BEAUTIFUL BUG ART
We found some extraordinary photographers and artists who have a passion for bugs. Check out their latest masterpieces here.
JOHN HALLMÉN
John Hallmén takes stunning photos of insects. He’s been fascinated by bugs since he was a child. In the last three years has been photographing them in the Nackareservatet nature reserve near his home in Stockholm, Sweden.
One of the most incredible things about Hallmén’s work is that, unlike almost all scientists and insect photographers, he often photographs living subjects that can move and fly or hop away at any time.
Hallmén spends hours setting up his shots, waiting for the insect to reach the correct position and for the natural lighting to be right.
Once Hallmén has captured his insect image, he magnifies it up to 23 times in order to reveal all of the intricate detail using a combination of studio and outdoor shots.
Rather than seeking out individual species, Hallmén is happy with whichever ones come his way. Regardless, they are all extremely beautiful.
DONALD JUSA
Donald Jusa believes in the beauty of insects. Jusa started his photography only two years ago, and already he is producing a large number of these stunning images.
Jusa shoots with extreme close ups -- just more than an inch away. He then uses focus stacking, the process of combining multiple images with different fields of focus to create one image with a huge field of depth.
All of Jusa’s images are taken in the East Kalimantan region of Indonesia, where he also works as a geologist. He hopes to use his images to show the world the beauty of the insect kingdom.
FRANCIS PRIOR
If you’ve ever wanted to stare into the eyes of an insect and see beauty, then Francis Prior’s work is for you. He gets his detail by stacking many images in order to capture every single aspect.
In the case of the Salticus Scenicus above, Prior used 370 images in two separate stacks, one for the eyes and one for the body, to completely capture the spider’s look.
Prior’s work is extremely sharp -- in fact so sharp that some of the smaller details appear almost unreal.
Although only 19 years old, Prior’s talents are immense. He is a biology student at Aberystwyth University in Wales. He works in a makeshift studio in his parent’s home, using homemade equipment. His subjects are those species that he can find around the house.
Prior takes up to six hours on most of his shots, hoping to reveal the beauty that is invisible to the naked eye. We can’t wait to see what is next for him.
ALEX KONAHIN
Capturing detail from insects is not just for macro photographers. Alex Konahin uses his intricate drawings in a series called “Little Wings,” to showcase the beauty of insects as subjects. Each of his drawings makes use of pens and India ink on paper.
Konahin’s Little Wings series was inspired by a summer surrounded by insects in the Netherlands. For more of his work, be sure to check out his Facebook and Tumblr.
Featuring seven carved green bezel set insect motif, this wide sterling silver wide bracelet, made in Taxco, Mexico is highly sculpturally with seven hinged sections.
Available at Rubylane.
Read more about Beautiful Bugs, as it relates to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact including 10 New Beautiful Bug Books, 10 Beautiful Bug Discoveries, and Eat Bugs. Love!
Enter your own images and ideas about Beautiful Bugs in this week’s creative Photo Competition. Open for entries now until 11:59 p.m. PT on 06.08.14. If you are reading this after that date, check out the current BN Creative Competition, and enter!
