Introducing "Meet Your Neighbours"

It is my great pleasure to announce the launch of a new project that I've developed in coordination with conservation photographer and ILCP Founding Fellow, Niall Benvie. It's called “Meet Your Neighbours” and its mission is to celebrate the species of plants and animals that we think we know best: those commonly found within our own neighborhoods and communities. These species are often people's first and only connection with the natural world and their importance is often unrecognized. In essence, Meet Your Neighbours is a photographically driven, environmental education program designed to nurture those connections.

There is just one catch: We need your help!

Niall and I are searching for photographers around the world to participate in this effort. We want people to sit up and take notice of these wild neighbors by presenting them as celebrities: photographed in the white field studio, in exquisite detail under beautiful lighting. If you are a photographer who has spent time working with conservation NGOs within your own region to highlight locally wild species we want to hear from you! Whether you are a seasoned pro, or an experienced recreational photographer, it matters not. What does matter is your dedication to showcase these often overlooked, and undervalued species within your own communities.

To learn more about the Meet Your Neighbours project and how you can participate, Please Read More Here.

To Sign-up for our mailing list, visit our developing website at meetyourneighbours.org or follow us on Twitter: @MYNeighbours.

My Quest for Wide-Angled Macro Continues

I am continuing to refine my wide-angled macro technique. Some of you may be saying "enough of the wide-angled posts already!" Fair enough, I suppose, but if I'm going to air my dirty laundry –AKA the good, the bad and the ugly images that come from trying something new– you may just have to bear with me for a little longer as a small favor. I'm hoping that by revealing the process that I'm working through, you may be inspired to push your own personal boundaries as well. I'd love to hear more of your thoughts on this developing series.

I think that I'm beginning to attain a better balance between the foreground and background lighting with these. I'm also getting better at adjusting the lighting to alter mood as shown in the Veronica's Looking Glass (purple flowers). One thing that is faulty with this round of images is that (you might've noticed) the subjects have a bit of an outline on them. This is because I'm using a rear-curtain flash setting (a good thing) but the shutter-speed / flash duration are slightly under & over what they should be, ideally. Otherwise, things are looking better by my estimation. Now if I can just get these subjects to stay still...plants included!