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Nature photography across Moray with Pat Douglass


By Alistair Whitfield

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Pat Douglass
Pat Douglass

With summer in full swing many of the subjects that have been so easy to find start to be more elusive.

Birds finish nesting and quietly retreat to moult and recover.

It might seem like there are less birds around but really they are hiding, looking for coverage away from predators as they change their feathers.

Many birds go from bright breeding colours to a more subdued look ready for winter.

Consequently, at this time of year I switch to focusing on other subjects.

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A hot sunny day is perfect for capturing some of the many insects in our gardens and countryside.

Bees and butterflies in particular are colourful subjects and an opportunity to try some macro photography, though they too move quickly and a higher shutter speed is needed to freeze that moment.

With macro photography getting as close as possible is essential.

However, this means you will have less depth of field (the area that is in focus), so that bright sunny day will help you get both a small aperture and fast shutter speed.

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It’s a good time of year to photograph dragonflies too.

If you rise early you might be lucky enough to see them emerge for their first flight.

All insects are slower first thing making capturing them that little bit easier.

As the day warms up so do their energy levels.

And as they feed they start to become more active, which is another good reason to be out early.

Don’t forget that the bright flowers that attract these insects also make a great subject for macro photography.

Once you start looking closely it’s amazing to see how much detail there is within a simple flower and many show delicate patterns that make good abstract photos.

All of these can be found close to home, in gardens, parks or any wild space.



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