"Precious" insects. Dew-covered insects in macro photography by David Chambon

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

We've probably never seen insects as beautiful as they are helpless, as in macro photographs. David Chambon … The seasoned photographer lives in the French town of Doubs in the Franche-Comté province, a five-minute drive from the national park, which is ideal for macro photography. There, David Chambon prefers to meet the sunrises in order to seize the moment and photograph dragonflies, moths, grasshoppers, beetles and other insects in an unusual form - covered with drops of morning dew, and therefore similar to jewelry, strewn with pearls and diamonds of clear water. Along with photographing plants, insect macro photography is one of the most popular hobbies for photographers, both experienced and taking their first steps in this art. However, if pearl dew on plants has already been demonstrated to readers of Culturology Sharon Johnstone from Great Britain, we have never seen "precious" insects. This is not surprising, because one careless movement - and the dragonflies and the trail are gone, while a flower or a blade of grass will not leave its place, even if the photographer is accompanied by a military brass band. David Chambon notes that such shooting provides him with adrenaline for a long time. For a successful "hunt" a photographer needs not only to comply with a lot of conditions, but also to behave as if he is not a human being, but a disembodied, therefore, absolutely silent ghost, which cannot be seen or heard by sensitive fearful insects. You can breathe, but very carefully.

It took the photographer several tries to figure out the best time to shoot. So that the rising sun does not dry out the insects, covered with morning dew, but already gives enough natural light for the droplets to sparkle and shimmer like real diamonds. Only at a certain angle and in the presence of a certain light does the dew on the wings and bodies of insects turn into jewels, and photographs become works of art.

However, it should be remembered that insects covered with dew are inactive, it is difficult for them to breathe and it is just as difficult for them to take off with wet wings. Therefore, they humbly wait for the sun to relieve them of this burden, this inconvenience. David Chambon tries not to frighten off the winged insects, so as not to subject them to torment. And he succeeds, because the photographer has been engaged in macro photography for more than 10 years, and you can get acquainted with his work on his personal website.