'Wee beasties' as you've never seen them before
- Published
Photographer David Hamilton has used his photography to reveal a different and hidden insect world - such as this emerald damselfly.
It was during the Covid lockdowns that David discovered a passion for this tiny wold. Here you see a tiny 1-2mm red spider mite gobbling up an aphid.
Now he runs a popular Instagram page "WeeMadBeasties" showcasing macro photography - extreme close-up photos - of creepy-crawlies. This photograph of a hoverfly in the centre of a flower one of David's favourite - he took it in Glasgow's Ruchill Park.
Peeking out of this image you can see Halyzia sedecimguttata, an orange ladybird. "Once I actually started seeing the sort of colours and the vibrancy of the insects, that was me hooked." David told BBC Scotland journalist, Auryn Cox.
Macro photography typically involves close-up photographs of small subjects, such as bugs and flowers. David is best known for his pictures of ladybirds.
David says Scotland can be a hard place for insect macro photography due to the limited number of insects and the country's climate. When he travelled to the USA he was able to capture this size spotted tiger beetle.
David admits that insects aren't always the easiest photography subjects. "It's super difficult. You need to approach them practically at a snails pace," he said."They're a very difficult partner to try and work with - they're not going to listen to you!"