2025: The Year of the Bugs!
What a start to the year! 2025 is shaping up to be the year of the bugs for me, and I couldn’t be more thrilled! 🐜📸 Macro photography has become a huge passion, and this month’s results have made it even more exciting!
This month, I entered two images into The Societies of Photographers (SWPP) monthly competition, and for the first time ever, both entries won awards!
The Bug-of-War Merge – Highly Commended
For one of my submissions, I took two of my Bug-of-War images and merged them to create something truly unique. The result? A Highly Commended Award! This image was made up of three weevils, each with their own little story to tell.
The first weevil on the right is a cheerleader, showing off her incredible skills and enthusiasm for the battle ahead.
To the left, we have a couple in a bit of a situation! The male, a striking blue weevil, is clearly distracted—his antennae are shaped like a love heart, revealing his growing interest in the cheerleader.
Meanwhile, his girlfriend is NOT impressed—her back is turned, her arms are crossed, and let’s just say, he’s definitely getting uncooked grain for dinner tonight! 😂
Bringing this scene to life through macro photography was an absolute joy. The tiny expressions and interactions between these insects made for a fun and engaging composition. Seeing it recognised with a Highly Commended Award made all the effort worthwhile!
The Giant Ant – Gold Award
The second image was something a little different. I decided to focus on the giant ant and capture a close-up macro shot of its face, showing all the intricate details that are often missed by the naked eye. The textures, fine hairs, and patterns in its exoskeleton were illuminated with precision lighting to highlight every detail. The final image was awarded a Gold Award – an incredible achievement that I am beyond proud of! The power of extreme macro photography lies in revealing a world unseen by the human eye, and this shot captured that perfectly.
Two Entries, Two Awards – A First for Me! 🎉
This is the first time I’ve ever entered two images and received two awards in the same month! Last year, I celebrated winning my first-ever Gold Award, which was later upgraded at the end of the year. This month, I’m celebrating my first Gold Award of 2025, and I couldn’t have asked for a better start to the year!
A huge thank you to the judges for their feedback, encouragement, and recognition of my work. 🥰 This journey into macro photography has been an incredible one, and I can’t wait to see where it takes me next!
If you’re interested in macro photography, insect photography, or discovering the hidden beauty of the tiny world around us, I’d love for you to follow my journey! Extreme close-up photography allows us to see an entirely new perspective on nature, and I am excited to continue pushing the limits of what can be captured.
Here’s to more bug adventures and capturing the tiny world in big ways! 🐞📷
