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A few of the circular basins in a shallow lake within the unique Green Lotus Cave at Xingping in China December 2007

A few of the circular basins in a shallow lake within the unique Green Lotus Cave at Xingping in China December 2007

The action of water on a karst landscape creates peaks and towers above ground, often with caves below. South China is one of the world’s major karst landscapes, where caves abound with endemic blind cave fish in pools. Inside the Lotus Basin Cave near Xingping, 108 rare shallow limestone basins resembling lotus leaves were discovered.

My first visit in December 2007, the cave was 30°C inside and so humid that my glasses and camera lenses steamed up immediately. The head torch I threw in at the last moment, proved essential for changing the ISO. After the camera was fixed to the tripod, the front lens element was wiped clear before each 1 second exposure @f/8, 24-120mm lens at 24mm.

Green Lotus Cave at Xingping in China is unique with 108 basins that resemble lotus leaves, Xingping, China December 2007

Green Lotus Cave at Xingping in China is unique with 108 basins that resemble lotus leaves, Xingping, China October 2009

The temperature outside and inside the Chinese cave was equal on my return visit in October 2009, so condensation was not a problem. The cave is off the tourist route and is kept locked, so we had to collect a key each time. I was thankful many of the spent green lights had not been replaced, but the lower light level meant the ISO had to be pushed to 2,500 to gain a 2 second exposure @f/14, 24-120mm lens at 66mm.

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African elephant ( Loxodonta africana) herd kicking up dust as they feed late in the day, Okavango Delta, Botswana

African elephant (Loxodonta africana) herd kick up dust as they feed late in the day, Okavango Delta, Botswana

Before photography, the first silhouettes were made by cutting shapes from black paper. A French politician, Étienne de Silhouette (1709 – 1767) is invariably quoted as being the first person to produce head profiles of people. Paper was invented in China at the end of the first century and it was here that paper-cutting originated as a craft five centuries later, where it is still practised today.

Left: Angel of the North by Anthony Gormley at dawn, Gateshead. Right: A Chinese paper cut of Heather Angel with a film camera

Left: Angel of the North by Anthony Gormley at dawn, Gateshead. Right: A Chinese paper cut of Heather Angel with a film camera

Whether made as a paper cut or shot in the camera, a silhouette highlights shape and form whilst losing all colour and texture. The best silhouettes are the simplest ones, where the subject is seen against a clean backdrop – whether it be a colourful sky or bright water and it does not overlap with any other object.

A saguaro cactus (Cereus giganteus) blocks out the bright sun in Arizona

A saguaro cactus (Cereus giganteus) blocks out the bright sun in Arizona

Do a reccé for static subjects – such as a single tree or a line of trees – on raised ground and check weather forecasts for clear skies at dawn or dusk to gain colourful backdrops. With animals it is more difficult to plan ahead, but some may make regular treks or flight paths at the begining or end of the day.

Fan palms or mokolane (Hyphaene petersiana) at sunset. Mombo, Okavango, Botswana

Fan palms or mokolane (Hyphaene petersiana) at sunset. Mombo, Okavango, Botswana

Side views of animals are preferable to head-on ones, so that characteristic shapes are instantly recognisable, such as the long neck of a giraffe or a swan, the trunk of an elephant, or the horn of a rhinoceros.

King parrot (Alisterus scapularis) silhouette at dusk after sun set in Lamington National Park, Australia

King parrot (Alisterus scapularis) silhouette at dusk after sun set in Lamington National Park, Australia

Aim for simplicty. Avoid taking trees or animals that overlap since it then becomes difficult to see where one begins and the other ends. Winter is a perfect time for showing the branching paterns of leafless deciduous trees and also to make a survey of the rounded clumps of mistletoe.

Silhouetted clumps of parasitic mistletoe (Viscum album) are easily counted on a poplar tree in winter

Silhouetted clumps of parasitic mistletoe (Viscum album) are easily counted on a poplar tree in winter

Wide angle lenses work for taking huge and ever-changing starling murmurations, while tele lenses are useful not only for wildlife nut also hanging tree flowers and fruits as well as leaf mosaics.

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) leaping from the sea against the setting sun, Roatan, Caribbean

Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) leaping from the sea against the setting sun, Roatan, Caribbean

Spot meter off the bright sky or water to ensure the subject is underexposed by several stops and to avoid overexposing the background. Remember to use a lens hood when shooting into the sun, otherwise flare may appear in the frame and spoil the image.

Silhouetted unidentified leaves that have been extensively eaten, leaving the venation pattern, Xishuangbanna, China

Extensively eaten silhouetted leaves showing the venation pattern could be used as a fabric design, Xishuangbanna, China

10 tips for Shooting Silhouettes

  1. Select simple subjects
  2. Avoid overlap of objects in the same plane
  3. Check backdrop is uncluttered
  4. Check prime angle for silhouette
  5. Shoot against a colourful dusk or dawn sky to add colour
  6. Meter off bright sky or water to ensure silhouette is a true black
  7. Make sure to focus on the silhouette itself
  8. Use a lens hood to cut out flare on the lens
  9. Do a recce before dusk or dawn to find a tree with open branches on a hill
  10. Can use any lens for silhouette: tele for wildlife, macro for close-ups or wide angle for scenics
A loan pine tree on Huangshan placed to left of image to allow space for copy on right of a double page spread China

A lone pine tree on Huangshan, China placed to left of image to allow space for copy on right of a magazine double page spread

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A hibiscus staminal column spotlit with an LED light

A hibiscus staminal column spotlit with an LED light

At first sight, this appears to be a simple image of a red hibiscus.  But if you look at the central staminal column, you will see it appears brighter than the petals. This is no accident. In fact, I visualised the final image before I even bought the plant. From past experience, I have purchased flowers only to find a sudden urgent deadline can ruin my schedule, resulting in the flowers going past they use by date.

In this case, I wanted to spotlight the stamens and stigmas – not unlike a person spotlit on a stage – so it separated from the rest of the flower. Working in my conservatory, I used indirect available light for the whole flower. A small LED light highlighted the staminal column with back light. To make sure the entire three dimensional flower was in focus, 62 exposures were taken to make a focus stack.

After checking the correct exposure for the complete flower; I underexposed by ⅔ stop. The LED light was moved until the best angle was found that worked in the camera. The light was moved in and out to gain the perfect exposure. The result is a portrait with subtle spot lighting.

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Male alpine newt (Triturus alpestris) in breeding dress with orange belly and dark spots along flanks and tail.

Male alpine newt (Triturus alpestris) in breeding dress with orange belly and dark spots along flanks and tail.

Martin and I have never visited North Spain and we were eager to make a trip to explore the spring wildlife in the Picos.  We knew it would be more rewarding to have an experienced local guide. So in May 2015, we joined Teresa Farino of Iberian Wildlife Tours on her Spring Butterflies and Moths in the Picos de Europa trip.  Martin runs a moth trap to record Surrey moths, so he was eager to see what species came to Teresa’s traps, while I was on the lookout for any pollinators in floriferous meadows.

Teresa was one of many overseas guides who got me to the right place at the right time for finding specific pollinators for my book Pollination Power. She guided me in Tenerife for a few days in March 2013 to many Canary Island bellflowers and the sole Canary Island foxglove plant in flower. I was thrilled to achieve my target shot of the endemic Canary Island chiffchaff feeding on the endemic foxglove on the first day! It appears on page 131.

Left: Sea bindweed, (Calystegia soldanella) after rain. Right: Bee orchid (Ophrys apifera).

Left: Sea bindweed, (Calystegia soldanella) after rain. Right: Bee orchid (Ophrys apifera).

Our notable sightings started on the very first day with photogenic sea bindweed as well as bee and tongue orchids in dune slacks. Acidic meadows produced several fritillary butterflies roosting on flowers in the morning during an unusually cold snap. Each spring, bee-flies feed on primroses in our garden, so I was delighted to find another species roosting on ragged robin.

Left: Two male long-horned bees (Eucera longicornis) sleeping in buttercup. Right: Bee-fly resting on ragged robin.

Left: Male long-horned bees (Eucera longicornis) sleeping in buttercup. Right: A bee-fly rests on ragged robin.

The cold weather played to our advantage, making butterflies and the lovely owly sulphur much easier to photograph, thereby allowing all the group to get good images.

Left: Glanville fritillary (Melitaea cinxia) on salad burnet. Right: Owly sulphur (Libelloides coccajus) on tongue orchid.

Left: Glanville fritillary (Melitaea cinxia) on salad burnet. Right: Owly sulphur (Libelloides coccajus) on tongue orchid.

During the week, we enjoyed a feast of wild orchids; on a limestone plateau we found large lizard orchids and early spider orchidss. Elsewhere we saw woodcock orchids and magnificent red helleborine spikes.

Left: Red helleborine (Cephalanthera rubra). Right: Sawfly orchid (Ophrys tenthredinifera).

Left: Red helleborine (Cephalanthera rubra). Right: Sawfly orchid (Ophrys tenthredinifera).

Unlike our British crab spiders that build no web and simply lurk in flowers to grab an unsuspecting visitor; the black and red Napoleon spider makes a simple bivouac by bending over petals – notably on oxeye daisies – by anchoring them with silken strands. The black marking on the red (or yellow) female abdomen portrays a silhouette of Naopleon’s hat.

Female napoleon crab spider (Synema globosum) Left: outside oxeye daisy bivouac. Right: Grasping a hapless hoverfly on a white umbellifer.

Female napoleon crab spider (Synema globosum) Left: outside oxeye daisy bivouac. Right: Grasping a hapless hoverfly.

Martin was pleased to see many new moths in the light traps, including the Spanish endemic puss moth and tiger, plus several species that are rare visitors to the UK such as the Ni moth, Dewick’s plusia and three-humped prominents.

Left: Dewick

Left: Dewick’s plusia (Macdunnoughia confusa). Right: White spot (Hadena albimaculata).

A surprise discovery was finding alpine newts breeding in stock water troughs and a male in breeding dress is featured at the top of this blog.

Whether you enjoy searching for early wildflowers plus their visitors, photographing and recording butterflies or examining the rich array of moths attracted to the UV moth trap light, this tour will not disappoint. The scenery spectacular and Teresa is a mine of information.  If you cannot make early June next year, the complete list of the 2016 Iberian Wildlife tours can be found here. I was lucky to capture a chamois on camera when we took the cable car up to Fuente Dé.

Left: A chamois turned as I appeared over a ridge. Right: Spring gentians (Gentiana verna). Both on trip to Fuente Dé, Picos de Europa.

Left: A chamois turned as it spotted me.  Right: Spring gentians (Gentiana verna). Both on the trip to Fuente Dé, Picos de Europa.

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Left: Crocus spot lit by winter sun Right: Crocus in soft light created by using a diffuser.

Left: Crocus spot lit by winter sun.   Right: Crocus in soft light created by using a diffuser.

I am often asked what is my favourite lighting. Since no type of light suits all subjects, I don’t favour any particular one. However, soft diffused light gives stunning results for many flowers – especially pastel-toned ones; whereas direct sunlight is good for bold reds and oranges and creating shadows that can add a dynamic element to the composition.

There is no better way of appreciating just how effective a diffuser can be at reducing high contrast and strong shadows than by taking comparative shots with and without one. Carrying a diffuser is the equivalent to having your own portable miniature cloud for use on sunny days.

The first pair of images feature a crocus. On the left, the flower is spotlit by sun beaming through trees at 4:10pm in March. The result is a dramatically lit flower emerging from its surroundings completely in shadow with no hint of the adjacent plants. When a large Lastolite Tri-grip diffuser was held between the sun and the crocus, this dramatically reduced the contrast (and the light level by two stops). Whenever a diffuser is used, the light needs to be re-metered with it in position. The exposure for the first shot was 1/30 sec at f/18 and, with a diffuser, I retained the same aperture and changed the shutter speed with an exposure of 1/8 sec at f/18.

The second shot is more restful to the eye. It also more informative since it reveals the ground beneath the crocuses is carpeted with attractively patterned cyclamen leaves.

Left: Sunlight falls on a Volkmann

Left: Sunlight falls on a Volkmann’s Chloraea orchid.   Right: Diffuser softens sunlight on the orchid

The second pair of images was taken in Chile and shows one of many terrestrial Chloraea orchids, which are typically white and green, with some yellow and green species. This one is Chloraea volkmannii.

Growing in a meadow bathed in sunlight, the left shot is as found with the sun shining directly on the orchid and the grass behind. By using a small diffuser to block out the sun falling on the orchid only and not on the background, resulted in an enhanced tonal variation of light reflected from the two. The background appears brighter because I had to re-meter the flower and adjust the exposure. This can be a useful way of separating a subject which has a similar colour and tone from the background – notably grasses against green vegetation.

The aperture was kept constant for both shots at f/11. In sunlight the ISO was 160 and the exposure 1/400 at f/11. With a diffuser used for the right-hand shot, I pushed the ISO up to 400 and the exposure was then 1/250 at f/11.

Left: Indian horse chestnut (Aesculus indica) conkers in sunlight Right: With a diffuser

Bottom left: Indian horse chestnut (Aesculus indica) conkers in sunlight.   Right: With a diffuser

Unlike the chestnut coloured conkers produced by the European horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum), those of Indian horse chestnut (A. indica) conkers are dark brown. They were discovered lit by strong sunlight, when the texture within the deep tones were lost by the conspicuous catchlights from the sun. So a diffuser was used to even out the light and eliminate the harsh shadows.

These three comparative pairs show how dramatically diffused light can change the appearance and mood of a close-up subject.  By experimenting, you will soon appreciate that some subjects work fine when lit with direct light, while others are enhanced by diffused light.

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