Rare dragonfly and bird photos in awards final

Dragonfly with orange background
The photographer said it had taken a decade to perfect a technique for capturing dragonfly images [Andrew Fusek Peters ]

Photographs of dragonflies using a technique which has taken a decade to perfect have been shortlisted in the finals of a prestigious award.

Rare images of light refracting through the wings of birds taken by Andrew Fusek Peters have also made the final of the British Wildlife Photography Awards 2024.

The Shropshire-based professional said he was honoured to have six images shortlisted.

His work had been a "labour of love," he added.

Dragonfly with Milky Way in the background
An image of a dragonfly with the Milky Way in the background was shortlisted [Andrew Fusek Peters ]
Blue tit with light refracting through its wings
An image of a blue tit with light refracting through its wings was taken in the photographer's back garden [Andrew Fusek Peters ]

One image of a dragonfly against the Milky Way, taken on the Long Mynd wildlife nature reserve, had taken eight years to get right, he explained.

"After all those years of trying I eventually got it right last year," he said.

The image was taken while "lying down in the bog getting bitten to death by midges," he added.

"But the time does pay off.

"I love to set myself problems and work out how to solve them."

Dragonfly with dew-soaked wings
The photographer captured a dragonfly with dew-soaked wings at the nature reserve [Andrew Fusek Peters]

Other shortlisted images of birds photographed with rainbow wings were taken in his back garden.

"The light has to be at a certain angle, you have to be shooting into the light because if I was on the other side then all I would be getting was the first sunlight on the birds.

"There is literally about 15 minutes in the morning when the light is at the right angle."

Fighting siskins taken in the photographer's back garden
This image of a pair of fighting siskins was also shortlisted [Andrew Fusek Peters ]

The photographer has published a book called Butterfly Safari - containing pictures of all the UK's native species.

He is now working on a book documenting garden wildlife including foxes, badgers and squirrels.

Fighting squirrels
The photographer is working on a book documenting back garden wildlife [Andrew Fusek Peters ]
The photographer will find out next year if his images had been successful
Foxes were among Mr Peters' new focus [Andrew Fusek Peters ]

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