I thought I would share a small selection of images I took while staying with my parents over the Christmas break. It doesn’t matter how many bugs I take photos of, I’m still floored by how amazing they are, truly strange creatures!
The Unstable Image
A tradesman's view on Digital Photography.
Tagged with insects …
Mixed bag – Joe
We have a trip to the Blue Mountains planned in a couple of weeks time. We will be spending 3 days there where I hope to try my hand at some different styles of photography. I will, of course, still be taking some macro shots if the opportunity presents itself so I’m really looking forward to that. In the meantime I thought I would share some photos from recent outings.
See no weevil – Joe
On one of my outings in the backyard I stumbled upon this little weevil. Some types of weevil can be a real pest but I couldn’t resist this little one’s cute face. I spent about 20 minutes taking photos at various angles and thought I would share some of the better ones.
Snoot’s away – Joe
Since my last post about ants I decided to build myself a new snoot/diffuser. I had trialed a few different things to try and soften the flash on the old one, but wasn’t too happy with the results. After a bit of thinking I decided that a whole new design was in order. Once again I used cardboard, tin foil and my trusty white t-shirt. The cardboard was measured and cut to correct shape and size. Each piece was then lined with the tin foil before being stuck together with sticky tape. The t-shirt was then cut to size and attached to the front. I used 3 layers this time around for greater diffusion. The whole thing was then covered with black electrical tape (looks better on the camera). My main aim was to enlarge the front of the diffuser for a larger spread of light in the hope that the larger area would also soften the flash some more. It ended up being twice as large as my old one. I have tried it out over the last couple of days and I am very happy with the results so far.
I focused on ants again so that I could compare the shots with my older ones. I found that the flash was not as harsh and the reflection was kept to a minimum. I’m now looking forward to getting out and taking some more shots.
Hope you enjoy
(AiM – Joe’s lens is the Canon 100mm Macro seen here and his old setup can be viewed here)
Boxing Day Macro
“Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering ‘it will be happier’…” ― Alfred Tennyson
Exactly 12 months on, I found myself back in my parents garden on Boxing Day making the most of their wonderful selection of flowers and plants. I found some great critters, lots of beautiful flowers and made the most of the light to get up close and personal with them. I still find it amazing every time I photograph macro the immense level of detail that doesn’t lessen the closer you get. I gave the new tripod a good workout, which performed brilliantly and allowed me to shoot without a flash while using my Tamron 90mm Macro and full set of extension tubes.
An Ants Life – Joe
It’s been quite windy of late and a bit quiet on the macro front. I decided to get down low to the ground on this occasion and focus on ants. Ants are some of nature’s hardest workers and are constantly on the go. This includes finding food, excavating, defending territory, looking after young etc. They just never seem to stop. I sat down near a nest and just watched the going’s on for a little while. I made the most of the situation and fired off some shots. Ants can be difficult to get in focus at times as they are constantly moving around. With such a shallow depth of field to work with this can become a hit and miss affair (with more misses in my case). Some people like to put a drop of diluted honey (mixed with water) on the ground as this does make them stop for a little drink and, in turn, easier to photograph. Another issue, especially with the shinier ones, is the reflection from the flash. At times it can be quite harsh. This was the case on this occasion and most of the photos ended up in the scrap heap. I may have to play around with my diffuser a little and see if I can improve it.
Hope you enjoy
Circle of Life – Joe
I love the outdoors and take every chance I can to get out and do something outside. For me, photography is a way to capture those moments, my memories so to speak.
Macro, as many people know, is a way to explore a whole different world; A miniature world. I really love exploring this miniature world as, for me, it is a constant reminder of nature at its most raw. Where the whole circle of life thing is happening right before your eyes. A place where the strong survive.
I recently witnessed such a scene when I stumbled on this little ant wrestling with a much larger fly. The ant managed to subdue and sting the fly after which it started to drag it away. This is not meant to shock or offend anyone, but meant to showcase nature and what the food chain is about.
Backyard Macro Exploration – Joe
I’m still exploring my backyard at the moment. I’m constantly finding new things to photograph, which is a good thing as I don’t often get the chance to go out. I have also started experimenting with some portrait shots as macro lenses are said to also make good portrait lenses. I have managed a couple of OK shots which I hope to share in the near future. For now though, I hope you enjoy my latest photos.
Thanks Joe
Macro Studio – Reflecting on Death
From my rotting body, flowers shall grow and I am in them and that is eternity - Edvard Munch
All life is part of a cycle. We come from the earth, we live on it and once our days are out we return to it. It’s not something to be scared of if you consider Edvard Munch’s quote above… It’s merely a change of state. The common May-fly lives for between 30 minutes to one day compared to worker bee who has comparably lengthy life of one year. Around our house, I’ve found some insects that were at the ‘gates’, preparing to continue on in another form. In a slightly macabre memorandum I used their slowed behaviour to test out my new white board/background with my macro lens. (Click on the image for a larger version)
Out and about at home – Joe
I’ve been getting out a little more lately and really enjoying the warmer weather. I’m still exploring the back yard at the moment and am amazed at the diversity found without really going anywhere. I found that for photographing insects, early morning and late afternoon are the best times, and pretty much any time of the day for flowers. This can be an issue in direct sunlight sometimes as the shadows and harsh light can work against you. In those cases I position my body to shade the subject and find that more times than not I can still get a pretty good shot.
Hope you enjoy.
