A Fly and a beetle?

patricia kaypatricia kay Registered Users Posts: 206 Major grins
edited November 14, 2007 in Holy Macro
Hi....

Been checking all the amazing pics that you have all posted and as i am a beginer to Macro and have not been long on the DSLR journey....I thought i would post anyway as i have to learn.....

I dont know what kind of fly or beetle these are.....i was just happy they stayed still long enough for me to shoot!!!!

Patricia.........:barb

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Comments

  • garytgaryt Registered Users Posts: 335 Major grins
    edited November 13, 2007
    Patricia--great start :D . Existing light tends to bring out the real colors, but can also leave harsh shadows. A diffused flash (mine is home made from a milk jug, and still being developed) will help eliminate the shadows. Thanks for sharing.
    Gary
    Canon 30D, 28-80mm kit, 100mm Macro, 80-200mm, Kenko Tubes (68mm), 380EX Flash, and a wish list.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/garythompson/
  • SkippySkippy Registered Users Posts: 12,075 Major grins
    edited November 13, 2007
    patricia kay wrote:
    Hi....

    Been checking all the amazing pics that you have all posted and as i am a beginer to Macro and have not been long on the DSLR journey....I thought i would post anyway as i have to learn.....

    I dont know what kind of fly or beetle these are.....i was just happy they stayed still long enough for me to shoot!!!!

    Patricia.........wings.gif

    Ahhhhhhh yes they stayed there just long enough to get you sucked in
    Patricia, it's a conspiracy to entice you to do MACRO for sure rolleyes1.gif

    Welcome to the world of MACRO thumb.gif .... Skippy :D
    .
    .
    Skippy (Australia) - Moderator of "HOLY MACRO" and "OTHER COOL SHOTS"

    ALBUM http://ozzieskip.smugmug.com/

    :skippy Everyone has the right to be stupid, but some people just abuse the privilege :dgrin
  • Lord VetinariLord Vetinari Registered Users Posts: 15,901 Major grins
    edited November 14, 2007
    Well you are one up on me already - that first shot is a robber fly and I've never even spotted one let alone photographed one.
    Good captures :)
    As Skippy says strong sunlight can make things difficult with high contrasts etc. I prefer to shoot natural light when it's slightly cloudy. You can take a risk and shade the bug with something but often flies do not like this.

    Brian V.
    Brian V.
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/lordv/
    http://www.lordv.smugmug.com/
  • AussierooAussieroo Registered Users Posts: 234 Major grins
    edited November 14, 2007
    Good starts Patricia, mine didn't look much different so keep practicing, 3-4 times a week and you will notice the change pretty quickly, I did. I htought I had posted this little list of hints here before but it seem not, so I thought I would add them to your thread I am sure there is something in the list that will help you a little.


    if anyone else finds these pointers handy that's a bonus.

    I thought you would like a few points on taking macro, some may seem pretty obvious but I will list them anyway. In no particular order just as they come to mind.


    1. Get yourself some gardening knee pads, as you will be on your knees more often than not.

    2. You will find a cable release invaluable.

    3. An angle viewfinder helps as well saves lying on the ground at times.

    4. Using the "Mirror up" option when in real close helps in eliminating that minute chance of vibration from the shutter.

    5. When in grassy wet areas a pair of rubber boots helps as well.

    6. Keep an old pair of sissors in your camera bag for getting rid of any annoying grass stalks that may be in the background making it messy.

    7. Concentrate as much on the background as the subject matter. A busy messy background will distract for the subject and will be difficult to remove later in PS. Keep the back ground as blurred as possible checking your DOF and aparture.

    8. Be sure you are as parralell to the subject as possible. Shooting at an angle will result in too much out of focus due to shallow DOF. You may have to shoot up, you may have to shoot down the angle will depend on how the subject is positioned.

    9. Get in as close as you can without frightening the subject away.

    10. Use a tripod where ever you can Remember with the Velbum you can remove the bottom half of the support stalk to get even lower to the ground. A Ball head is very handy for those odd angles and adjustments.

    11. Be aware of lighting. Shadows are easier to keep highlight from blowing out and using slow shutter speeds will give you exposure you need.

    12. Practice shooting in RAW and the doing your initial edit in the PS RAW editor.

    13. Use manual focus always

    14. Shoot early in the morning while insects are cold and less likely to move. Best in the spring when days are warm to hatch the insects but cold enough mornings to have them nice and slow.

    15. Take your time with every shot, shoot less and shoot better.

    16. Enjoy the "Hunt" and learn to look down and see small things. Sometimes sitting still in a reedy area your eyes will become accustomed to the things around you and you will start to see smaller things you previously have missed.

    17. Learn the habitat and habits of what you are likely to shoot. Times of year and times of day etc.

    18. Develope your skills in editing for even better results.

    Thanks again to Jenni, for the following link. A lot of usefull info there on macro photography.

    http://www.beautifulbugs.com/beautifulbugs/howto.htm

    Main page at

    http://www.beautifulbugs.com/beautifulbugs/index.htm

    also for a selection of different insects that can be shot have a look at some of these

    http://www.pbase.com/mplonsky/insects

    Well thats all that comes to mind for now, that should get you started with your Macro training.
    Regards Ralph
    http://ozphotos.smugmug.com/
  • patricia kaypatricia kay Registered Users Posts: 206 Major grins
    edited November 14, 2007
    Gary....I am intrigued to know about your invention...I would love to know more when you have finished developing it...Thanks for your kind words....I am going through different processes and havent yet got to the lighting yet...these were taken with my PS as it was to hand at the time i saw the bugs....I have just started shooting RAW and am totally enjoying the processing...what a difference to detail....I have a very long road to travel...but its fun!!!!

    Skippy...Yes i have arrived in this wonderful subject of Macro....Look forward to spring as all my bugs have gone into hibernation now...its freezing here!!! Thanks for the welcome!

    Brian........Its good to know its a robber fly...i hadnt actually seen one before this shot....I just hunt around the garden and try to get shots of all that moves!!! Yes lighting is an interesting subject and i am learning the best time of day to shoot for good photos..i really hate the grey days we are having of late...I want a good covering of snow to brighten my part of the world....

    Ralph....Thank you so much for taking the time to write all those pointers... along with yours, Brians and all the other great Macro photographers here...I have plenty of reading ,learning and practicing to do....
    They are such good tips....I have ordered a cable release,started shooting RAW a couple of weeks ago,also use my tripod(having said that i tend to run around the garden Spring and Summer with camera in hand...dont want to miss anything!) Have to read up on the mirror option...have been practising manual this week with some flower shots....Have a lovely reedy area just a couple of minutes walk away...I noticed that the butterflies usually visited my garden around mid day for a couple of hours and the dragon flies when it was sunny!!!Going now to look at the links before i get my camera out for some practice shots....Thanks again and again...very kind of you!

    Phew...on second thoughts need a cuppa now after all that writing!!!!!

    Patricia...........wings.gif
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