2018 Project 52, 2nd quarter by Rudi

[Cantab]

Rudi, the first one in particular is quite a spectacular image.

[joebranko]

Beautiful work Rudi !

[rudi]

Thanks Bruce and Joe for the kind comments.

[rudi]

The same dandelion seed as in w16 nr2, but with different lighting/diffusion and more frames. I like this one better:
w16 nr 3:
5DIII bellows-35mm rev@+/-6,5x; f4 2,5s iso100; diff2 Jansjo; 94 frames stacked in ZereneStacker



w16 nr 2 again, so easier to compare:

[skitterbug]

In post#20, the green vein white butterfly is beautiful. It reminded me of "The Nutcracker Ballet"! Stunning! After seeing the butterfly, the seed head was totally different. Your remake of it (Post #24) had a different kind of glow about it. Detail always is intriguing to see! I like both!

[rudi]

Thanks Sandy for the comment.

... the seed head was totally different....

Aha, maybe you expected something else.??

[rudi]

week 17 : Cantharis livida or Soldier beetle. Wikipedia says:" One of the first described species has a color pattern reminiscent of the red coats of early British soldiers, hence the common name. They are also known commonly as leatherwings because of their soft elytra.
Cantharis livida reaches a length of 10–15 millimetres (0.39–0.59 in). The body of this species is flat and long, with a weak exoskeleton. The colour is quite variable, depending on the subspecies. Elytra are usually yellow or reddish-brown, but in the subspecies rufipes they are black or dark brown. The head, the thorax, the abdomen are bright red or orange. The long antennae are reddish, with darker tips. The legs are reddish, with brownish tarsi.
These soldier beetles can be found on flowers, trees and shrubs from May to July, hunting for small insects. Also the larvae are predators, feeding on snails and earthworms. They live in bushes, edges of forests and meadows."

I spotted this early morning,lethargic beetle on a styrofoam plate in the greenhouse. Though it seemed very steady, only 2 stacks were good enough to process. Here is one:

5DIII mpe65@5x; f4 1/200 iso200; diff MT24EX ETTL; 75 frames stacked in ZereneStacker
tripod/Manfrotto 454

[billtils]

Rudi

As someone who has several "normal" macros of soldier beetles in my catalogue of macros, all I can say is I am speechless! Absolutely superb.

[Shadowman]

Nice seed and insect shots.

[rudi]

Thanks Bill and John for the kind comments.
I was a bit 'lucky' on this one, 15 minutes later and the beasty started moving too much... !!

[Geoff F]

Cantharis are a family where I often struggle with identification. The keys mention things like elytra having a mix of flattened and erect hair but I tend to find that hard to see in normal real life shots. Everything becomes obvious in this image.

[rudi]

Thanks Geoff. When in doubt, I take the easy route and send pictures to a friend entomologist .... He usually explains in short what caracteristics to look at.

[rudi]

week 18:
1: An apple blossom: taken with my normal studio setup:
5DIII mpe65mm@1x; f8 1s iso100; diff Jansjo; 45 frames stacked with Zerene



2: I have been trying out a Manfrotto454 slider on a tripod, to get more accurate stacks in the field ( as in post #27); and in the studio to get smaller stepsizes, which are necessary for the higher magnifications.
One anther from an apple blossom:

5DIII bellows-20mm rev@+/-9x; f2,8 0,5s iso100; diff Jansjo; 118 frames stacked with Zerene
tripod/Manfrotto 454



C&C always welcomed.

[skitterbug]

Amazing work. Even the color looks delicate. This gives me new appreciation for apple blossoms!

I have a question <grin> - Does it take a bit of wait time to stack 118 frames? In fact, I can imagine the time it takes for you to collect 118 frames for the stacking process! Wow!

Enjoy the day!

[Wavelength]

All the images are spectacular; i really enjoyed all of them

[Geoff F]

It changes your conception of the world when seen from a bee's viewpoint.

[Cantab]

I agree with everyone else: amazing images!

[rudi]

Thanks Sandy, Nandakumar, Geoff and Bruce for looking and taking time to comment, really appreciated.

....I have a question <grin> - Does it take a bit of wait time to stack 118 frames? In fact, I can imagine the time it takes for you to collect 118 frames for the stacking process! Wow!

Enjoy the day!

Out off curiosity, I timed the stacking process last night:
110 frames stacked with Zerene PMax: 7min 42 sec.; with Zerene DMap it was 6min 23 sec.
Keep in mind that my PC is abt 5 years old ( yes, old for a computer it seems... ).
Taking the frames will take much longer (haven't timed it yet), setting up and test shots will take even longer I think, but most is done during the night (I am a bad sleeper, and so I do not disturd anybody else ).

And yes, I enjoyed my day (hope the same for you), with the grandchildren .

It changes your conception of the world when seen from a bee's viewpoint.

Yes it does !!

[rudi]

week 19 : A Male Feather Midge:


5DIII mpe65; f11 1/125 iso400; MT24EX ETTL; Live specimen, HH, 5 frames;

[skitterbug]

Hi Rudi - thanks for the info about stacking timing! Seems like the final process is fairly quick. As you said, trying to get your stack of photos for that process definitely is time consuming. But hey, that's part of the fun of it!

I love the "hairstyle" of your Midge! The detail of your work is amazing to me. I enjoy seeing the intricate parts of your subjects! Thank you for sharing your talent!