Macro Photography by Nicky Bay

The Borneo Jungle Girl Camp or Trus Madi Entomology Camp sits deep in the lush forests of Gunung Trusmadi, Sabah — the northern-most state of Malaysian Borneo.

For three weeks in February 2026 I was in the highlands of Angola — the plateau that feeds the Okavango, Zambezi, Congo and Cuanza rivers — on a biodiversity survey called the Cassai Life Atlas.

After years of trudging through forests and peering into the hidden lives of tiny creatures, the number of lifers I get should rightfully decline but 2025 proved to be remarkably defiant.

Stag Beetles from the family Lucanidae are strikingly charismatic beetles, easily recognised by the males’ oversized, antler-like jaws that resemble a stag’s horns.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) may have elevated the level of convenience in accomplishing some day-to-day tasks, but it has also become the scourge to professional photographers.

Pleasing Fungus Beetles from the family Erotylidae Latreille, 1802 are generally brightly coloured and hairless.

2024 has been a very special year.

The Borneo Jungle Girl Camp or Trus Madi Entomology Camp sits deep in the lush forests of Gunung Trusmadi, Sabah — the northern-most state of Malaysian Borneo.

Lynx spiders of the family Oxyopidae got their name from their hunting behaviour, akin to that of the Lynx cats.

2023 went by in a flash, but not without a bang.

The new Laowa Aurogon FF 10-50X NA0.5 Supermicro APO is a beast that produces great images at a fraction of the cost of high end microscope objectives.

Ladybirds from the family Coccinellidae Latreille, 1807 are also commonly known as Ladybugs in North America, but are actually not true bugs but beetles.