Name: David Maitland
Picture title: Star Spangled
Category: Plants and fungi
Nationality: UK
Occupation: Profession nature / science photographer & author specializing in small and microscopic forms
Technical information
Camera: Sony Alpha 7R MKII
Lens: Microscope lens 10x Plan Apo
EXIF: 2.5s, ISO 1000, Stacked Image
Accessories: Olympus BX51 Microscope. Ultraviolet Lamp
WINNER CATEGORY PLANTS AND FUNGI
David Maitland | Star Spangled
Name: David Maitland
Picture title: Star Spangled
Category: Plants and fungi
Nationality: UK
Occupation: Profession nature / science photographer & author specializing in small and microscopic forms
Technical information
Camera: Sony Alpha 7R MKII
Lens: Microscope lens 10x Plan Apo
EXIF: 2.5s, ISO 1000, Stacked Image
Accessories: Olympus BX51 Microscope. Ultraviolet Lamp
David Maitlandsays:
Blue auto-fluorescing Star-shaped defensive hairs (Trichomes) covering the surface of a Deutzia leaf are silhouetted against the leaf’s red-fluorescing chlorophyll-packed cells. When exposed to invisible Ultraviolet light (but visible to insects etc.), plant Chlorophyll fluoresces bright red. All green plants fluoresce red while photosynthesizing, but its presence is too faint to be seen in broad daylight. Measurable fluctuations in this fluorescence indicate the plant’s health and ability to fix carbon. Environmental stress (e.g. heat waves, dry spells, flooding) brought on by Climate change can severely impair a plant’s ability to photosynthesize, and in turn, will impact crop productivity and food production.
David Maitland
UK
David is a UK-based professional nature and science photographer specializing in microscopic forms, raising awareness and understanding of the natural world and science. He has a Doctorate in Zoology and is a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society. He is the recipient of numerous international awards including Sony World Photography, Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Nikon Small World, and Olympus Image of the Year. He was named the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year in 2008 and is an RPS Gold Medalist and winner of the International Images for Science awards. David’s specialist super-macro and microscopic photographic skills have been commissioned for bespoke advertising campaigns including Aberlour Whisky and Sharp Electronics and collaborations with the BBC on “Wonders of Life”, “Human Universe”, and the “Science of Food.” David lectures at Universities and international conferences, and has been a jury panel member in leading international photography competitions including European Wildlife Photographer of the Year; MontPhoto; and HIPA, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He is a longstanding member of the judging panel for the Close-Up Photographer of the Year competition