In our Looking Closer round, you gave us bug’s eye views and showed us the finer details of nature’s many structures
Savo Ilic, of London, has won first prize in our Looking Closer round of APOY, winning a Canon EOS 450D body, worth £669.99, and Canon?s EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro USM lens, worth £509.99. The Canon EOS 450D is a 12.2-million-pixel DSLR offering 3.5fps capture capability for a continuous burst of up to 53 large JPEGs, as well as a nine-point wide-area AF to accommodate off-centre subjects. Canon?s compact and lightweight EF-S 60mm f/2.8 lens offers full-time manual focus override. In total, Savo has won £1,179.98 worth of Canon kit.
Second prize of a Canon PowerShot SX10 IS, worth £426, goes to David Hollingsworth, of Lincolnshire. The 10MP PowerShot SX10 IS features a 20x wideangle zoom with optical Image Stabilizer for great telephoto performance.
In third place, Koshy Johnson, of Hull, will receive a pair of Canon?s 8×25 IS binoculars, worth £384.99. At just 12cm wide and weighing only 490g, these compact, lightweight binoculars feature Tilt Mechanism Image Stabilizer, 8x magnification and battery power for six hours of continuous use.
1 Savo Ilic, London 38pts
Nikon D60, 18-55mm, 1/200sec at f/13, ISO 200
Savo, a videographer and keen wildlife photographer, had tried for several days to get a good shot of a damselfly. ?They mate in June, which is when I took this, so there were lots of them flying about,? says Savo. ?I tried several times, but either the light or the composition was wrong.? Finally, one sunny day, Savo spotted this large red damselfly resting on a leaf in his garden and immediately saw the potential for a striking image.
?When I saw the silhouette and the large eyes peeking over the top, I knew it was going to be the perfect picture,? he says. Judges say Where many photographers would opt for the standard view of the insect?s body, Savo looked for a more unusual image. His patience and careful consideration of how he wanted to show his subject have created a more dynamic composition and an unusual picture.
2 David Hollingsworth, Lincolnshire 37pts,
Fujifilm FinePix S8100fd, 1/2sec at f/8
David, an electronics engineer, made these bubbles in a large vase with a little washing-up liquid. He lit the scene with LED torches, using sweet wrappers to give different tones.
?I set my camera to its highest f-stop to increase depth of field, especially as I was shooting through glass, and my ISO was set low at ISO 64 to stop any noise,? he says. Afterwards he converted it to b&w and inverted it so the bubbles appear on the surface. Judges say Is it an alien landscape or are they stones? David has created a unique, and technically superb, image that makes the viewer think.
3 Koshy Johnson, Hull 36pts,
Nikon D2x, 105mm, Fujichrome Provia, 2x flashguns
Koshy, a GP from Hull, has captured what is perhaps the most dramatic image to win in a round of APOY, yet also one of the most compelling. Spotting this large group of ants while he was on holiday in India, Koshy gingerly placed a dead cockroach next to the swarm.
?They immediately pounced,? he says. ?I was amazed by their team work.? Working close, he skilfully set up two flashes on either side of the scene to get a more even exposure. Judges say This is a picture that grabs your attention and doesn?t let go. Koshy has shown great ability and captured incredible detail in a picture worthy of some of the top nature photographers.
Be sure to catch the results of Round 7 Bold Colour in AP 26 September, and our announcement of Round 8, Reflection in AP 5 September.
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