National Insect Week returns in 2022
The National Insect Week 2020 Photography Competition is now closed.
We look forward to announcing the winning images in due course.
1st Prize - Zach Haynes
Mayfly on an unfurled fern frond
2nd Prize – Shannon Cansfield
Reflecting
Specially Commended – Alex Perry
Lang’s Short-tailed Blue (Leptotes pirithous)
Specially Commended - Rebecca Hyde
Dragonfly Impossible
Specially Commended – Zach Haynes
Hoverfly honing in
Specially Commended – Gavin Pandya
Golden Beprestid on Iris
1st Prize – Petar Sabol
Orange tip butterfly and mayfly sharing
2nd Prize – Wen-Chi Yeh
Potter wasp, Oreumenes decoratus, returning to her nest
Specially Commended – Weixiang Lee
Planthopper nymph with the 'fibre optic' tail
Specially Commended – Andrew Geen
Wonder of the day (Dichonia aprilina)
Specially Commended – Ivan-Marios Mezitis
Metamorphosis
Specially Commended – Martin Tampier
Kite (Amblycorypha oblongifolia)
Specially Commended – Beverley Brouwer
Bejewelled Fly
Specially Commended – Petar Sabol
Mayfly resting just before sunrise
Specially Commended – Simon Carder
Water reflections through greenery. Broad Bodied Chaser (Libellula depressa)
Specially Commended – Zoltan Gyori
Bedtime
Commended – Michael Bird
Two for the price of one
Commended – Narayan Patel
Caterpillars on silk
Commended – Juergen Specker
Sunfly on Helenium
Commended – Martin Taylor
Treehopper on vine
Commended – Andrew Neal
Damselfly symmetry
Commended – Denise Bishop
Painted Lady
Commended – Deepak Kumbhar
Just one world
Commended – Simon Carder
Six-spot burnet and knapweed at dawn
Commended – William Richardson
A walk in the rain
Commended – David Holland
Under siege
Commended – Katarzyna Bukowska
Black-veined Whites
Commended – Zoltan Gyori
The vice
Commended – Faith Melencio
One love
Commended – Iain Cowe
Autumns Herald
Libellula depressa, First Prize
The Climb, Second Prize
Looking at you looking at me, Specially commended
Backlight, Specially Commended
Hangin' Tough - Broom Weevil, Specially Commended
Damsels on parade, Specially Commended
Jump!, Specially Commended
The long and winding road, Specially Commended
The last fight. Tiger beetle and weaver ant, Specially Commended
Life in green, Commended
Troops on the move, Commended
Predation, Commended
Mantis, Commended
Flag-footed Bug, Commended
An aggregation of two: Ammophila wasps at dawn, Commended
Common green shieldbug eggs hatching, Commended
Autumnal Feathered Thorn moth, Commended
Covered in dew drops (sawfly), Commended
Marsh Fritillaries, Commended
Robber Fly, Commended
Solitary Bee - Megachile willughbiella, Commended
Red Tipped Flower Beetles, Commended
Resting Stalk-eyed Fly, Commended
Metamorphosis - a dragonfly emerging, Commended
Beauty and Beast, Commended
Floating on colour, a male gall midge, Commended
Pollination, First Prize
Shhh... do not disturb, Second Prize
The view on a bridge, Commended
Brown Clipper butterfly, Specially Commended
Shades of green, Commended
Privet Hawkmoth caterpillar, Specially Commended
Azure Damselfly on an ear of wheat, Commended
Because I have no teeth, Specially Commended
Green Hairstreak, Commended
Mormon Butterfly, Commended
Red hemipteran, Commended
Green dragonfly, Commended
Stupendous Staveley Sunfly, Specially Commended
The Bug Life, Specially Commended
Flying and feeding bee-fly, Specially Commended
Orange-tip butterfly, Commended
Mint moth, Commended
Warming up, the light giver, Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category
Blend in to survive, Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category
Warming up, Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category
My annoying housemate, Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category
Grasshopper nymphs, Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category
Tachinid fly, Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category
A snout of distinction, Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category
Mayfly, Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category
Zerynthia polyxena wing, Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category
Migrant hawker, Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category
Longhorn beetle (close-up), Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category
Acorn weevil (Curculio glandium) on a stem of grass, Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category
‘Jeff Goldblum lookalike’ (unidentified fly), Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category
Soldier, Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category
Banded demoiselle, male, Commended in 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautul category
Striking a pose, Specially Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category
Dromedarius, Specially Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category
Male feather-horned beetle, Specially Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category
Anax imperator eye, Second Prize 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category
Wallace’s Cyriopalus beetle (Cyriopalus wallacei), First Prize 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category
Alone in the dark, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category
Mate, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category
A katydid completes its moult, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category
Even educated weevils do it! Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category
Parental care, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category
Resting time, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category
Large rose sawfly laying eggs, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive
Sleeping Nomada, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insect Alive category
Lunchtime, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category
Male blue tiger butterfly with tiger moth caterpillar on Crotalaria pods, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category
Coupled blue-tailed damselflies, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category
Five-spot burnet (Zygaena trifolii) feeding on buttercup, Commended 2014 Photography Competition Insects Alive category
I see you, I have eyes in the back of my head, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category
The Alamo! Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category
New coat, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category
Family planning, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category
Marbled whites mating, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category
Orthetrum cancellatum dragonflies mating, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category
Honeymoon on flower, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category
Reed beetle preening, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category
Cuckoo wasp laying an egg, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category
Small white feeding, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category
Small paper wasp building nest, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category
Well captured, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category
My annoying housemate, Commended in the 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category
Multi-tasking, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category
Life in the lilypads, Specially Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive
Ready! Specially Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category
Manganese drill bit, Specially Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category
Fire and brimstone! Specially Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive
Sawflies eating a birch leaf, Second Prize 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category
Damselflies mating, First Prize 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category
Close up of damselfly eyes in Genemuiden, Netherlands. Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Small is Beautiful category
Four-spotted chaser dragonfly sparring with broad-bodied chaser dragonfly, Winsor, New Forest UK, Commended 2014 NIW Photography Competition Insects Alive category
1. Take your time
Try not to rush your photographs. There is a huge diversity of insects that can be photographed and each species has its own behaviour to take into account. For example, if you would like to photograph an adult dragonfly, take the time to observe the insect's hovering and perching spots. This considered approach will help to improve the quality of your photographs and you may learn something new about the insect too.
© Dale Sutton
Broad-bodied chaser dragonfly, Libellula depressa, Highly Commended 2006 NIW Photography Competition British insect category
2. Experiment
Try experimenting with different camera angles, magnifications and directions of light. Photographs with the habitat in view can be just as astounding as close-ups. Try shooting with different lenses if you have them, wide angle and telephoto can provide very different results using the same insect subject.
© David Maitland
Queen common wasp, Vespula germanica, resting on grape hyacinth after waking, Highly Commended 2006 NIW Photography Competition British insect category
3. Consider the lighting
Photographing small insects can be a great opportunity to play with lighting. Try and make the lighting look as natural as possible by combining some flash with the natural light available. Harsh lighting does not always make for a good image and photographs of insects can look really dramatic at dusk and dawn too. Insects often have iridescent body parts and transparent wings, a simple adjustment of lighting can really show off the subject to its best.
© Danny Beath
Adult mayfly at sunset, First Prize 2010 NIW Photography Competition riverfly category
4. Choose the right insect
If you spend a longer amount of time on a single individual or species this will force you to think about new ways to shoot the insect and to consider the composition and lighting options available. You may begin to notice the traits of your subject that most interest you, for example, the wings, the eyes, the way it is grasping a surface or even how it walks or flies. At least to begin with, try and choose a bold species that doesn't mind a flash and lens very close to it. For example, a timid fly might not be ideal but a bold and busy bee may not notice a photographer pursuing it from flower to flower.
© Ian Beddison
Bombus on buddleia, Commended 2008 NIW Photography Competition adult category
5. Get close
Try photographing a small portion of an insect. For example, the scales on a butterflies wings, the jaws of a ground beetle or the eyes of a damselfly. Find the hidden beauty in the insect and try and show the future viewers of your photograph what cannot be seen with the naked eye.
6. Don't try and control the insect
The most interesting photographs are rarely those that have been taken of an insect enclosed in a dish, or worse still, chilled in a fridge to make them placid. Try to challenge youself to get interesting images of insects in a natural environment, exhibiting their natural behaviours in their usual habitat.
7. Know your kit
Though many good photographs can be taken using conventional lenses, consider a macro lens. Macro lenses are designed to give the photographer great results up-close. They are expensive but can focus on insects from about 6cm away to infinity which makes macro lenses good for general shooting too. There are some less expensive alternatives to a macro. For example, a close-up filter which screws onto the front of another lens, much like a filter. You may also wish to consider an extension tube which sits between the camera body and lens and makes detailed close-ups possible.
8. Use a tripod and flash
A well place tripod can prevent shaky photographs. If you have been patient and observed your subject for some time then setting up a shot from a tripod won't be as restrictive as you might think. Using a flash is often the best way to light small subjects, such as insects.
9. Consider your focal point
The point of focus is very important when shooting small subjects like insects. You can dramatically alter the appearance of your final image by changing where you chose to focus. Even shifting the focus by a few millimetres can make or break a photograph.
10. Enjoy the process
Try and take in the environment and the behaviour of your chosen insect. Becoming better acquainted with your subject will often mean that the best photographic opportunities present themselves. You will learn about your own methods as well as learning about the insect itself.
There will be fun events and activities taking place somewhere near you during National Insect Week. At events you can meet insect enthusiasts and experts, and encounter lots of interesting and important insect species.
Find events near youFleas use their leg joints as levers to crouch down, before springing up to 200 times their body length.
Tweet this or follow @insectweek
©2021 Royal Entomological Society Registered charity no. 213620
Patron: Her Majesty The Queen Vice patron: Lord Selborne
