Minimal

Photographer: Gabi Swart
Title: Spider
Nationality: German
Occupation: Geologist

Technical information:
Olympus E-M1 Mk III
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f2.8 Macro Lens
f/2.8, 1/1000sec, ISO 400
Post processing: Basic adjustments in Lightroom

Website: www.gabi-swart-naturfotografie.de

Gabi:
‘A spider had spun its web right in front of our attic window, allowing me to photograph it against the sky. Due to overexposing by one f-stop, it appeared almost plastic and transparent. The open aperture and the overexposure made the spider's web disappear.’

Photographer: Kristina Zvinakeviciute
Title: Shell
Nationality: Lithuanian
Occupation: Photographer

Technical information:
Nikon D810
Nikon 105mm f/2.8
f/3.5, 1/160sec, ISO 640
Post processing: Cropped, rotated, adjusted in Photoshop before using the mirror effect. A texture was added to the background.

Instagram: nature.art.by.kristina
Facebook: Nature ART by Kristina

Kristina:
‘Shells are like little secrets of the sea. I always collect them on the seashore and this one was found on Formby Beach in the UK. I had an idea to develop the photograph of this small shell in a different way, by using the mirror effect in Photoshop. The result pleasantly surprised me, as it looked like wings or a heart.’

Photographer: Lovre Culina
Title: Murky Waters
Nationality: Croatian / British
Occupation: Photographer

Technical information:
Canon EOS M50
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS II USM
f/5, 1/80sec, ISO 400
Post processing: Basic adjustments, cropped and rotated in Lightroom, Topaz DeNoise AI.

Website: lovreculina.com
Instagram: lovre_photography
Flickr: Lovre Culina

Lovre:
‘This bird’s-eye view of an American crocodile was photographed in the Tarcoles River of Costa Rica. I had this image in my head for a while and as I knew the area I hoped to find a crocodile positioned perfectly under the bridge. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case but I was able to stretch my arms out from the bridge far enough to get a shot I could crop and rotate later to get the composition I wanted. Crocodiles are ambush predators and spend most of their time being still and waiting. My aim was to depict this incredible marvel of nature in its element, while leaving the viewer slightly unsure about what is being shown.’

Photographer: Benjamin Salb
Title: Details of a Rough Stink Bug
Nationality: American
Occupation: IT Manager

Technical information:
Olympus E-M1 Mk III
Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f2.8 Macro Lens
f/5.6, 1/50sec, ISO 200
Accessories: Godox V350o flash with Cygnustech Diffuser
Post processing: 17 images stacked in Helicon Focus, basic adjustments in Lightroom.

Website: www.benssmallworld.com
Instagram: bens_small_world

Benjamin:
‘I love finding hidden details within ordinary macro subjects and this rough stink bug was no exception. I encountered it while on a 4am macro hunt last autumn. It was a chilly morning and the few subjects I did find didn’t move that much, if at all. As a result, I was able to position the stick the stink bug was sitting on in the air to isolate it from the background and show off its complex details. The image was captured as a handheld focus bracket of 17 frames (combined in Helicon Focus).’

Photographer: Krisztina Mácsai
Title: Stand By
Nationality: Hungarian
Occupation: Call centre team leader / Photographer

Technical information:
Nikon D7500
Nikon 50mm f/1.8
f/8, 1/125sec, ISO 100
Accessories: Extension tubes, flash, diffuser.
Post processing: Basic adjustments in Lightroom

Website: ultrawavephoto.wixsite.com/mkfoto
Instagram: kriszta_macrophotos
Facebook: mk.fotoo

Krisztina:
‘I was walking with co-students of my photography class in the forests of Normafa, Budapest, looking for interesting macro subjects. It was autumn and the forest was full of Cyclosa spiders. I searched to find one of these orb-weavers that would allow me to photograph it at this unusual angle. I had to be very careful not to harm its web. At the time the picture was taken, I was between macro lenses, so I had to return to my tried and tested combination: the “nifty-50” with extension tubes. Once again, this set up did not disappoint me.’

Photographer: Jane van Bostelen
Title: Lily Tip
Nationality: British
Occupation: Graphic Designer

Technical information:
Canon EOS 60D
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM
f/2.8, 1/6sec, ISO 100
Accessories: Manfrotto 190XPRO tripod
Post processing: Basic adjustments in Photoshop

Instagram: photography_fromjane

Jane:
‘I love the beautiful trumpet-shape of the Calla Lily and wanted to create a minimal, uncluttered image with simple lines. After shooting from different angles, I found the strongest composition to be one where the tip of the petal was in focus and the rest was thrown out of focus using a shallow depth of field. I used a studio lightbox with LED lighting and a green background so that the shapes looked strong, and the colours complemented each other.’

Photographer: Alex Pansier
Title: Outer Space
Nationality: Dutch
Occupation: Photographer

Technical information:
Sony A1
Sony 400mm f/2.8
f/2.8, 1/16000sec, ISO 125
Post processing: Basic adjustments in Lightroom

Website: alexpansier.com
Instagram: alexpansier
Facebook: alex.pansier

Alex:
‘This is not Earth from outer space, but the swirling body of an elephant seal. A few years ago, I went on a photo tour to Antarctica with a stopover in South Georgia. The beaches were teeming with fur seals and elephant seals. This particular one was so relaxed I managed to photograph it quietly with some nice backlight in low key – my favourite style.’