As we move into Summer, we take a look back over the last few months and share some of the best Spring photographs seen in 2022
Spring is a period of new beginnings, and the start of brighter, longer days – an excellent time for being outside and capturing all that nature can offer. As we now transition between Spring and Summer we take a look back over Spring and select some of the best photographs we have come across over the Spring months this year. In no particular order, check them out below:
Bluebell Wood by Jo Stephen
Sony A58, 90mm, f/20, ISO 100. © Jo Stephen
Spring has always been Jo Stephen’s favourite season. ‘I live in a village surrounded by woodlands carpeted in bluebells and wild garlic in the spring. Watching the landscape transform so dynamically in the spring inspires a lot of my work.’
Whilst having a soft and dreamy quality to it, Stephen’s photograph is a creative twist on an all familiar spring scene many of us see. It comes from a series of images that she started a few years ago, and regularly returns to. Jo shares more of her photographs and tips for capturing intimate Spring landscapes here: Intimate Spring: landscape photography with a difference
Roydon Tulips by Ashley Taylor
© Ashley Taylor
This photograph taken by Ashley Taylor was shared with us on Instagram, we were drawn to the great use of colour and composition of this landscape shot.
Dandelion by Elizabeth Scanlon
© Elizabeth Scanlon
Elizabeth Scanlon shared this dandelion photograph with us on Instagram, we were incredibly impressed with the detail captured and the different textures coming through.
Spring Greens by David Ball
DJI Mavic Pro 3, 1/120 sec at f/2.8, ISO 100. © David Ball
David Ball’s drone photograph was our Picture of the Week in the 31st May issue.
Nottinghamshire based landscape photographer David told us, ‘I live in the countryside which is a great place to catch the farmers at work during all times of the year and with it being spring time I knew they would be out working, so during my dinner break recently when I heard the tractors in a near by field I nipped out with my drone for an hour and captured this image of the farmer cutting the grass down ready to be collected.’
Bee Balling by Karine Aigner
Grand Prize winner, 2022 Big Picture Natural World photo competition – Bee Balling © Karine Aigner
Karine Aigner’s Bee Balling image was shot in Texas, USA, and is a close-up shows the rare moment of Diadasia rinconis (Cactus Bees) swarming together in a so-called ‘mating ball’, with each male anxious to become companions with a female. Cactus Bees are native to America and are considered a solitary species, meaning they live without the hierarchy and structure of their European counterparts – though they still work to pollinate cacti and help plants in the American southwest to thrive.
This shot is full of action, and fantastic detail that the majority of us would never get to witness. Aigner’s image recently won the grand prize in the 2022 BigPicture Natural World photo competition.
Pot of Tea by Kim Bainbridge
Pot of Tea. © Kim Bainbridge/Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2022
Kim Bainbridge won the Student Food Photographer of the Year prize (sponsored by The Royal Photographic Society) at the 2022 Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year competition.
She revealed, ‘A glass teapot with a tea flower blooming in it. the hardest part was to catch the light in the right place so only the outline is visible.’
This still life brings the freshness of spring in a pot. It is well compositioned and the light shines perfectly to outline the teapot and draw attention to the colour at the centre.
Revealed! The stunning Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year 2022 award winners
Reflecting by Claire Marsh
Sony A7, Samyang 35mm lens, 1/4000 sec at f/1.8, ISO 80. © Claire Marsh
Claire Marsh’s photograph was out Picture of the Week in our Premium 7th June issue.
Claire told us ‘This shot was taken at Hengistbury Head in Dorset, where there are numerous beach huts known to sell for upwards of £350,000! I am not the biggest fan of shooting in harsh or bright light, and so in these conditions will look for the detail in a scene. Whilst exploring the area on this occasion, I was taken with the reflections in the window of this particular hut. I used a wide aperture to show depth, and muted the colour a little in post-processing.’
Marsh’s photograph is an interesting composition, and one that most would probably miss or not consider. It highlights the brighter Spring days without shooting in direct sunlight – it really makes us look forward to the Summer.
Hellebore by Jane Dibnah
Canon EOS 7D Mark II, Canon EF 180mm f/3.5 L Macro USM, 1/400sec at f/3.5, ISO 100. © Jane Dibnah
Jane Dibnah’s beautiful hellebore was our Picture of the Week in our 26th April issue.
Jane said, ‘This image was taken in my garden using a tripod to capture the beauty of the Hellebore. I used a plamp to hold the flower in position, placing it in front of the plant to achieve a complimentary background. In photoshop I blended layers of the same image to create delicate translucent petals.’
This photograph really captures the intricate details of the hellebore. The petals look so delicate – like the thinnest paper with hints of watercolour paint careefully applied. Jane is based in Shropshire and has had several winning images in the International Garden Photographer of the Year competition.
Fight and Flight by David Jackson
Canon EOS R3, Canon EF 400mm f4 DO IS II lens, 1/3200 sec at f/4, ISO 8000. © David Jackson
David Jackson’s photograph was our Picture of the Week in our 29th March issue.
David told us, “This picture was taken from our kitchen door, which looks out onto the bird-feeders. Goldfinches arrive in numbers most days. They always put me in mind of bickering siblings, the way they bully each other off the feeders and spar in the air. No quarter is given!
I’ve long wanted to capture this behaviour. The overcast weather actually helped, as it makes the beautiful colours of the birds ‘pop’. In addition I made sure to locate the feeders so that I have a clean background to shoot against, which again helps to highlight the birds in the picture.”
This photograph is a perfect example of how to capture garden birds, in flight and fighting over food. Throughout Winter and Spring especially, there is alot of activity in the garden with birds feeding, making nests and having their offspring.
Room 504 by Charlotte Gibb
View of Yosemite Falls from a hotel room. Taken with a very long focal length of 560mm Canon EOS R, 100-400mm + 1.4x III extender, 1/80sec at f/16, ISO 400. © Charlotte Gibb
This photograph featured in our Intimate Spring Landscapes feature back in April. Charlotte studies a scene for design elements. She told us, ‘What shapes do I see? Pine trees are triangle shapes. Deciduous trees in winter are a series of lines. I look for repeating patterns, or contrasting colours. I also look for interesting light.’ Clearly evident here as the subtle and soft light captured within this photo accentuates the shapes of the lone tree in front of Yosemite Falls.
The Honey Collector by Utsab Ahamed Akash
© Utsab Ahamed Akash, Winner, Open competition, Lifestyle, Sony World Photography Awards 2022
Utsab Ahamed Akash’s The Honey Collector, captured a honey collector from below as they inspected a tray of honeycomb. A typical countryside scene in Bangladesh, honey collectors place bees’ nests near mustard fields and collect the honey in winter.
Akash’s image won the Lifestyle category of the Open competition in the Sony World Photography Awards 2022, announced in March and later displayed at Somerset House in April. There will be another chance to see the exhibition in November 2022 at Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool.
World Photography Awards: Open category winners revealed – Amateur Photographer
Romanescu Broccoli Snail by Steve Varman
Romanescu Broccoli Snail, © Steve Varman (UK)
Steve Varman’s photograph was shortlisted in the Fujifilm Award for Innovation category in the Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2022 awards.
This is a humourous, creative and well thought out photograph. Varman said, ‘Setting the broccoli down on the table, its leaves suggested the form of a snail. I then finished the illusion in Photoshop.’
See a taster of shortlisted images in Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2022 awards here.
Mallard Duckling Chasing A Mayfly by Sandy Gilmore
Mallard Duckling Chasing A Mayfly won the Scottish Wildlife Behaviour category of the Scottish Nature Photographer of the Year Awards 2021. © Sandy Gilmour
Sandy Gilmour said, ‘I’m delighted to win the Scottish Wildlife Behaviour category as it’s a side of wildlife I’m passionate about. The image was taken in a park in Glasgow, I saw the ducklings scurrying about chasing mayflies, expending loads of energy for what seemed to be a small return! I enjoy many photography genres including wildlife, studio, macro and landscape, but my first love is wildlife, in particular their behaviour. I get great satisfaction from capturing moments like this that are not always visible in a passing glance.’
We saw these photographs right at the start of Spring, but nothing represents this season more than new blooms and of course new life. Gilmour’s photograph is entertaining yet well timed and a worth winner of the Behaviour category in the Scottish Nature Photographer of the Year Awards.
