Just bugs

Lord Vetinari

Some recent bug shots from the garden.
Brian V.

Orb web spider



Hoverfly egg laying



Sawfly portrait



Wingless bark fly



Dance fly Empis sp



Mosquito

Awais Yaqub

:whew
Wonderful

Elaine

Wow! Another awesome set! Your posts ALWAYS impress me!

schmoo

The spider looks gravity-defying! It almost surprises me how something so plump can seem weightless when the web is invisible.

Holy cow I can't believe the variety of colors in the mosquito eyes!

PhilH

Absolutely awesome once again

What has happened to the Sawfly's left antenna/thingy?

Lord Vetinari

Thanks for looking and commenting everyone- much appreciated

Phil- the nearside antennae on the sawfly is suffering from a problem with focus stacking . The end of it was oof in all the photos but the stacking software is trying to put the in focus BG there instead. There wasn't and easy way to correct this.
Brian V.

Skippy

Lord Vetinari wrote:

Some recent bug shots from the garden.
Brian V.

Orb web spider
Hoverfly egg laying
Sawfly portrait
Wingless bark fly
Dance fly Empis sp
Mosquito

Hold the BUS! Details, details I want details

The Orb on the Web, is that an MPE-65 shot? and is it stacked?
If it is an MPE-65 what did you shoot at ? x2, x3 ?

This entire series is yet another Awesome Insight into the Wonderful World of Macro and Nature :ivar

Excellent work ........... Skippy
.

Lord Vetinari

Skippy wrote:

Hold the BUS! Details, details I want details

The Orb on the Web, is that an MPE-65 shot? and is it stacked?
If it is an MPE-65 what did you shoot at ? x2, x3 ?

This entire series is yet another Awesome Insight into the Wonderful World of Macro and Nature :ivar

Excellent work ........... Skippy
.

I thought the shots had quite a lot of detail

Skippy all the shots are with the MPE-65. All are focus stacked except the hoverfly in #2. Think I was shooting the orb web spider somewhere between 1:1 and 1.5:1. Most of the other shots except the hoverfly are at higher mags- think the mossie is at 5:1.
Brian v.

BigAl

Super set Brian The detail on the Mozzie is unbelievable.

Lord Vetinari

BigAl wrote:

Super set Brian The detail on the Mozzie is unbelievable.

Thanks Al,

These mossies sit on a fence panel just above the water barrel they hatched from- Luckily I don't seem to get bitten by them.
Brian v.

tlee

Never thought a mosquito could look so beautiful--the eyes that is.

RandySmugMug

fantastic work
what lens ?

Lord Vetinari

Thanks for looking and the kind comments T and Randy
Randy - all with my MPE-65 lens
Brian V.

Kevin

just great

thanks brian

drdane

Lord Vetinari wrote:

Skippy all the shots are with the MPE-65. All are focus stacked except the hoverfly in #2. . . . I think the mossie is at 5:1.
Brian v.

Awesome work Brian! I have a 100mm f2.8, and haven't so much as touched a MPE-65 yet - I'm afraid that if I did, I'd have to buy it, especially after seeing that mossie!

I'd guess you'd have to use a tripod and maybe even a focussing rail to get that degree of sharpness when you're stacking at that magnification. Could you share your setup for high-mag shots like this?

Thanks,
Dane

Lord Vetinari

Kevin wrote:

just great

thanks brian

Thanks for the comment Kevin
Brian V.

Lord Vetinari

drdane wrote:

Awesome work Brian! I have a 100mm f2.8, and haven't so much as touched a MPE-65 yet - I'm afraid that if I did, I'd have to buy it, especially after seeing that mossie!

I'd guess you'd have to use a tripod and maybe even a focussing rail to get that degree of sharpness when you're stacking at that magnification. Could you share your setup for high-mag shots like this?

Thanks,
Dane

Thanks for the comments Dane

No I don't use a tripod for high mag shots like the mossie, I just rest the lens on the same surface the subject is on. In this case the mossie was sitting on a fence panel. I've got pretty good at moving the camera in small increments for getting the shots for the stack. For shots of small bugs on leaves I quite often pick the leaf off and put that on a hard surface for the shot and do the same thing (I always put the leaf back where I got it unless the bug has flown).
Camera setup is the one on the RHS in pic below.

Brian V.

drdane

Lord Vetinari wrote:

... I don't use a tripod for high mag shots like the mossie, I just rest the lens on the same surface the subject is on. In this case the mossie was sitting on a fence panel. I've got pretty good at moving the camera in small increments for getting the shots for the stack.

Small increments, with surgical precision, I would say! You must have well-trained bugs for them to sit quietly on flat surfaces for you - mine are usually perched on a plant with a breeze blowing, or at worst positioned in some awkward place, and I wind up in some kind of contorted position, somewhat akin to working under the dashboard of a car.

For shots of small bugs on leaves I quite often pick the leaf off and put that on a hard surface for the shot and do the same thing (I always put the leaf back where I got it unless the bug has flown).

That confirms it - they ARE trained bugs!:D

Camera setup is the one on the RHS in pic below.
Brian V.

Thanks for the pic. Looks like a professional duct tape & paper towel job - now, that's creative! What's on the inside for supportive framework?

Add a basic flash bracket and a cheapo ball head (I assume that's what that black thing is), and you're armed and dangerous!

I've mainly used available light for the last few years (hence the tripod), but have recently added a dedicated flash and off-camera cord. I've balked at the bracket because I didn't think the basic ones would allow me get the flash out far enough to provide side light with my 100mm macro, expecially if it's less than 1:1 - and I didn't want to spring for a snazzy one from Kirk. I've had thoughts of making my own . . . anyone got a used bracket or ball head they want to part with?

Lord Vetinari

drdane wrote:

Small increments, with surgical precision, I would say! You must have well-trained bugs for them to sit quietly on flat surfaces for you - mine are usually perched on a plant with a breeze blowing, or at worst positioned in some awkward place, and I wind up in some kind of contorted position, somewhat akin to working under the dashboard of a car.



That confirms it - they ARE trained bugs!:D



Thanks for the pic. Looks like a professional duct tape & paper towel job - now, that's creative! What's on the inside for supportive framework?

Add a basic flash bracket and a cheapo ball head (I assume that's what that black thing is), and you're armed and dangerous!

I've mainly used available light for the last few years (hence the tripod), but have recently added a dedicated flash and off-camera cord. I've balked at the bracket because I didn't think the basic ones would allow me get the flash out far enough to provide side light with my 100mm macro, expecially if it's less than 1:1 - and I didn't want to spring for a snazzy one from Kirk. I've had thoughts of making my own . . . anyone got a used bracket or ball head they want to part with?

Thanks for the comments
The diffuser is made from coca-cola cans see http://www.flickr.com/groups/macroviewers/discuss/72157594312315664/

Yes the flash bracket is a cheapo vidcam light bracket with a cheapo ballhead fitted onto the top clamp fitting. For long lenses I just rotate the ballhead and straighten the flash- it quite happily reaches the end of my MPE- 65 which is pretty long at 5:1.

Brian V.

PhilH

Lord Vetinari wrote:

Phil- the nearside antennae on the sawfly is suffering from a problem with focus stacking . The end of it was oof in all the photos but the stacking software is trying to put the in focus BG there instead. There wasn't and easy way to correct this.
Brian V.

Thanks for the explanation Brian but i'm curious on one point...

Macro is quickly becoming a passion with me and all my shots are hand held, do you use a tripod for some of your shots? I only ask this after you mention stacking.

Lord Vetinari

PhilH wrote:

Thanks for the explanation Brian but i'm curious on one point...

Macro is quickly becoming a passion with me and all my shots are hand held, do you use a tripod for some of your shots? I only ask this after you mention stacking.

Phil- I don't use a tripod, I either use a pole (used to be a metal bean pole but now I use a collapsible tent pole) which I grip in my left hand along with a bit of the camera or I simply rest the camera on something (often me).

Brian V.

Tessa HD

i'll add my 'wow' too!

Lord Vetinari

Tessa HD wrote:

i'll add my 'wow' too!

Thanks Tessa
Brian V.