Post your insects

[SJEaton]

A couple of interesting subjects there, Samantha.

A Red-legged Shieldbug and what looks like a 24 spot Ladybird. I have found a couple of them this year but they aren't that common.

If you are new to macro photography I will issue the standard warning. Macro photography is addictive and can damage your wealth.

Besides a new dslr and macro lens there will be a high grade tripod and external flash. Plus all those identification books at around £40+ a time.

Well I can certainly say the addiction is starting to take hold so I'd better start saving up!

[Nass]

Quick photo from today, using a reversed El-Nikkor 50mm f/2.8, an enlarger lens.

[MiniChris]

Found some six legged, winged friends today out in the woods behind the house.









Found two more good images from the same card.

[Arthur Plottier]

Here are some more with the Nikon 70-300VR and the Nikon 6T diopter

Australian native stingless bee Trigona carbonaria, body length 4mm



Common Paper Wasp, Australian Paper Wasp - Polistes humilis
Family Vespidae



Hover Fly
Austalis sp., subfamily Eristalinae, body length 8mm.

[Brownbear]

Thank you for the feedback. Very much appreciated. How does one increase DOF using a zoom lens, ie; if I set the camera to aperture priority it becomes a blur and I can't focus. Also on the subject of knowing when one receives a reply on this forum how does one know? The only reason I came across this post was because I was searching for something else. Should members not receive an email notification that someone replied to their post? Yes, I am new to this.

[Nass]

Arthur, great composition on #2. But I find it very distracting that the eyes are all out of focus.

[GeorgeM]

I had to get out and take pictures instead of just sitting around...


gmont butterfly_0384-2 by gmontjr, on Flickr

[MiniChris]

Nice one, george...I do like butterflies and am endeavoring to do better with them each time I go out shooting. Curious as to which lens you used on this one.

[Letrow]

Thank you for the feedback. Very much appreciated. How does one increase DOF using a zoom lens, ie; if I set the camera to aperture priority it becomes a blur and I can't focus. Also on the subject of knowing when one receives a reply on this forum how does one know? The only reason I came across this post was because I was searching for something else. Should members not receive an email notification that someone replied to their post? Yes, I am new to this.

Christina, if I understand you correctly you use aperture priority and get a blurry picture. I am guessing here, but if your shutter speed is too low in combination with the aperture you selected and if you are not using a tripod, this could happen if your subject (or you) moves too much.

There could be multiple solutions here, depending on your camera.
First of all, if you want to counter your own movement, you can use a tripod. If the subject moves too much and you want to freeze it you can use a flash.
You can also try to go to manual (if your camera allows it) and set both aperture and shutterspeed at the settings you want. You might have to take a look at your ISO and find out whether you get acceptable photos if you set it higher (which would allow for a higher shutterspeed in combination with the aperture you selected).

On e-mails you should be getting: I think you can indicate that in your settings if you go to subscriptions.

[GeorgeM]

Nice one, george...I do like butterflies and am endeavoring to do better with them each time I go out shooting. Curious as to which lens you used on this one.

Thanks, Chris. I keep forgetting to add this info. It was the 18-105 kit lens: 105mm, f5.6, 1/500s, ISO400, pp'd in Picasa.

[Svetik]

Here is my little one, i found them this morning on my house and tryed to figure how to take pictures with manual setting. here are few that i got. i used telemacro 300-180 with canon rebel XT i tryed to get them both in focus but i won't do it. How do i get them both in focus?
thanks

[Dave Humphries]

I tried to get them both in focus but it won't do it. How do I get them both in focus?
thanks

Hi Svetlana,

The simple answer is that you probably can't, at least, not at this subject angle.

You already shot this at f/22, which is porbably as narrow as the lens goes and will have given you the best DoF possible, but it still isn't enough to encompass the closest to furthest bits of Mantis's we'd like sharp.

You could have tried focusing on the second Mantis's head, so that the area in front of the focal plane would not be quite so wasted (on the first ones front leg), but that still may have left the eyes of the nearest looking soft, so what's here may be best.

There are other techniques like focus stacking, but unless these critters keep perfectly still while you take several shots, it won't work well.

The other thing to try is approach them from the side since their width is not such a big distance as their length.

Good luck,

[Svetik]

Hi, Dave here i got from other angle, i do like that better, i did some PP thanks

[Skyline]

Not sure what these are doing?

This was taken with a Lumix FZ38



Exposure 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture f/4.0
ISO Speed 80

[Letrow]

Bumblebees (bombus) are so sweet and cuddly. I recently read that the hairs really make a difference in keeping them warm.

[Kalimah]

[Geoff F]

Ivy Bees - Colettes hederae

As we currently seem to be specialising in bees, here is something to look out for on the UK southern coast; and a few parts of Europe.

The history of the Ivy Bee is somewhat uncertain. They seem to have just appeared in France around 20 years ago and spread to the UK about 10 years later.

It is an autumn species which, as it's name suggests, mostly feeds on ivy flowers.



The larvae live in burrows and emerge as adults when the common ivy plants are in flower.

Males emerge first and spend most of their time in a frantic search for emerging females in order to mate. Males collect in these small groups and crawl over each other if they think there might be a female nearby.



Colonies can contain several hundred individuals but although encountering such a mass of swarming bees may seem alarming they are actually perfectly docile and friendly towards people. I think they actually look rather 'cuddly'.

They are currently spreading along the UK south coast and could be found on any sheltered south facing banks where there is exposed soil which is soft enough for the excavation of burrows but not prone to collapse during the winter weather.

They appear to like being close to water and those which I have found over the past 3 years have been within a couple of hundred yards of the sea/estuary.

[Nass]

Night macro shot, a little earwig having a feed, disturbed by the torch

[Nass]

Another night macro, last night. Neat eyes on this guy. Very cool if you look at eyes on the larger version.

[Dave Humphries]

Another night macro, last night. Neat eyes on this guy. Very cool if you look at eyes on the larger version.

Wow, that's BIG (and impressive), well done Johan

Cheers,