More Winter bugs

Lord Vetinari

Some recent shots from the garden.
5Dmk2/MPE-65/430Ex flash, All focus stacked using zerene except #3.
Brian V.

Bluebottle fly

A small cold hoverfly

JAG

Amazing how the fly puts up with a camera that close to them Brian. Great work! I shake a little too much to get off good clear shots. I usually don't use a tripod when I'm out playing with my macro lenses. Mainly because they usually get in the way of what I'm shooting. I've always love looking at your images and have many times tried to remember your techniques of stacking images. Maybe I will get enough courage to post on this board. I've thought about it a time or two, but not sure my images are worthy enough to show.

Lord Vetinari

@JAG said:
Amazing how the fly puts up with a camera that close to them Brian. Great work! I shake a little too much to get off good clear shots. I usually don't use a tripod when I'm out playing with my macro lenses. Mainly because they usually get in the way of what I'm shooting. I've always love looking at your images and have many times tried to remember your techniques of stacking images. Maybe I will get enough courage to post on this board. I've thought about it a time or two, but not sure my images are worthy enough to show.

Thanks Joyce for the comments.
I don't use a tripod either - I'm either holding the plant the bug is on in my left hand and resting the lens on that hand, or I rest the lens on the same hard surface the bug is on or I use a pole - hold the camera in the right hand ad grip a pole along with a bit of the camera (often the lens) with my left hand. These all help stabilise the camera but don't get in the way.

You should post some shots along with comments on what difficulties you had taking them.

Brian v.