FOOLING ENEMIES & DINNER BEAUTIFULLY

ALEX HYDE

Animals were the original fools. Many developed genius ways of fooling predators into believing that they weren’t there. Others figured out how to fool prey. Camouflage is the ultimate art of foolery.

Natural history photographer Alex Hyde is genius at revealing fools in the animal kingdom, showing us what can’t be seen.

“I delight in revealing tiny details of subjects that would be missed by the naked eye,” says Hyde.

Since childhood, Alex has used photography as a means of connecting with the natural world.

Based in the Peak District National Park, in the UK, Hyde finds plenty of opportunity to photograph nature’s trickery right in his own backyard.

Many of Hyde’s subjects are smaller than a grain of rice and they are constantly moving, which requires highly specialized equipment and a fair measure of patience.

Hyde also loves to shoot in wilder places, such as the tropical rainforest in Borneo or the wilds of Madagascar, where he often leads photography tours.

“I strive to capture a sense of true wilderness in my compositions,” he explains.

Teaching is an important and enjoyable part of Hyde’s business. Check out his photographic tours, workshops and one-day courses.

Hyde's work has appeared in top newspapers, books and magazines around the world, including publications such as The Times, National Geographic, and BBC Wildlife magazine.

Hyde maintains an extensive online library of natural history and landscape images and is represented by several leading agencies including Nature Picture Library.

Alex Hyde is represented by the Peak Gallery. See more of Hyde’s work here.

Read more about Beautiful Fools in The Surreal Worlds of Beautiful Fools.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact Daily Fix posts.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Alex Hyde. “Panther chameleon male in threat display (Furcifer pardalis). Madagascar.”
2. Image: by Alex Hyde. “Goldenrod Crab Spider (Misumena vatia) camouflaged on yellow flower. Nord Tirol. Austrian Alps, Austria.”
3. Image: by Alex Hyde. “Merveille-du-Jour moth (Dichonia aprilina), camouflaged on lichen. Derbyshire, UK.”
4. Image: by Alex Hyde. “Crab Spider female (Thomisus onustus) camouflaged on Bell Heather (Erica cinerea) where it will ambush its insect prey. Surrey, UK.”
5. Image: by Alex Hyde. “Moss Mimic Stick Insect (Trychopeplus laciniatus) showing amazing camouflage on mossy vine. Photographed in tropical rainforest, Cordillera de Talamanca mountain range. Caribbean Slopes, Costa Rica.”
6. Image: by Alex Hyde. “Malaysian Orchid Mantis (Hymenopus coronatus) camouflaged on an orchid. Captive. Originating from Malaysia.”
7. Image: by Alex Hyde. “Rot-hole tree frog (Platypelis grandis) juvenile camouflaged against moss. Masoala Peninsula National Park, north east Madagascar.”
8. Image: by Alex Hyde. “Wolf spider (family Lycosidae) hunting at night on the forest floor, dry deciduous forest, Kirindy Forest. Western Madagascar.”
9. Image: by Alex Hyde. “Green and Black Poison Frog (Dendrobates auratus). Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica.”
10. Image: by Alex Hyde. “Green Praying Mantis (Marangella moulton) camouflaged on algae-covered tree trunk. Danum Valley. Sabah, Borneo. Malaysia.”
11. Image: by Alex Hyde. “Peppered Moth (Biston betularia), camouflaged on lichen-encrusted tree trunk. Isle of Mull, Scotland. UK.”
12. Image: by Alex Hyde. “Malaysian Orchid Mantis (Hymenopus coronatus) camouflaged on an orchid. Captive. Originating from Malaysia.”
13. Image: by Alex Hyde. “Panther chameleon tail (Furcifer pardalis), Madagascar.”
14. Image: by Alex Hyde. “Panther Chameleon (Furcifer pardalis) close-up of skin. Madagascar.”
15. Image: by BN App - Download now!
16. Image: by Alex Hyde. “Parsons chameleon female (Calumma parsonii) on vine showing tropical rainforest habitat. Andasibe-Mantadia NP, Madagascar.”