Sometimes nature reminds you that the best moments are the ones you didnโ€™t plan for. Last week, I set off with my wife Christel to Huis ter Heide near Tilburg, hoping for birds and landscapes in the soft early morning light. The birds were quiet, the landscapes less inspiring than Iโ€™d hopedโ€”but the insects stole the show.

First came the hardworking Common Carder Bee (Bombus pascuorum), captured close-up as it buried itself in a flowerโ€™s nectar. Next, a Pyrausta purpuralis, a tiny but striking moth with purple and gold tones, resting perfectly still on a leaf. Both were taken with my Canon 5D Mark III and the MP-E 65mm f/2.8 Super Macroโ€”a lens built for the extreme close-ups that reveal details our eyes often miss.

Switching to my Canon 7D Mark II and Sigma 100โ€“400mm, I caught a vivid Ruddy Darter (Sympetrum sanguineum) perched near the water, and finally, a Speckled Wood butterfly (Pararge aegeria) warming itself on a sunlit leaf.

This is why I carry nearly 15 kg of gear on long walks: two cameras, four lenses, and a tripod. Because in nature, the unexpected is always waiting.

#HuisTerHeide #NaturePhotography #MacroPhotography #BugPhotography #InsectPhotography #BombusPascuorum #CarderBee #PyraustaPurpuralis #MothPhotography #DragonflyPhotography #SympetrumSanguineum #RuddyDarter #ParargeAegeria #SpeckledWood #CanonPhotography #Canon5DMarkIII #Canon7DMarkII #Sigma100400 #MPE65 #SuperMacro #NatureLovers #NatureObsessed #NatureOnEarth #WildlifePhotography #MacroNature #NatureFocus #PhotographyGear #NatureBrilliance #NatureSeekers #NatureHealing #PhotographyLovers #WildlifeMacro #MacroWorld #NaturePerfection #DiscoverNature #NatureShot #NaturePhotographyDaily #MacroBug #NatureCaptures #NatureBeauty #CanonGear

Blue-winged damselfly, Female (2025)
๐Ÿ‘‰ swipe for details and full view ๐Ÿ‘‰
Photo ยฉ๏ธ Dietmar Bachmann
lat. Calopteryx virgo

๐Ÿ“ท Hasselblad X2D 100C
๐Ÿ”Ž Hasselblad XCD 2,5/55V
๐Ÿ”˜ 2x Hasselblad X Extension Tube 9mm
๐Ÿ”ญ no tripod, freehand shot
๐Ÿ› ๏ธ Lightroom

#dragonfly #dragonflyphotography #damselfly #insect #animals #fauna #nature #insectphotography #macro #macrophotography #libelle #insekten #tiere #natur #insektenfotografie #makro #makrofotografie #hasselblad #fotografie #photography

Banded damselfly (2025)
Photo ยฉ๏ธ Dietmar Bachmann
lat. Calopteryx splendens

Although it was really very windy, I managed to take this shot between high reeds next to a small river, during a few seconds without heavy wind. ๐ŸŒฌ๏ธ๐Ÿ˜ƒ

#dragonfly #dragonflyphotography #damselfly #insect #animals #fauna #nature #insectphotography #macro #macrophotography #libelle #insekten #tiere #natur #insektenfotografie #makro #makrofotografie #hasselblad #hasselbladx2d #fotografie #photography

Gebรคnderte Prachtlibelle (2025)
Photo ยฉ๏ธ Dietmar Bachmann
(Calopteryx splendens)

๐Ÿ“ท Hasselblad X2D 100C
๐Ÿ”Ž Hasselblad XCD 2,5/55V
๐Ÿ”˜ Hasselblad X Extension Tube 9mm
๐Ÿ”ญ no tripod, freehand shot
๐Ÿ› ๏ธ Lightroom

#dragonfly #dragonflyphotography #insect #animals #fauna #nature #insectphotography #macro #macrophotography #insects_macro #libelle #insekten #tiere #natur #insektenfotografie #makro #makrofotografie #hasselblad #hasselbladx2d #fotografie #photography

Common Darter (Sympetrum striolatum) dragonfly perched on a green bramble leaf. It has clear wings with amber patches near the leading edges, a pale yellow thorax, and a reddish-brown abdomen with fine black markings.
Shot at RSPB Mersehead, near Southwick in Scotland, UK.
#MyPhoto #MyWork #photo #photography #CommonDarter #SympetrumStriolatum #dragonfly #DragonflyPhotography #odonata #AmberWingPatches #ClearWings #YellowThorax #RedBrownAbdomen #bramble #RubusFruticosus #GreenLeaf #insect #predator #CloseUp #Summer #outdoors #nature #wildlife #NaturePhotography #WildlifePhotography #InsectPhotography #InsectsOfMastodon #InsectsOfPixelfed #RSPB #Mersehead #RSPBMersehead #Scotland #OC