Post your insects

[Bobobird]

Geoff the celery fly shots are awesome. Hope one day in the distant future to be able to do what you guys do.

[Bobobird]

Peter - great shots of your usual great standard.

Agree with you 100% on the beauty of flies especially when the light hit them in certain directions. I know ths guy at another forum who shoots flies almost exclusively and his results are amazing.

[Letrow]

Thanks Bobo. I always feel that the 105mm VR is a great help in getting these macro shots. Apart from that a bit of patience is all I need it seems.



Coenagrionidae (or waterjuffer in Dutch)

[Bobobird]

Thanks Bobo. I always feel that the 105mm VR is a great help in getting these macro shots. Apart from that a bit of patience is all I need it seems.

NIce shot, was the blurred backend a deliberate "artistic" decision?

As for patience etc - we should all move to Asia. All the bugs I posted recently were within a 1m line and there were plenty more that I had no time to shoot. No need for patience here, just shoot shoot shoot. hehe

Unfortunately returning home in the morning and will have to start looking hard for them.

[Geoff F]

Geoff the celery fly shots are awesome. Hope one day in the distant future to be able to do what you guys do.

Very basically, Bobo, for these tiny fast movers you need to shoot in much the same way as for flying birds. I note that your insect shots have rapidly improved in quality and you are obtaining some good images now.

There will also be a lot of rejects with moving insects but, with practice, you should manage a few keepers as well.

My success rate substantially improved when I got a quick release ball head tripod and switched the handle around so I could operate it left handed. Position the camera with the left hand then adjust focus with the same hand, which is close to the focus ring.

My right index finger is always on the shutter button. At one time, I taped a cable release (electric operation) to my tripod but found it was still too fiddly and when using a fairly fast shutter speed (around 1/200) to counter wind rock I found there wasn't any noticeable difference in quality with either method.

Anyway, here is something from today. Shot using my indoor 'mini bug studio' and a chilled subject.



'Don't mess with me'!

A Nomada bee, probably N. flava or N. panzeri. They are virtually identical.

Not sure about that damselfly, Peter, possibly one of the 'Reds'.

[Bobobird]

Thanks Geoff for the confidence booster and more importantly the tripod tips.

Will try everything you have suggested when I get home.

Question - do you use supplementary lighting? Flash, flashlight etc ?

Btw the studio shot did not show.

Edit - an now it does...

Cool shot.

[Geoff F]

That photo was a little late, Bobo. I accidentally uploaded the text before adding the image. Then had to attach it as an edit. I think it is probably an age related malfunction.

My basic experimental 'studio' was shown on page 27 of this thread http://i45.tinypic.com/25p0oj7.jpg

But since then, I have moved the main lamp closer to the subjects and added another, single bulb old desk lamp on the other side. They are cool running daylight quality bulbs. Three in the main lamp (300 watt equivalent).

For flowers, or dead subjects, this lighting is sufficient as I can use a slow shutter speed; 1/20, F14, Iso 200 would be typical. Cable release and mirror lock up.

But chilled insects still move so I prefer to shoot around 1/125 which means a little additional flash is required. Usually, I still set the camera in manual mode and use the auto flash output but with around minus 2 exposure compensation.

It is all still in the experimental stages though.

And although chilled insects (around 1 hour in a domestic fridge at the coldest setting) are temporarily slowed down, they recover very rapidly, hence the need for cool operation bulbs.

If I'm lucky, I will manage up to 10 quick shots, but half that is more likely. The setting up has to be done in advance. When the 'models' appear, shooting has to be quick without any extra 'thinking time'. A bit like rapid portrait photography with dancing models!

Some species can be placed onto a flower with a suitable backdrop but other times, like when I only have one specimen and I need to get some definite identification quality photos I use a different method.

A small plastic butter tub, or similar, cut down to around 1 inch high with some leaves in the bottom; to create a natural background. This can be quickly tilted and turned around to obtain the correct angles.

And for 'persuading' my subjects to co operate I use a small collapseable hand net which folds up to around 4 ins diameter by 1 ins deep but opens up to 12 ins diameter. This easily fits inside my camera backpack.

They are then held in some 20 mm plastic collecting tubes, with a little twist of kitchen paper to make them feel comfortable. As long as they are kept out of direct sunshine, this appears to work well. Although transferring a stinging insect from the net to a tube does need a bit of care - and nerve!

Then, after they have performed for the camera, they fly out the window and live happily ever after in my garden.

[Letrow]

NIce shot, was the blurred backend a deliberate "artistic" decision?

As for patience etc - we should all move to Asia.

The blurred backend was a side effect of the macro shot, i.e. limited DOF. When I shoot outdoors I do it with natural light, so most of my subjects are shot at 1/250 sec and F/11.
I have another damselfly that is sharp, but I have to PP it first. A real red one.

As for the patience, I thought at first you were referring to the Asian patience (meditation and that sort of thing), but I get you now. Lots of bugs, right? There can be too much, especially indoors.

[Geoff F]

What do Damsels eat?



It rather looks like this Large Red Damselfly is dining on a Dung Fly.

I suspect this is a juvenile male; there is quite a lot of black on top of the abdomen and the legs aren't totally black yet.

And 'his brother' has a substantial kink in his abdomen. Something which I have never noticed before.

[Letrow]

What do Damsels eat?



It rather looks like this Large Red Damselfly is dining on a Dung Fly.

I suspect this is a juvenile male; there is quite a lot of black on top of the abdomen and the legs aren't totally black yet.

And 'his brother' has a substantial kink in his abdomen. Something which I have never noticed before.

They have weird eyes somehow, different from what I see on flies and bees and the such. More multi-coloured.

[IanCD]

This is a great thread, guys... lots of amazing shots... Jumping in with my first posted bug shots... help with identification much appreciated, and C&C welcome.
I don't know much about these.. called it 'LaceWing, maybe' as I didn't know how else to refer to it..?





..and this bug-nest looked not very user-friendly... it was on a wall of the house by the kitchen door and next to a pyracantha bush. The caterpillars are tiny... about 2-3mm long. Any ideas?

[Letrow]

No idea Ian what the insect is. It looks like some sort of crane fly to me, but I am not sure. Those caterpillars and their eggs don't look familiar to me.

[Bobobird]

Thanks Geoff for the studio hints. I did see that pic of your setup a while back and found it quite easy to do in my spare room. Will see.

Damsel shots - oh WOW. What do you do to get that close? They are less skittish then dragons but each time I step closer they just lift off but do tend to come back in a bit.

Peter - yes tons of them. Meditation etc works too.

Ian - nice shots.

---

Well, today I am going to go get some practice in late afternoon light unless the jetlag hits me.

[Nat]

Geoff, love the damselflies, when I got my 105mm macro lens, I went out and got some shots of the, too....and catching one with dinner, I was overjoyed! Patience is the key, and they let you get reasonably close, and if they fly off, they usually land again nearby....bet my neighbors looking out the windows seeing me on my belly rolling all over the lawn were ready to call the men with white jackets.....(they're coming to take me away, ha ha he he ho ho!)

[IanCD]

Thanks Bobo, Peter.

It does look like a crane fly, but I think it's too early - we usually get them lots in September - and a bit small, maybe: it was about 2.5cm?

Nat: that photo is awesome (I'd love to see a bigger version of it..!) Hope you don't mind me asking a few questions re technique (as I also have the 105mm micro-nikkor VR).
Was it taken just with that lens - and handheld? Do you use the VR on these shots? And autofocus? If you do use AF, what mode? I've found it very difficult, sometimes use just manual focus as it can hunt badly sometimes, other times I've tried continuous focus, including auto 3D trying to catch bees in flight but with very limited success...They're too fast..!

Ian

[Nat]

Thank you, Ian, for the compliment....unfortunately, this image was taken earlier, and I processed it recently. I don't have the exif data, as my lens is Nikon 105mm Micro-Nikkor 1:4 AI, manual focus, NOT VR.....so the camera does not record a lot of exif data on that.....I know I use a small, tabletop size tripod, because my hands are not that steady, and I manually focus....I've gotten better with lots of practice, but a lot of trash shots, too.....Sometimes I use Kenko extension tubes. But not sure exactly what I did. I SHOULD take manual notes, I guess, but usually don't take the time. Sorry for my lack of help.

[happy2bme]

Some of my first attempts:

[Bobobird]

Lovely shots Barbara.

I like how you got 1 to show off the textures really well.

[Letrow]

Well here is my other damselfly





With a bit more DOF this time.

[happy2bme]

Thanks, Bobo. He stayed still and the sun was cooperative at the same time.