CLOSE-UP CANON PHOTOS
WINNING CANON IMAGES FROM THE CLOSE-UP PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR
01 A PAIR OF SPRING CROCUSES BY SOPHIA SPURGIN CATEGORY: PLANTS
“Every year my front garden turns into a lawn of purple crocuses. I wanted to take a photo of them as the petals make such a lovely shape, and the yellow stamens contrast beautifully with the purple. I brought two of them into my conservatory so I didn’t have to lie down on the lawn, and to avoid any wind on the flowers as I wanted to focus stack them so you can see all the petal detail. The flowers slowly opened in the warmth and I took photos of several stages.”
Lens Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
Exposure 1/25 sec, f/6.3, ISO160
All of the images in this month’s gallery were taken on Canon EOS cameras and shortlisted for Close-up Photographer of the Year 05. CUPOTY 06 opens May 2024 with prizes of up to £2500 up for grabs. Be sure to check the CUPOTY website regularly for entry details and for your chance to win. www.cupoty.com
02 WINGS ON FLARES BY EMMANUELGRAINDÉPICE CATEGORY: BUTTERFLIES & DRAGONFLIES
Emmanuel took this stunning shot of a damselfly (Calopteryx) by a river in the south of France. He told us, “On this late summer afternoon, the sun broke through the vegetation to hit the surface of the water, generating numerous light flares. A damselfly flitted around me before landing close to the water’s surface. I moved to find the right angle that would create a luminous, dreamlike atmosphere, and waited for her to open her wings before firing the shutter.”
Lens Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L USM
Exposure 1/320 sec, f/5.6, ISO1250
03 FIREBALL BY HENRIK SPRANZ CATEGORY: BUTTERFLIES & DRAGONFLIES
Henrik’s ethereal shot of a marbled white butterfly (Melanargia galathea) was taken at dawn, south of Vienna in Austria. He explained, “Every year I try to photograph butterflies in front of the rising sun. On this day there was a bit more than a light breeze and I had to increase the ISO to get the short shutter time needed for a sharp photo. I used my long Sigma 180mm telephoto lens with an almost open aperture to get this big sun disc in the background to enhance the overall mood of the photo.”
Lens Sigma 180mm f/2.8 APO Macro EX DG OS HSM
Exposure 1/400 sec, f/3.2, ISO1000
04 PROTECTED BY LAW BY STEFAN GERRITS CATEGORY: BUTTERFLIES & DRAGONFLIES
“Every summer when I go to my regular place to photograph these beautiful Mountain Apollos (Parnassius apollo) in Finland I am worried that they will no longer be there due to global warming and loss of habitat. I was therefore very happy to find a few resting in the grass in the early morning. Perhaps these butterflies are stronger than we think as I saw a fair amount of them flying around later in the morning. That, of course,
