Gary explains his favourite images

1 A handheld shot taken with a wide aperture (for a macro lens) to help keep the background blur, but still capture the bee nice and sharp. I tend to set Auto ISO in the range of ISO 64 to 6,400. Shot at 1/800 sec at f/5, ISO 160; 210mm focal length.

2 This is an image captured using Nikon’s Focus Shift feature. 30 images were stacked and blended using Helicon Focus, then combined in Photoshop with the one out-of-focus shot that I took to create the bokeh background. 1/160 sec at f/10, ISO 64; 150mm focal length.

3 I can’t emphasise enough how important it is with macro photography to keep the background as free from distractions as you can: this helps keep your eye focused on the subject. 1/200 sec at f/8, ISO 64; 210mm focal length via the Sigma 150mm and 1.4x teleconverter.

4 This one hasn’t got the cleanest of backgrounds, (after me just saying how important it is to keep it clear), but the flower is backlit well with natural sunlight, keeping your eye focused on it. 1/800 sec at f/4, ISO 80; 210mm focal length.