Enhance: Incredibly Close-up Insect Images

Word around the scientific cooler is that the Scanning Electron Microscope (or SEM) can magnify images 250 times better than a light microscope. The expensive bit of kit valued up to 500,000 pounds blasts materials with a high-energy beam of electrons and the messages sent back build up a super-detailed image.

Retired scientific photographer Steve Gschmeissner gets to play with this high-tech toy and has produced some amazing close-up images of insects. Check out some of his shots after the jump.

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Arty Awesomeness Featured Photoworthy

Photo Grandpa!

Old people, they are cunning and resourceful. Take this retired gentleman from Belgium. Going under the moniker fotoopa (“photo grandpa” in Dutch), he uses a complex laser-triggered camera rig (that he built himself) to take high-speed pictures. During the winter fotoopa takes photos of water figures indoors and during the summers, he is outside snapping up insects in mid-flight.

The combination of mechanics, electronics, and photography produces the most amazing results. Check out some of his work after the jump.

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