Not only in photography I like to try new and new things. Maybe that’s why I can’t really do anything perfect. There’s always something I haven’t tried before, and I’m so impressed that I’m not going to finish the previous thing. Photos by Pavel Krásenský (www.macrophotography.cz) have been known for a long time. From his photographs reads what I have always said: shoot what you know and understand. I am referring to all the piddler breeds that Pavel is photographing (I just don’t know how expertise is shown when taking undressed girls!). This year I finally found the time to register for his workshop. And I didn’t regret it.

Macro photography is an absolutely original photographic discipline. I had no idea how many different gadgets and devices were needed. It’s not just lenses. You need a lot more: another flash, diffusers, reflectors, conversion lenses, adapter rings, various brackets, sliding plates for a special tripod. And of course professional literature, so you know what you actually photographed.

But it’s not just a piece of equipment. It is not easy at all to photograph the shiny hemisphere of a beetle in the middle of a dark forest that runs at your speed. Not even a solitary bee buzzard flying from flower to flower on a blooming meadow. Or mating longhorn beetles (tesařík) on oak skin so that you do not have excessive glare from the flash or flashlight on its trusses. Many other experiences are needed for this.

South Moravia is a promised land for entomologists. Our destination was Holy Hill above Mikulov. Its southern sunny limestone hillside hosts countless interesting insects, as well as vertebrates. Likewise, the Lednice park in its centuries-old oaks. Not only during the day, but especially at night. Darkness hides true natural secrets.

We have witnessed very rare moments. Even a long-time observer of the insect empire like Paul had seen them for the first time in his life. A Carabus larva eating a small snail in its shell or mating Fireflies in the grass next to a park path, on a grass stem. They even managed to photograph these rare and hidden insect world scenes.

But the beginners were enthusiastic about even more common things. Photographic objects were really countless. A variety of jumping spiders, butterflies, various types of hymenoptera, grasshoppers and locusts. The great Stag beetles, the European rhinoceros beetle and the Great capricorn beetle reigned among the beetles. Night photography of these twilight jewels was a real experience.

In addition to insight into the mysteries of macro photography, I spent a wonderful weekend in the beautiful surroundings of South Moravia with pleasant and interesting people as well as people like me – a fascination with the world taking place in millimeter and smaller dimensions.