Insects 2016

**IzzieK** · 12th April 2016, 06:00 PM

OKeedokee...here are some of my latest edits:

1 Cocoons -- in the little corner of the Melbourne Zoo is the Butterfly House and we found this in an enclosure, smallist ones unlike here in St.Louis but nice too...

1/320 at F8 ISO 800 105mm

2 Caterpillar -- The volunteer we saw earlier at the entrance tapped my shoulder and said that while everyone is enjoying the butterflies about, they are not really interested in caterpillars, am I? I said yes and he pointed to me this one right in the middle of them all...

1/200 f8 ISO 3200 105mm

3 Another caterpillar I spied nearby. The place is not really as big as we have here but just part of the zoo thing...not disappointing and there must be over 200 species there...

1/250 @F8 ISO 1100 105mm

4 Bill with one landing on his hat...

1/320 @F8 105mm ISO 800

5 and my DIL with 6 pretty ones on her flower designed hat

F8 at 1/320 ISO 800

I know what my mistake here in processing by now as was pointed out to me recently on my birdies post awhile ago -- too sharp. Well -- I mistaken used the Output Sharpener in Nik's and I don't know how to manage that yet...Next time I will stick to the normal Photoshop Unmasked Sharpener....

Sorry folks...I just hope now that you enjoyed these ones....any comments will be appreciated.

**James G** · 13th April 2016, 07:48 AM

Hi Izzie, looks like you had a good time in the butterfly house

I think #3 is my favourite, but I'm noticing a lot of noise. The light levels look very difficult and very dull? I'm also assuming that flash wasn't allowed.
In low light I crank up the ISO a bit, but I also switch to spot metering and focus on the 'darker' areas of the scene for settings and then recompose and shoot a bracketed set.

I've only been to a butterfly house once in the UK and it wasn't very successful. It was very humid, and much warmer than the outside temperature so my camera fogged immediately!

**IzzieK** · 14th April 2016, 12:56 AM

James, when I went to the Butterfly House here in Missouri, one member here (apart from Dave Humphries) gave me some tips on what settings, lens and what to do with foggy lens. I really did not do what he said (put my camera in a ziplock bag overnight before my trip simply because I forgot to do it. But when we reached the place, I spent sometime outside the enclosure photographing the scaredy cockroaches...and others. I was scared for my camera and lens but my D810 is pretty good when it comes to moisture. My first foray and trying to focus on a butterfly was met with foggy lens. I can't open anything inside my bag for fear of ruining my other lenses there so I wiped the front of my lens with my t-shirt. No problem after that...it was a once wipe off and everything went well. My other shots hasn't been edited up to now, but I have submitted some...and that was the last I saw of that file. Perhaps the same thing to what will happen to those millions of files I had taken from my Melbourne trip unfortunately. But I have some ready to submit until my DIL found Anika's camera amongst her toys...and the rest is history.

Originally Posted by James G

Hi Izzie, looks like you had a good time in the butterfly house

I think #3 is my favourite, but I'm noticing a lot of noise. The light levels look very difficult and very dull? I'm also assuming that flash wasn't allowed.
In low light I crank up the ISO a bit, but I also switch to spot metering and focus on the 'darker' areas of the scene for settings and then recompose and shoot a bracketed set.

I've only been to a butterfly house once in the UK and it wasn't very successful. It was very humid, and much warmer than the outside temperature so my camera fogged immediately!

**rudi** · 14th April 2016, 11:12 AM

Originally Posted by IzzieK

-- I mistaken used the Output Sharpener in Nik's and I don't know how to manage that yet...Next time I will stick to the normal Photoshop Unmasked Sharpener....

Sorry folks...I just hope now that you enjoyed these ones....any comments will be appreciated.

Yes Izzie, I did enjoy.
About the Output Sharpener in Nik: I do find that the default settings gives oversharpened images. When I use Nik's Output Sharpener I dial back the Output Sharpener Strength to max 35%, but 25% is more 'normal' to me. The result is comparable with my 'normal' USM settings.
Often I use Nik's Sharpener as a 'quick' methode to see what I can get. For more 'critical' PP I still use USM most off the time.
A big advantage off Nik is that the areas you want to sharpen can easily be brushed in, no fiddling with layers and stuff.
This is just my opinion.

**IzzieK** · 15th April 2016, 12:21 AM

Thank you, Rudi...noted. 'Will try that...I always end up deleting Output Sharpener because I did not know how to manage it...what about the other sliders like the Adaptive Sharpening, then Structure, Local Contrast and Focus, do you change any in those sliders?

Do you use Raw Presharpener? I find nothing changed much when I clicked that to default settings...

Can you please enlightened me on your settings preferences on these two?

Thanks...

Originally Posted by rudi

Yes Izzie, I did enjoy.
About the Output Sharpener in Nik: I do find that the default settings gives oversharpened images. When I use Nik's Output Sharpener I dial back the Output Sharpener Strength to max 35%, but 25% is more 'normal' to me. The result is comparable with my 'normal' USM settings.
Often I use Nik's Sharpener as a 'quick' methode to see what I can get. For more 'critical' PP I still use USM most off the time.
A big advantage off Nik is that the areas you want to sharpen can easily be brushed in, no fiddling with layers and stuff.
This is just my opinion.

**rudi** · 15th April 2016, 10:10 AM

Originally Posted by IzzieK

Thank you, Rudi...noted. 'Will try that...I always end up deleting Output Sharpener because I did not know how to manage it...what about the other sliders like the Adaptive Sharpening, then Structure, Local Contrast and Focus, do you change any in those sliders?

I did experiment with those sliders, and sometimes they can 'enhance' a picture, but I found myself deleting most off those 'enhanced' pictures. BUT iff I start with a properly focused/exposed picture I do not need the Structure, Local Contrast and Focus sliders in Nik's Output Sharpener. All sliders remain at default settings except for Output Sharpening Strenght. Getting the focus correct at time off capture is critical I think, instead of relying on software to compensate.

Originally Posted by IzzieK

Do you use Raw Presharpener? I find nothing changed much when I clicked that to default settings......

Sometimes I use Raw Presharpener, but mostly than for the controlepoints as I find this a very powerfull/easy tool to work with.
Most off the time I use de default settings in ACR, one step less in my workflow (lazyness ??

). To see the changes made by the Raw Presharpener or other 'capture sharpening' methodes look closely to the picture at 100%, subtle differences can be seen.

This works for me, maybe not for you.

Just my opinion.

**James G** · 15th April 2016, 02:28 PM

Been out again, bit of a mixed bag, insects, spiders, isopod crustacea, and I don't actually know what!

#1 7-spot Ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata)

#2 Common Pollen Beetle (Meligethes aeneus) on Dandelion

#3 Common woodlouse (Oniscus asellus)

#4 False Flower Beetle (Anaspis sp) At least, I think so, but it is probably juvenile approx 1mm!

#5 Red Mason Bee (Osmia bicornis [rufa])

#6 Red Mason Bee (Osmia bicornis [rufa])

#7 Wolf Spider (Pardosa sp) Could have been sharper but they move really quickly....

#8 Cucumber Green Orb Spider (Araniella sp cucurbitina or opisthographa)

And I then made the mistake of poking about under some rotting bark!

#9 Rove Beetle sp ... but no idea what and scuttled like the clappers!

#10 No idea what this is... about 1.5 mm thought at first Bristletail but more likely ...Diplura sp maybe? Looks to be scaled, colours are interesting!

**IzzieK** · 16th April 2016, 01:04 AM

These are all very nicely done...images and all. I do not like the last one last. I think it is too busy. And I am scared of the spider. I am glad it is just an image here. Now I am envious -- after inspecting my gears so we can go to the Insectarium, I found out I left my extension tubes in Melbourne. Now I have to buy me another set...

**Saorsa** · 16th April 2016, 01:14 AM

**IzzieK** · 16th April 2016, 07:59 AM

Insect in Flight. Wow! Now I am really envious...

**daviddowns2000** · 16th April 2016, 07:54 PM

Spider on my window pane:

Eastern tent caterpillar:

Carpenter bee in flight...would have preferred cleaner background, but this is what I could get:

Comments/critique welcome.

**James G** · 17th April 2016, 08:58 AM

David, excellent series.. the Carpenter bee is impressive. I try insects in flight a lot and I reckon 1 in a 100 is barely acceptable... relly nice capture!

**daviddowns2000** · 17th April 2016, 12:00 PM

Thanks James. Out of 38 shots I got two, maybe three usable ones of the bee. Luck played a major role, I'm sure, because my butterfly-in-flight shots only rarely work out. Never been able to get a satisfactory dragonfly in flight.

**KWM** · 17th April 2016, 01:05 PM

NIKON D5200
f/8 1/125 26 mm ISO 100

**rudi** · 17th April 2016, 09:02 PM

Iff someone has the proper ID for those bugs, feel free to fill in !!

1.: Hoverfly Eristalis ??

2.: A Dancefly missing a 'frontleg'

3.: Another fly, ID ??

Thanks for looking.

**rtbaum** · 17th April 2016, 10:21 PM

Oh great!......now I have to debug my camera!!!

**IzzieK** · 18th April 2016, 06:58 AM

All excellent piece of work, folks.

Daviddowns, about time you clean your window pane. That spider is YIKES!!!!

The Eastern tent caterpillar, I just googled and it can also be a scary moth about 3 inches or something. And the bee, that was a beautiful shot! Aerodynamic pose! Excellent. I guess I need patience and with all the hazards i will never achieve this kind of photography.

Tayyeb -- would it be possible for you to turn your image around so the fly would look pleasantly in position. Good shot!

Rudi -- all very nice I like the first one better. It has more expression. The dancefly looks like a mosquito to me...I have a funny feeling your favourite colour is yellow?

...

Randy. Another aerodynamic flying bug -- plus I like your sense of humour. 'Need a laugh or two...

**rudi** · 18th April 2016, 08:41 PM

Originally Posted by IzzieK

Rudi -- all very nice I like the first one better. It has more expression. The dancefly looks like a mosquito to me...I have a funny feeling your favourite colour is yellow?

...

Thanks Izzie, we had a lot of 'yellow' in the garden lately. Bluebells starting to flower, so my favourite color might change..