I am Bernard Fransen.
From my childhood I'm already interested in nature, insects, especially butterflies and moths.
In the beginning (early sixties) I started to collect the insects.
But very soon the required killing of these beautiful insects, gave me a bad feeling.
So I started to make a collection by taking photographs of the insects.
At present I combine many of my hobbies : butterflies/moths, walking in nature, photography and computers.
All the photographs shown are made in nature and give a documentation of real life situations.
Before 2003 I used the Nikon F100 with a macro lens (50 mm,105mm or 180mm).
The films I used for my slides were: Fuji Velvia (50ASA) or Provia 100F (100ASA).
In 2003 I started with my first digital camera, the Canon Powershot G3 with 4 MPixels. Most of the Highlights of 2003 are made with this camera.
In 2004 I preferable used my new digital Nikon D100, a 6 MPixels SLR camera. Some of the 2004 and 2005 Highlights are made with this camera
In 2006 I bought the Nikon D200. Most of the 2006 Highlights are made with this camera
When possible I use a tripod to avoid vibrations. When needed I use a reduced (-1.3/-1.7 stops) fill-in flash for lighting up the too dark parts.
Making all these pictures gave me a lot pleasure and satisfaction.
I hope you will enjoy my site.