Bug on Pink (for want of a better title)

[Stagecoach]

Bug and critter withdrawal symptoms crept in today but a quick search came up with Eric. Photographed indoors but on the cut off seed pod I found him on. These seeds are in a clump like bananas and pink.

All shot with 105mm macro with no tubes, 1/60s, f/16 to f/22, ISO 100 with 2 off SB-R200 on lens front. Eric had a 20mm long body for info. WB was set using a grey-card and corrected in post, I was quite surprised how far it was out.

No 1


No 2


No 3


No 4


It had been my intention to change lighting and after leaving the room to get more gear on returning he was clambering all over the camera and on attempting to move him back in position he decided to fly through the room and straight out the open door

Grahame

[IzzieK]

I love #3 Grahame. He? looks like an alien...take me to your master! sort of expression. I am glad you went back to bug hunting and shooting (pun intended) again. I kinda enjoy having fun at them because I didn't know any better...

[Geoff F]

Yes, I often find my models won't fully cooperate under studio conditions.

One option is to chill them before the shoot which gives you a little more time - also works for insects!

[Shadowman]

Nice series.

[Stagecoach]

I love #3 Grahame. He? looks like an alien...take me to your master! sort of expression. I am glad you went back to bug hunting and shooting (pun intended) again. I kinda enjoy having fun at them because I didn't know any better...

Hi Izzie, it's No 3 for me as well, I'll see if I can find some more to keep you amused

[Stagecoach]

Yes, I often find my models won't fully cooperate under studio conditions.

One option is to chill them before the shoot which gives you a little more time - also works for insects!

So far I have resisted the chilling practice Geoff other that one small ant some time ago but it would certainly reduce the chasing and continual focus adjustment.

[Stagecoach]

Nice series.

Thanks John,

[IzzieK]

Yes, I often find my models won't fully cooperate under studio conditions.

One option is to chill them before the shoot which gives you a little more time - also works for insects!

Geoff or Grahame...chill doesn't mean "freeze" -- how long to chill? or freeze? Will the insect live after the photoshoot? I reall interested in this technique...

[Stagecoach]

Geoff or Grahame...chill doesn't mean "freeze" -- how long to chill? or freeze? Will the insect live after the photoshoot? I reall interested in this technique...

Izzie, from what I have read just 5 minutes in the fridge, not the freezer, is enough to slow them down but I suspect it depends on what they are. I reckon some of our massive cockroaches may need a bit longer

The other variable will be the ambient temperature you are working in, for me it's pretty warm so I suspect they will recover fast. The experts say it does not harm them and is simply what they are subject to at night time but I wonder if the experts have tested this on themselves?

Grahame

[flashback]

Grahame, amazing details! A bit of FYI: the opening visible between the 2nd and 3rd coxae is the ostiole, or opening from which the 'scent' of a stinkbug emits. The other openings along the abdomen (on each segment, visible in #1) are spiracles, part of the respiratory system.

[Stagecoach]

Grahame, amazing details! A bit of FYI: the opening visible between the 2nd and 3rd coxae is the ostiole, or opening from which the 'scent' of a stinkbug emits. The other openings along the abdomen (on each segment, visible in #1) are spiracles, part of the respiratory system.

Jack, thank you for the this information. I had noticed the small opening and wondered what it was, hence pleased to have captured this in enough detail to show up.

Whilst sorting through the images after taking them last night I came across one that totally baffled me due to what appeared a blown area but knowing that my lighting had not changed and all my exposures had been pretty spot on before and after the shot.

I have now recovered this from the recycle bin, a quick PP, and come to the conclusion that what I had captured was the ostiole opening in action. Fascinating.



Grahame

[Kyle]

Very interesting bug. Great shots!

[flashback]

Jack, thank you for the this information. I had noticed the small opening and wondered what it was, hence pleased to have captured this in enough detail to show up.

Whilst sorting through the images after taking them last night I came across one that totally baffled me due to what appeared a blown area but knowing that my lighting had not changed and all my exposures had been pretty spot on before and after the shot.

I have now recovered this from the recycle bin, a quick PP, and come to the conclusion that what I had captured was the ostiole opening in action. Fascinating.



Grahame

So the question is; did it stink?

[Stagecoach]

Very interesting bug. Great shots!

Thanks Kyle, it makes them even more interesting when we get this excellent information about them.

[Stagecoach]

So the question is; did it stink?

I did not notice it Jack but I certainly had with previous ones I have shot.

[emmerick]

its #3 for me Grahame..as usual, another great series..got the same question as Izzie, for how long should i "chill" my captive subject? i haven't tried it yet, i'm tempted to do so..this macro /bug shooting is very addictive, though i haven't touched my gear for sometime now, been busy teaching cooking lessons as part of an NGOs project, skills and livelihood training..for now. i'll just be an spectator to your great images..cheers

[IzzieK]

its #3 for me Grahame..as usual, another great series..got the same question as Izzie, for how long should i "chill" my captive subject? i haven't tried it yet, i'm tempted to do so..this macro /bug shooting is very addictive, though i haven't touched my gear for sometime now, been busy teaching cooking lessons as part of an NGOs project, skills and livelihood training..for now. i'll just be an spectator to your great images..cheers

Grahame said 5 minutes. See his reply above...Get your camera soon and start shooting people and food too, Erick...

[Geoff F]

Depends on the size of bug and how they respond to colder temperatures. Some species are naturally cold tollerant. I tend to reckon on somewhere around 30 mins to be sure. Or 2-3 minutes in a freezer but you need to be careful that you don't freeze them to death. Although that is one method which is used by those who wish to have an actual dead specimen to examine under a microscope. It doesn't use chemicals but there are arguments for both options.

Sometimes I will give them a minute in the freezer as an additional chill if required.

They recover perfectly once they warm up. You can keep them chilled for some time and I regularly leave moths like this until the next morning.

But, as previously mentioned they recover and fly off very quickly so you need to have everything set up and ready to shoot.

With moths, I have a selection of backgrounds, such as pieces of bark, for them to sit on and if you get it correct they are quite happy there for a long time. In fact I often struggle to persuade them to leave the background material and fly away once I take them outside after the shoot.

I place my background material in a shallow tray which can easily be rotated or tipped with wedges to quickly get the required angles.

[bnnrcn]

Very nice shots Grahame, I actually like all of them The yellow cross sign on its back looks very nice too.

[Stagecoach]

its #3 for me Grahame..as usual, another great series..got the same question as Izzie, for how long should i "chill" my captive subject? i haven't tried it yet, i'm tempted to do so..this macro /bug shooting is very addictive, though i haven't touched my gear for sometime now, been busy teaching cooking lessons as part of an NGOs project, skills and livelihood training..for now. i'll just be an spectator to your great images..cheers

Hi Erick, thanks for commenting. Whilst I do not wish to get into a debate regarding the ethics of 'cooling' specimens I think it's worth considering the results you can achieve with each method.

By slowing their movement to a point where they are basically static does limit the variation of poses you can achieve. Sure you can take shots from different angles easily and it assists for identification purposes but does limit things I suspect.

By allowing full movement there is a greater range of positions and poses that can be achieved to give the shots more impact.

The above examples were all shot with him wandering around, estimating where he was going to move into the frame, and with one hand on the remote release and the other continually adjusting focus and snapping at the right time. One of the disadvantages with this is that you can not use mirror up and are relying on the flash to freeze things.

Grahame