Page 117 - BBC Wildlife - August 2017 UK

PHOTO ANALYSIS

THE PHOTOGRAPHER
IMRE POTYÓ HOMING
INSTINCT
Imre lives in Hungary and works as an environmental researcher. 1Mayfly emergences take
He began photography 10 years ago and has since been recognised place in gravel streams and
rivers, for example along
in many competitions: http://naturart.hu/profil/potyo.imre/
sections of the Danubeand its
tributaries, including the Rába,
(where I got this image) and Ipel
in Hungary. The insects don’t
usuallyflyhigher than 2m above
2 the water surface, so the low,
level riverbank of this stretchof
the Rába was ideal, allowing me
to stand among my subjects.
SKY AT NIGHT
It was late twilight but not
2yet full darkness when I
took the photograph, making
the sky appear this beautiful,
deep inky blue.
FINDING FOCUS
To focus onboth the
3mayflies and stars, I used
manual focus andcreated
a double exposure. The first
3 exposure was taken for 1.3
seconds at f14, then I refocused
on the stars and took a second
exposure for 30 seconds at f3.2.

FLASH OFLIGHT
To light the mayflies, I
4used the camera’s built-in
flash and also shone a bright
4 torch into the swarm.This
captured their fluttering bodies
in a ghostly white light and
traced their movements
through the air.
SEE THE WOOD
FOR THE TREES
5I included the full, leafy
trees that surround this stretch
of river to give a feel for the
mayflies’ habitat. At first
glance,you might think you’re
looking into the distance before
realising the trees are actually
above you – I got this effect by
tilting my camera upwards at
anangle of 45˚.

+ FIND OUT MORE
For more photo advice visit
www.discoverwildlife.com/
wildlife-nature-photography/
tips-and-techniques

BBC Wildlife 117