Master Builder - October 2010

This week's Image of the Week article is being brought to you courtesy of October 2010. That's over a decade ago, obviously, and back then I was using a Nikon D300 DSLR, which was my introduction to the world of Nikon cameras. I'd previously been a Canon user, owning both the Canon 300D and then the Canon 20D.

I remember at the time I was very impressed with the overall handling of the D300, but the star of the show was the 12MP DX sensor. Nowadays most smartphone cameras pack more megapixels than that, but at the time it was a big step up from the 20D, which had 8MP! Looking back, and as I searched through my archive for these photos, it turns out that the D300 was a very capable camera, especially when accompanied by Nikkor 105mm f2.8 glass.

One of my all time favourite images is this one of a Garden Spider (Araneus diadematus) sitting in its web, and it turns out that I shot it in October 2010, which was fortuitous for this article. It's also been one of my more popular images wherever I've uploaded it for sale, being purchased over 200 times on Shutterstock alone.

Munching - October 2010

I don't remember taking this picture of a Brown-tail Moth (Euproctis chrysorrhoea) Caterpillar munching on an Iris leaf, but the camera has resolved some fabulous detail in the hairs surrounding the Caterpillar's eyes, along with some lovely soft and smooth bokeh.

Afternoon Stroll - October 2010

I do remember shooting this Two Spotted Ladybird (Adalia bipunctata) as it strolled along the wall of my house, but that's more to do with there being an infestation of Ladybirds that year. Again, the detail on the head of the Beetle has been beautifully resolved by the lens and sensor.

Undercarriage - October 2010

Here's another one. This time it's a Seven Spotted Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata) scaling the pane of glass in my patio doors. I don't think that the underside of a Ladybird has ever looked so good!

Swirling Around - October 2010

Away from the world of wee beasties, I must have been infatuated with Passion Flower (Passiflora caerulea) tendrils that year, as I seem to have taken literally hundreds of photographs of them. This is a previously unprocessed one that took my fancy while I was searching through my archive.

Deterioration - October 2010

If it wasn't Passion Flower tendrils that were filling up my memory card, it was Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) bush bracts. I couldn't get enough of them as decay set in and they began their long journey into becoming leafy skeletons.

Crispy Leaves - October 2010

Finally it was that time of the year when blue skies and sunshine met the golden leaves of autumn, which always looked good whatever camera you were using.

So this week I went with Master Builder as my Image of the Week simply because it reminded me that megapixels weren't everything when it came to photography, although they definitely helped when it came to shooting macros...