For as far back as she can remember, Bridgette Gower has had a fascination with the natural world. [Article courtesy of OM SYSTEM]
‘Champagne Featherhorn’.
Part of the Disco Bugs Series. A Featherhorn Beetle (Rhipicera mystacina) in the Disco Bugs aesthetic. Featured at Head
On Photo Festival at Bondi Beach 2020/21.
Hand-held single shot, Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark ll, M.Zuiko 60mm, f/2.8, Godox flash with Cygnustech diffuser.
For as far back as she can remember, Bridgette Gower has had a fascination with the natural world. ‘As a child’, she said, ‘I loved looking through microscopes at miniature life forms, so the fascination with small things came from a very young age.’
When she was still a young teenager, growing up in the wet tropics of Far North Queensland, she would frequently go for rainforest walks and it was on those walks that she first noticed – and fell in love with – the beautiful fungi emerging from moss-covered logs. ‘I thought one day I would really love to capture the beauty of fungi especially and also the wonders of the rainforest.’
‘Coprinellus Cluster’.
A tightly packed cluster of Fairy Inkcaps (Coprinellus disseminatus) seen on Let’s Go Shroomin Tours in Cairns Botanic Gardens.
Hand-held single shot, Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark ll, M.Zuiko 60mm, f/2.8, Godox flash with Cygnustech diffuser.
Inspired by the beautiful photos her mother made with an Olympus OM-1, Bridgette’s first ‘real’ camera was an Olympus PEN. ‘My macro photography journey started with photographing fungi while we were having an abundant and extended fungi season in the Wet Tropics’, she said. ‘When this season finally came to an end I abruptly ran out of subjects to photograph and it was then that I started looking at invertebrates, then frogs and reptiles. It was a steep learning curve at first, with all the different groups of animals I was photographing, but it was really addictive. I loved studying the scientific names and the creatures’ behaviours.’
Capturing macro images of the tiny creatures fuelled her fascination, she said, adding, ‘I’m regularly seeing incredible details that you don’t see with the naked eye. It brings a whole new world into focus… pardon the pun. I love that when you import it into your desktop computer and you see another level of detail. That’s when you start seeing smaller bugs on the big bugs.’
‘Ornate Mother & Babies’.
A very rare find of an Ornate Crab Spider (Poecilothomisus speciosus) with her spiderlings on Let’s Go Buggin Tours.
Hand-held single shot, Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark lll, M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8, Godox flash with Cygnustech diffuser.
In her business, Aussie Macro Photos, Bridgette has now combined her love of the natural world with her macro photography expertise to offer photography tours to, as she puts it, ‘explore the weird and wonderful creatures that inhabit the Wet Tropics of Queensland and in particular the Cairns Botanic Gardens.’
Asked about her current macro shooting kit, Bridgette said, ‘When I am conducting my tours I like to use the most compact combination possible, and for that it’s always the OM-1 with the M.Zuiko Digital ED 60mm f/2.8 lens and the Godox V350 Flash and Cygnustech Macro Diffuser.
‘Green Cicada’.
A huge cicada found deep in the Sumatran Rainforest on a Night Walk.
Hand-held single shot, Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark ll, M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8, Godox flash with Cygnustech diffuser.
‘When I’m out and about shooting on my own or with my annual members or friends I like to have a few different lenses on hand including the M.Zuiko Digital ED 90mm f/3.5 Macro IS PRO. This lens is absolutely beautiful for capturing the tiniest of creatures including slime moulds only 2 mm high. Where this lens really shines is capturing images of small arthropods that can be very skitzy or shy. You don’t need to get as close to them as with the 60mm.
‘I’m also using the M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-45mm f/4.0 PRO lens a lot, especially on long sessions as it’s quite a versatile lens and is light and compact. It’s a beautiful lens to capture insects like Katydids or Longicorn beetles that have extremely long antennae.’
‘White-lip with Moth’.
A White-lipped Tree Frog (Litoria infrafrenata) eyeing off its next meal in the Cairns Botanic Gardens.
Hand-held single shot, Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark lll, M.Zuiko 7-14mm F2.8, Godox flash with home-made diffuser.
While she can accommodate participants with picture-taking technology as basic as a mobile phone, she has put together a range of OM SYSTEM camera setups that are available for hire. ‘My camera combinations have been created so people can get a chance to capture great images. I spot the animals, offer suggestions on compositions, and fine-tune the settings so people can come away from the tour with print-worthy images. It’s a great opportunity to get a proper feel of the camera body with the lens as well as seeing first-hand the images you can capture.’
‘Pink Parasol’.
A gorgeous Common Parasol Dragonfly (Neurothemis fluctuans) in the gardens of Sumatra.
Hand-held single shot, Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark lll, M.Zuiko 60mm f/2.8, Godox flash with Cygnustech diffuser.
Asked what habits of mind make a good macro photographer, Bridgette is adamant. ‘Slow down!’, she says. ‘Instead of focusing on making ground, slow right down and take the time to look at a single bush, log, or tree. Look at the trunk, under the leaves, on the branches. It’s when you stop and take in a localised scene you will start to notice the smaller characters. Composition is key with macro, especially with single-shot photographs as you are extremely limited with depth of field. So keep that in mind when you are composing and use it to your advantage. Having the eye in focus is always a good idea, but you can also experiment with different focus points on an animal. Perhaps you want to highlight some colourful patterns on the body or a unique part of their anatomy.’
See Bridgette’s Aussie Macro Photos website