Small world
Space bug
PHOTOGRAPHER
Jamie Smart
CATEGORY
Small world – Winner 2025
DESCRIPTION
I took this photo of a greater water boatman (or ‘backswimmer’) during a visit to the National Botanical Garden of Wales. There are some small ponds there and I noticed these boatmen upside down in the water, skimming the surface and darting around crazily as they tried to catch their prey. I captured this image using a macro set-up with my speed flash and diffuser. I love that the bug looks like they're in space with booster jets on!
Thistle feast
PHOTOGRAPHER
Angelo Anderson
CATEGORY
Small world – Runner-up 2025
DESCRIPTION
I was spending the day in Stanmer Park in Brighton, photographing insects in the flower gardens. The alien look of this gasteruption wasp really caught my eye, and I thought the muted greens of the background gave it a 'desert alien' feel! The thistle heads create a strong focal point against the soft background and allow the details of the wasp to grab our attention.
Autumnal bee
PHOTOGRAPHER
Thomas Easterbrook
CATEGORY
Small world – Commended 2025
DESCRIPTION
I was visiting a local nature reserve on a bright day in October and the bee was feeding on aster flowers at the edge of the lake. It would soon be winter, so I was pleased to be able to capture this moment in time.
An architect in the rain
PHOTOGRAPHER
Sam Morris
CATEGORY
Small world – Commended 2025
DESCRIPTION
On a rainy Saturday in August, as the downpour finally eased, I grabbed my camera gear and ventured outside in search of a spider on a dew-laden web. After some patient searching, I found a tiny spider clinging to the tattered, water-soaked strands of their web, silently repairing the damage left by the heavy rain. I set up my tripod and watched in awe as they wove fresh silk, mending each delicate thread of their fragile home.
Trapdoor home
PHOTOGRAPHER
Jamie Smart
CATEGORY
Small world – Commended 2025
DESCRIPTION
Here’s a trapdoor spider waiting patiently inside their home for unsuspecting prey to pass by. Most of these spiders are medium-sized but this one was much bigger than others I’d spotted during my bug hunt. It was quite tricky angling myself so I could get the flash to penetrate the tunnel and show the spider. But after a few adjustments I managed to capture her in her hideout.
A spider silhouetted in the reflection of the rising sun
Photographer
Chris Wardell
Category
Small world – Winner 2024
Description
I went out early in the morning looking for wildlife along my local river as the conditions were perfect for interesting photos. There was a low, rising sun with a golden mist and a magical atmosphere. I found a spider on a large web near the edge of the bank and used the bright light of the sun, reflected in the water, to backlight the spider for a moody shot. Although it was taken outdoors, it has an intimate, studio feel.
Pearls of nature
Photographer
Jamie Smart
Category
Small world – Runner-up 2024
Description
I’m always fascinated by how small butterfly eggs are but only really appreciated their size and beauty after taking some macro photos of them. I had to play around with my positioning to get the image to show a row of perfect little pearls on the edge of a leaf. I didn’t have a diffuser at the time, so I made my own from a piece of white A4 cardboard and brown tape and stuck it to my flash.
The rainbow wing
Photographer
Chris Wardell
Category
Small world – Commended 2024
Description
I’ve always been fascinated by banded demoiselles, a type of large damselfly. I found a reliable spot by the river where, in the evening, the demoiselles would settle down to roost. I went out late with a flash and a home-made diffuser (constructed from a crisp tube and packing tape), thinking I’d photograph their intricate wings up close. I found that, when illuminated at a certain angle, I could get an almost rainbow-like effect, with the light shimmering across the many segments of their wings.
Beyond small
Photographer
Angelo Anderson
Category
Small world – Commended 2024
Description
My title comes from the sense of scale created by photographing a small red beetle perched, ready to leap into the unknown. I wanted to capture that sense of solitude and depth. I used a macro lens to get closer and isolated the grass to help me become part of their world. I used the idea of the unknown in my post-production, allowing the grass to become like a string pulling the eye into the image, with a transient moment of focus to the composition.
Home turf
Photographer
Angelo Anderson
Category
Small world – Commended 2024
Description
I took this image by a new pond in my garden. Wild honey bees perched on small rocks to rest and occasionally drink from the pond. The textured landscape gives it a different interest to the usual backdrop of flowers. The macro lens gave me a detailed view of a bee drinking moisture drops, and the texture of its body hair and colour tones seemed to melt into the gravel. I used this connection of bee to landscape in my art direction, post-production.
Maggot on a toadstool
Photographer
Tess Easterbrook
Category
Small world – Commended 2024
Description
I took this photo when we were out on a walk near Milton Abbot in Devon on an October day. I wanted to get a close-up picture of the fungus but as I was taking the photo, I realised there was a maggot blending into the underside of the fungus. It was a good job I had my camera as I wouldn’t have seen it with the naked eye!