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IGPOTY Macro Art Photo Project
open for entries
OTHER NEWS
5 SECRETS OF ADVERTISING
SUCCESS
The RSPB is about to launch
one of its biggest ever
campaigns. Giving Naturea
Home highlights the crucial
role of gardens as wildlife
habitats, and centres on the
help the general public can
provide in protecting nature.
Factors such as habitat loss
and fragmentation and climate
change have sent many UK
species into decline,creating
an urgent need for homes for
nature. The RSPB is calling
on anyone with a garden,
however big or small, to take
measures to turn their outside
spaces into wildlife havens,
from putting up nest boxes to
planting wild flowers. Through
the campaign, the RSPB aims
to create a million new homes
for our wildlife.The RSPB’s
Adrian Thomas, author of
RSPB Gardening for Wildlife,
says ‘gardens can off er a real
lifeline for wildlife. Just doing a
few simple things in our gardens
can mean they provide food,
shelter and nesting spaces for
birds, which are most vital for
the species that are struggling.’
The birds that need the
most help include starlings,
house sparrows and song
thrushes. All three species are
now UK red-listed – of the
highest conservation concern.
Hedgehogs, once a familiar
sight in our gardens,parks and
hedgerows, are also in need of
protection. The RSPB is urging
people to provide them with
places to hibernate. Insects –
including bees and butterflies
– have suffered in recent years,
too. Growing the right plants
and fl owers is one way you can
help them to fl ourish. All of the
RSPB’s summer and autumn
events (and beyond) will be tied
in with
6
Outdoor Photography APRIL 2014
above ‘Litt le Stitchwort’ by Jacky Parker won
last year’s Macro Art Photo Project
Panasonic develops
method to boost low
light performance
Above Figures from
the People’s Trust
for Endangered
Species suggest
UK hedgehog
numbers fell by
a third between
2003 and 2012.
GARDENING FOR WILDLIFE
There are numerous ways to attract wildlife to your garden;
here are just a few ideas…
Provide some shelter Many gardens have lots of food but nowhere to
nest .Shrubs, hedges and climbing plants are ideal nesting places. You
could also buy or make a nest box for birds, bats or hedgehogs.
Grow native Attract more wildlife with native flowers, shrubs and trees.
Make a bee home Bundles of hollow canes are excellent nest ing places
for small, solitary bees; a bumblebee nest can be made from an old fl
ower pot. Dig a pond A mini wetland habitat, however small, will benefi
t birds, dragonflies, frogs and a whole host of other wildlife.
Don’t sweep up all the leaves A pile of leaves or a compost heap is
perfect for hibernating hedgehogs. Song thrushes love to rifl e through
leaf litt er in search of worms and snails.
Grow food for birds Berry-bearing bushes and fruittrees will att ract a
wealth of birdlife. Bullfinches eat the fruit blossom of plum, apple and
pear trees, and starlings adore elderberries.
Panasonic has developed a technology that
greatly increases the sensitivity of image
sensors; by rethinking the way cameras
create colour images. Most cameras have a
colour filter that sits in front of the image
sensor ,which produces a colour image
by placing red, blue and green fi lters
in front of each individual pixel. While
this generates a colour image perfectly
well,it also decreases the amount of light
that reaches the sensor by up to 70%.
Panasonic’s new method replaces the
traditional filter with a fi lm of ‘micro
colour splitt ers’, which enables all of the
light to pass through. In practical terms,
image sensor sensitivity is increased by one
stop, and noise performance is improved.
For example, an image captured using
micro colour splitt ers should, in theory,
have the same amount of noise at ISO 3200
as an image using a traditional colour.
The seventh International Garden Photographer of the Year competition is open
for entries until 31 October. Running alongside the annual contest are three
seasonal Photo Project s. The second is now open for entries, and the theme
is Macro Art. The project invites you to use your macro skills to get in close to
your favourite plant, and to use depth of field to creative effect .The category
winner will receive £500, and all successful images will feature in next year’s
exhibition and accompanying book, International Photographer of the Year
Collection 7. OP readers can also take advantage of a special entry discount.
Simply use the code OP111 at the checkout for a £5 discount when you enter up
to four single images. The code applies to both the annual competition and the
individual Photo Project s, but please note: this discount can only be used once.
The deadline for the Macro Art Photo Project is 30 June. Full details on how to
enter can be found at igpoty.com
“Know the rules of composition thn break them all”
Fujifilm is to increase the price of its consumer and professional photographic
film, as well