Name: Victoria Hillman
Picture title: Snakesheads and Rainbows
Category: Plants & Fungi
Nationality: British
Occupation: Wildlife Researcher / Photographer / Writer & Guide

Victoria says:
‘Snake's-head fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris) is classified as vulnerable in Britain due to loss of habitat, but there is a small field in Wiltshire, UK, where it still grows wild. In this field, however, a large percentage of the flowers are creamy white with only a few of the typical crimson flowers dotted around. Watching the forecast for several days, I waited until the conditions looked perfect for dew formation. On arrival, there was not only a thick blanket of dew, but also mist. As the sun rose, the mist started to burn off resulting in a sparkling blanket of dew in amongst which were two beautiful fritillaries. I used a small LED light to up light the flowers, and shot from ground level through the grass, carefully moving until I had the right lighting from the sun to create mini rainbows underneath and behind the flowers.’

Technical information:
Canon EOS 5D Mk III
Sigma 180mm f/2.8 Macro
ISO 160
f/2.8
1/2500sec
Accessories: Manfrotto Lumimuse 6 with two diffuser filters
Post processing: Basic adjustments in Lightroom.

Website: vikspics.com
Instagram:  victoria.hillman
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