Wildlife photographer Adam Ferry from Surrey has achieved remarkable recognition at the 2025 British Photography Awards with his extraordinary macro photograph titled "Pink Elephant," featuring an Elephant Hawk Moth perched delicately on an orange rose. The image, captured using an Olympus Micro Four Thirds camera system, demonstrates the exceptional detail possible with this format and earned top honors in the competition's Macro category.
The 2025 British Photography Awards, established as a non-profit competition, celebrates the finest achievements in British photography by showcasing both emerging and established image-makers. This includes UK-based photographers of any nationality as well as British photographers living abroad. This year's competition featured an impressive shortlist of 400 images, from which 40 ultimate winners were selected through a combination of 20 judge-selected winners and 20 People's Choice winners chosen by public vote.
Ferry's winning photograph showcases an Elephant Hawk Moth with extraordinary clarity, revealing every scale and wing pattern in stunning detail against the vibrant backdrop of an orange rose. "I am fortunate to have Elephant Hawk Moths living in my area, and sometimes they can get attracted to the lights in my garden," Ferry explained about his photographic opportunity. He captured this remarkable image right in his own garden, taking advantage of a moth that was resting during the day, likely drawn by the garden lights or honeysuckle plants.
The technical setup behind this award-winning photograph demonstrates the capabilities of the Micro Four Thirds system for macro work. Ferry used an Olympus OM-D E-M1 II camera paired with the OM System M. Zuiko ED 90mm f/3.5 Macro IS PRO lens. His lighting setup included a Godox V860 III flash equipped with a Cygnustech diffuser to achieve optimal illumination. The photographer employed an advanced focus stacking technique, capturing and combining 82 individual shots at f/8 and ISO 100 to achieve the exceptional depth of field and detail visible in the final image.
"I found this particularly beautiful moth in my garden resting during the day, probably attracted to the lights or honeysuckle in my garden," Ferry described his discovery. "As it was resting I was able to move it onto an Orange Rose to provide a vibrant background complementing the brilliant pinks and greens of the moth. To get this level of detail I focus bracketed and stacked 82 shots." This meticulous approach to focus stacking allowed him to maintain sharp detail throughout the entire subject while creating an aesthetically pleasing composition.
The choice of Micro Four Thirds equipment proves particularly advantageous for macro photography applications. The system's smaller sensor size inherently provides a larger depth of field compared to full-frame sensors, making it significantly easier to achieve pin-sharp focus across tiny subjects like moth wings and flower petals. While larger full-frame sensors typically offer superior low-light performance and dynamic range, the MFT system provides macro photographers with distinct advantages in precision and composition control.
The Olympus OM-D E-M1 II, despite its compact sensor, delivers image quality that belies its size, with exceptional static autofocus capabilities and burst shooting modes that prove invaluable for macro work. The camera's stabilization system and the macro lens's image stabilization work together to enable the precise positioning required for focus stacking techniques like those employed by Ferry.
Ferry's achievement represents just one highlight among the diverse range of photographic excellence celebrated at the British Photography Awards. The complete collection of winning images, including "Pink Elephant" and other outstanding works, can be viewed through the official British Photography Awards website. The competition showcases an incredible spectrum of British photography, spanning categories from wildlife and landscape photography to street photography and portraiture, demonstrating the breadth and depth of contemporary British photographic talent.
