2024 Project 52 - Weekly photos by Geoff F

[Geoff F]

Yes Bruce, very steep ground in two directions. I shot the digger facing in several different directions then decided this image made the best composition.

[Geoff F]

Week 15 - Misumena vatia spider in my garden. Instead of spinning webs these spiders lurk motionless among the flowers until an insect comes close enough to be grabbed by those outstretched legs.



7D with Sigma 180 macro lens. 1/200 F14 Iso 320. Flash used.

And a couple of flowers from a wooded area behind my house. Three-cornered Garlic (also sometimes called Three-cornered Leek)



Fringecups have rather inconspicuous little flowers but they are quite intricate when viewed close up.

[billtils]

Thanks for posting these Geoff - your project 52 is never dull but I always look forward to a bug or two and this one is a cracker - excellent exposure of a rare beastie (at least to me).

Nice job on the garlic too.

[Geoff F]

Week 16 - Views from the Malborough Path. The next village is about two miles away but there is a path which gives some rural views and half way along there is a general purpose store. So today I felt fit enough for a slow walk to that store and returned with a few purchases.

Looking towards Dartmoor from the path.



7D with Canon 24-105 lens. 1/400 F13 Iso 400. Merge of two bracketed exposures

Sheep and lambs



Merge of three bracketed exposures

Motherhill Farm



1/320 F13 Iso 400. Merge of two bracketed exposures

And a style at the farm



Merge of two bracketed exposures

[Cantab]

Geoff, an enjoyable set of photos.

The photo of the sheep gives the impression that you were crouching down in the same field as they were in. Three of the sheep are having a good eye level view of you, probably wondering what you're up to.

But presumably you were shooting through a fence?

[Geoff F]

I was shooting over a gate, Bruce, but the ground was slightly rising so that put the sheep at eye level to me.

Today, I returned for a slow walk along the path behind that style.



In the meanwhile, the farmer has ploughed up the rest of the ground, but I failed to get a photo of him actually working.

[Geoff F]

Week 17 - Rain coming soon. A little bit of hazy morning sunshine tempted me towards a site beside the estuary to photograph and record the insect life but by the time I arrived there it was starting to cloud over and it wasn't long before rain arrived. I tried to carry on as long as possible but then my external flash unit began to fail. It was giving maximum power irrespective of my manual settings. I tried to carry on but eventually decided to give up as the rain arrived.



And a few of the insects which I managed to photograph, starting with a sawfly - Aglaostigma fulvipes. But it kept moving and wouldn't pose for a clear photo. 7D with 180 Sigma macro lens.



And a tip for photographing those tricky angles which are required for identification. Pot up the insect into a collection tube then give it a whiff of carbon dioxide gas. Canisters are available from aquarium suppliers although I prefer one of the old UK Corkmaster units. Originally produced for opening wine bottles using a small pressurised cylinder. About 30 seconds should be enough to temporarily knock out an insect, but you have to work fast because they quickly recover and fly away. I have a shallow base tray about 3 inches square and place a large leaf into the tray to give a natural looking background.



Also a pair of micro moths. Esperia sulphurella

[Cantab]

Geoff, you've provided a good set of images. The first one works well with the different coloured fields, a small patch of blue sky and the ominous dark clouds.

I was intrigued by the last image. I had not realized that there were micro sized moths. The question is how on earth did you spot them! Presumably not crawling around with a magnifying glass

I hope your post-surgery recovery is going well.

[Geoff F]

Thanks for the comments, Bruce. I am slowly improving and gaining in strength but I have to be careful not to get overly excited and do too much. Lifting anything over my head is definitely out and I have to be careful of simple things like stretching out tripod legs.

When looking for insects you notice any changes in colour or texture on a leaf or flower head. A long time ago I realised that double checking bird poo can be worthwhile for finding well camouflaged insects.

[Geoff F]

Week 18 - Looking towards the next village at 9 pm. Recently I have managed to do a bit more insect photography and recording work but have been struggling to find suitable other subjects.



7D with Tamron 24-70 lens. 1/30 F.6 Iso 500. Merge of two bracketed exposures. Wedging my hand against the window frame.



1/80 F5.6 Iso 500. Merge of two bracketed exposures.

[Cantab]

Geoff, these are a really good pair of photos. I've spent some time looking at each of them full screen and can't decide which of the two is a stronger image (a rather useless exercise!)

[billtils]

Like these Geoff - lovely colours and just the right foreground detail

[Geoff F]

Thanks for the comments. I tried to get a bit of foreground detail by using bracketed exposures.

[Geoff F]

Week 19 - A cloudy day at Woodleigh Wood. Another attempt at a cloudy day landscape scene. Where I was recently recording wildlife.



7D with Tamron 24-70 lens. Merge of two bracketed exposures. 1/320 F10 Iso 400

[Geoff F]

And a few of the insects which call that area home.

Scorpion Fly (Panorpa germanica)



Common Red-legged Robberfly



Sawfly - Rhogogaster chlorosoma



Sawfly - Tenthredopsis nassata

[Cantab]

A good set of photos. The scorpion fly has amazingly long antennae!

[billtils]

These are super, Geoff. The two Saw flies look very different from each other - what is/are the defining characteristic(s)?

[Geoff F]

Thanks for the comments.

Sawflies are a very complex group or about 500 species, Bill, and identification is difficult. There aren't any recent keys, although Mike Hackston has been updating some old literature. The Field Studies Council has also produced an updated guide to sawfly families under their Aidgap series. British Sawflies by Adam Wright.

Apart from that it means using the 1950s keys by Benson which doesn't have any photographs and the text is rather dated.

The basic items to distinguish sawflies is that they have four wings and on the rear edge of their abdomen there are two small lumps called cenchrus, but they are hidden when the wings are closed.

Many species are wasp like in appearance but have a straight sided abdomen without any wasp like waist.

Here is another very different looking sawfly from the same day. Eutomostethus ephippium



And a pair of uncommon hoverflies. Microdon myrmicae

[Geoff F]

I was getting over my heart operation and photographing insects again when I twisted my back a couple of weeks ago. Probably a trapped nerve which will eventually heal itself, according to my doctor. Anyway it has meant no photography for a couple of weeks. Today I was feeling slightly better so I tried a couple of scenes from my garden.

Week 20 - A day of sunshine and clouds



7D with Canon 24-105 lens. 1/500 F11 Iso 500. This setting was a mistake but after reducing the Iso for another shot I decided this was the better composition. Merge of two bracketed exposures.

The building site. Across the valley from my house is a building site and I have been recording the progress by taking a photo each month.

[Cantab]

Geoff, you have quite a view from your garden. I enjoyed both photos.

In the first one, the split between the sky/clouds and the farm fields works well. The geometry of the irregular shaped fields, coupled with shadows cast by some of the clouds adds interest to the scene.

The tidal river is presumably the one that you have photographed nearer to the harbour and coastline?

I hope you recover smoothly from your recent injury and gradually return back to normal.