Macro photography is amazing. You can spend vast quantities of money on equipment, but you can also gain an astonishing perspective of a whole hidden world with things that almost everyone can put their hands on.
Most of my images here were taken with an old entry level dslr and a very old Pentax lens mounted backwards with a cheap little adapter from eBay. But I managed to take some simply with the camera on my phone. The addition of small lens from an old DVD drive can enable you to capture incredible shots.
Even a magnifying glass in a garden can change the way you look at these creatures forever. I'm no expert but what I lack in knowledge I make up in enthusiasm for our tiny neighbours. All of these images are of live creatures that I have done my best to interfere with as little as possible.
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Anthrenus Verbasci, Carpet Beetle
Anthrenus verbasci. You've probably seen these tiny little critters from time to time on walls, furniture or flowers, but few people seem to know what they are. About 3mm in size and a sort of grey brown colour. They are in fact the Carpet Beetle. Not something you want to see too many of as they can become a problem in abundance.
Woodlouse?
I spotted this little crustacean on a wall in a local park, I could only see grey before I zoomed in but it did seem to have a lot more iridescence than any others I've seen. If anyone knows more about any of the species I post please feel free to let me know.
Ant
I spent a few hours one day just watching the comings and goings of this colony. They are wonderful to watch if they're not crawling all over your carpet.
Buff-tailed Bumblebee, Bombus Terrestris
when I met this big fuzzy fella he seemed a bit lathargic so I gave him some sugar water to perk him up, (we all need to take better care of the bees) and he didn't seem to mind me getting so close because I was able to take this shot with just my phone, once again with no additional magnification.
Hawthorn Shieldbug, Acanthosoma Haemorrhoidale
Unknown Fly
Once again my entomological knowledge has let me down a little here, as I'm unsure if this is a kind of Horse fly, Marsh fly or something entirely different. All I know for sure us that it really didn't want to move, enabling me to get a nice little portrait with my phone. Feel free to let me know if you can identify it.
Tiny Spider
Tiny little spider, no idea of the species.
Aphid Otherwise Known As The Greenfly
Opilion
I think a more appropriate name for this little guy would be Cthulhu.
Snail
A land snail lets call him Brian, probably a Helix pomatia. However, since there are over 200 species of land snail in the UK I cannot be too sure. I took this for a friend who likes these little guys a lot more than I do! Although to be fair I spent about 10 minutes with Brian here and he was quite amiable.
Miscellaneous Moth
Fuzzy moth, unknown species.
Common Orb Weaver Spider
I am not too sure of the species of this little guy, I think it's most likely a Common Orb Weaver (if you know better please let me know in the comments). Either way, it gave me a shock nearly landing on my face! Unlike most of the images here this one is focus stacked from several shots to improve the depth of field.
Harlequin Ladybird, Axyridis Spectabilis
Tiny Fly, Species Unknown
Another Miscellaneous Moth
I've always been slightly perplexed by people who are afraid of moths, but after getting up close and personal. Yeah I guess they are a bit creepy.
Owl Midge
It's just so fluffy!