I do not know how to capture caterpillars$%^&*$#

[JBW]

[Wavelength]

$%^&*$#

[Brownbear]

Hi Brian,

This looks like it could've been a very nice shot. Nice background and colours.

If I have a tripod handy, I use it when photographing caterpillars and insects, or anything I can find to steady my camera on, at a typically low shutter speed helps a lot.

If I find a caterpillar that can be moved, I pick them up (gently and carefully as some are poisonous) and place somewhere where the light and the background is nice. Then I return them to where I found them. I realize that you could not pick up your little guy as he looks like he is starting to cacoon.

Here are a couple of shots from a couple of years ago.

This first one is not a great shot as my focus is not quite there but hopefully it shows the possibilities of light and action. This little guy moved surprisingly fast.

Sony DSLR Zoom lens 250 mm

SS 1/60 Aperture 5.6 iso 100



One of my favourite caterpillar images for the detail and reflection.

Nikon D80 using an excellent macro lens which allows for nice detail. This guy was likely poisonous so I coaxed him onto a piece of paper and placed him in a glass jar lit by the sun.

SS 1/160 Aperture 14 (for adequate DOF using a macro lens) iso 320

[JBW]

[QUOTE=Christina S;347715]Hi Brian,

'This looks like it could've been a very nice shot. Nice background and colours. '



could have been is the way to put it. I just don't seem to understand what makes them look good. i love your reflection shot. thankfully iy doesn't waste film to practice...

[JBW]

$%^&*$#

luckily I like a challenge

[Brownbear]

Practice and a little luck. I think it is light, positioning and managing to capture the detail. Also the choice of model... The reflection guy is one of the most beautiful caterpillars I have ever seen.

I hoped to demonstrate that the subject matter can make a huge difference to a photo. ie; the 2nd caterpillar is far more interesting and beautiful than the 1st caterpillar and the background is also more interesting.

[QUOTE=JBW;347724]

Hi Brian,

'This looks like it could've been a very nice shot. Nice background and colours. '



could have been is the way to put it. I just don't seem to understand what makes them look good. i love your reflection shot. thankfully iy doesn't waste film to practice...

[Geoff F]

Firstly, due to the length of a caterpillar, and some other bugs, you need plenty of focus depth. So that means shooting with at least F11 up to F16.

This will mean using flash, high Iso or long shutter speeds.

For flash, manually set your camera to suit the scene, and adjust the flash output compensation to suit.

You can usually increase the Iso to 800 (sometimes more) but, of course, always use less when possible.

With long exposures, beware of wind rock on a leaf or subject movement. A twitch of the antennae/hair etc can easily ruin insect photos.

Because of the length of your subject, and shallow focus depth, you must get absolutely square on with them. Alternatively, I have successfully exploited this issue by focusing on the head and letting the tail gradually blur into the distance.

And finally, always use a tripod. Also, auto focus can produce false focus problems so I always manually focus.