Martin Ellis
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Mon 26 Oct 2026 · 20 photos

Macro

Back in the summer of 2021 I went through a macro phase. I started out playing with my Sony E 70-350mm G OSS, then picked up a cheap set of macro extension rings and switched to the 18-135mm kit lens, which is what every photo here from 2021 was taken on (I’d half thought it was my Sigma, but the EXIF says otherwise, I switched to that later).

They’re all from June and July 2021, at home and around Ashford, apart from the spring buds at the end, which I took on the Sigma 18-50mm in March 2022. It turns out the garden is mostly flies once you get close enough.

My insect identification is enthusiastic rather than expert, so if you can name any of the flies I’ve left unnamed, or spot one I’ve got wrong, please let me know.

A hoverfly with an orange and black banded abdomen feeding on top of a cluster of small purple and white four-petalled flowers, against a dark green blurred background.
Marmalade on Alyssum
Close-up of a purple-pink pincushion flower, with a ring of pointed, veined bracts around a dome of tiny star-shaped florets on stalks, against a green background.
Astrantia
A grey speckled fly with dark wings standing on the edge of a pale green, furry leaf, with more fuzzy leaves on a stem to the right and a dark blurred background.
Woolly Perch
A stem of tiny deep purple and white four-petalled flowers with yellow stamens, sharp in the centre, in front of more blurred purple flowers and a pale background.
Alyssum Spray
A honeybee with a banded brown and black abdomen, its legs and body flecked with pollen, clambering over the top of a spike of pale lilac flowers with long stamens, against a dark green background.
Pollen Dusted
A small black ant walking along the edge of a long, pointed green leaf, with a spike of white flower buds out of focus in the bottom left corner.
Lone Ant
A honeybee seen from above, clinging to the underside of a spike of pale lilac flowers with its head buried in one flower, its wings folded over a striped abdomen, against a soft green background.
Hanging On
A slim metallic green beetle with long antennae and fat, bulging back legs, standing on the white petals of a daisy beside its domed yellow centre.
Swollen Thighs
A long-legged brown insect standing on the surface of murky water, each foot pressing a small dimple into the surface, with flecks of debris floating around it and a green stem under the water.
Pond Skater
Top-down view of a bristly grey fly with a chequered body and clear veined wings standing on the yellow centre of a white daisy, against a green and grey background.
Daisy Landing
A hoverfly with a black abdomen marked with pale yellow spots sitting on a frilly white petal, in front of blurred magenta flowers.
Spotted Hoverfly
A small grey fly seen head-on, standing on the yellow centre of a white daisy, with a second daisy out of focus behind it and a dark green background.
Daisy Diner
A green stem crowded with dozens of small black aphids, with black ants walking among them and on a second stem to the left, against a blurred brown background.
Aphid Farm
A bristly grey-brown fly with large red-brown eyes standing on the tip of a pink flower bud on a red stem, against a smooth green background with a dark vignette.
Balancing Act
A metallic green fly with large red eyes sitting on the curved edge of a grey metal surface, with the rest of the wide frame taken up by the textured grey metal.
On the Edge
A shiny metallic green fly with red eyes standing on the edge of a soft, hairy green leaf, against a smooth yellow-green background.
Emerald Fly
A tan and brown spider with striped, hairy legs hanging in the middle of its web, seen from below, against a soft green background.
Waiting in the Web
Two small black flies with red eyes, one on top of the other, on the hairy edge of a pale green leaf, beside a second large textured leaf.
Pair on a Leaf
Close-up looking into a half-open flower with white petals striped magenta at the base, a dark red ring and a dense yellow centre of tiny florets, dotted with water droplets.
Gazania Heart
A cluster of small new green leaves and buds opening at the tip of a twig, sharp in the centre of a soft, blurred green and beige background.
Spring Buds
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