Name: Bernard van Elegem
Picture title: Violet Ghost
Category: Insects
Nationality: Belgian
Occupation: Bio-engineer, scientific coordinator

Bernard:
‘This ground beetle Carabus germari is locally common in forests of Italy and Slovenia. The species is mostly active during the night, but when sexually active the beetles can also be found running or foraging during the daytime. I found this beetle running along a small forest road one hot July evening in Boca de Piombo, Albaville, Italy.

I have taken several hundred images of running ground beetles over the years, but it is extremely difficult to get a decent image. The beetle often moves in several directions while he runs: his body moves up and down and often from the left to right or vice versa… Moreover, it is very difficult to keep the beetle in focus while following him with a macro lens that has a very small depth of field.

In this instance, I noticed that the beetle was running through sunny patches every so often. I knew this could have the same effect as a fill in flash, but with the beautiful, natural colours of the evening light. My aim was to have an image showing enough movement to illustrate the speed of the beetle, while illustrating the elegance of the beetle with its superb violet and turquoise colours. Much to my surprise one image came close to what I had in mind!’

Technical information:
Nikon D3S
Sigma 180mm Macro f/2.8
1/20, f/13, ISO200
Accessories: None, handheld
Post processing: Basic adjustments in Photoshop

Website: www.bernardvanelegem.com
Instagram: bernardvanelegem
Facebook: bernard.vanelegem