daveh
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Post by daveh on Jun 11, 2012 17:05:36 GMT -5
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mickeyobe
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Post by mickeyobe on Jun 11, 2012 17:49:41 GMT -5
Dave, Your in flight photos of the bumblebee are more than super. Did it take long to train him? Mickey
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Post by nikonbob on Jun 11, 2012 22:06:58 GMT -5
Dave
You pick some challenging subjects to photograph. Looking good and I bet it is a lot of fun too.
Bob
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Post by grenouille on Jun 12, 2012 4:45:51 GMT -5
Your patience has been rewarded, some great shots,
Hye
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photax
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Post by photax on Jun 12, 2012 13:27:23 GMT -5
Dave, Some excellent pictures, thanks for showing ! I have tried to take some of these "flying-pictures" about three weeks ago and I know that this kind of nature photography is very tricky. I found no translation for my models, but here is the Latin name: Bombyliidae. It is more difficult to catch a bug in flight, you only get one chance, because these are pretty fast. MIK
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daveh
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Post by daveh on Jun 12, 2012 13:37:34 GMT -5
Thanks all.
MIK, the little blue flowers are "forget-me-nots", The common name for Bombyliidae here is bee fly! Insects and suchlike never make things easy for us, mimicking other species as they do. Your first photo look as if he has kept his wings going for a quick getaway. I'm intrigued by the fellow in the last photo: he looks to have fixed wings forward. Interesting, thanks.
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photax
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Post by photax on Jun 12, 2012 15:09:33 GMT -5
Dave, Here is the bug from the last picture in closed condition MIK
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daveh
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Post by daveh on Jun 12, 2012 17:26:58 GMT -5
That makes sense now, MIK.
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Post by grenouille on Jun 14, 2012 12:13:23 GMT -5
Mik, you did well, great shots, Regards
Hye
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mickeyobe
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Post by mickeyobe on Jun 14, 2012 18:01:25 GMT -5
Dave, Here is the bug from the last picture in closed condition MIK He is a very handsome fellow in his formal attire. 2 + 2 + 1 = 6 5? Something is missing here. Another amputee? Mickey
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col
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Post by col on Jun 14, 2012 19:10:10 GMT -5
Some great macros form all of you chaps.
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photax
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Post by photax on Jun 15, 2012 15:22:53 GMT -5
Mickey, Here is a complete 2+2+2 specimen: If you have a close look to these insects, you often find parts of them missing. Life must be hard in the macro-world of nature. MIK
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daveh
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Post by daveh on Jun 15, 2012 15:50:07 GMT -5
Sometimes, of course, the missing leg is hidden by the body or part of the plane - or just moving so fast it doesn't seem to be there. Photo #5 of my bees seems to have a right wing, but nothing on the left.
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Post by julio1fer on Jun 15, 2012 20:08:33 GMT -5
Impressive. I have tried something similar, but my bumblebees won't cooperate that well.
Next to last picture, the bee coming to the flower, is a great one.
Could you share some tips on how to get these?
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daveh
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Post by daveh on Jun 15, 2012 21:34:32 GMT -5
Julio,
Patience and practice!
I never really know how much pre-amble to give a subject. The problem as one gets nearer to true macro is the small depth of field and hence the need to stop down the lens. It's okay with flowers (unless it's windy) just give it a longer exposure. Insects, perhaps especially "fliers" don't tend to just sit there as a flower does so the shutter speed needs to be higher to prevent blur. Over the last couple of years I've done more macro. It's certainly much easier to practise with digital than it is with film.
At the moment my conclusions for insects in flight are: 1) the easiest time to get the shot is just before landing or more so just as the insect takes off. 2) unless the light is very bright use flash. If possible get the flash as just the dominant light source. It seems to stop the wing beat better, without the background being too dark. 3) aperture: maybe around f11, to improve depth of field. I'm a bit unsure if there is a "correct" aperture..... 4) ...whatever the aperture, focus needs to be on the important part of the subject.... 5)...focus can be best achieved manually on some shots, but auto-focus on others. Canon SLRs have lightning quick autofocus. Whichever is used there will be failures. 6) shutter speed: I'm tending to use 1/250 (both the Canon and Pentax DSLRs will sync at any speed with the "proper flash". Without flash I think you have to considerably increase the shutter speed to prevent wing blur. 7) The final combination I'm getting to is ISO400, 1/250 @ f11 for a day with average light. 8) It's much easier with a proper macro lens. 9) use digital - if only because it's quicker and cheaper to develop the technique. 10) patience, practice and persistence.
I don't know if that all makes any sense. I might well find that after this summer season I will have altered the settings. Perhaps, for instance, it's worth using f5.6 to be able to set the ISO at 100. Also, using a tripod would be better in terms of the final result but a lot more patience would be need waiting for the insect to come in shot. It might though be worth it for one top class shot rather than several reasonable shots.
What certainly is true is that the more you study the way insects "think" and move the more likely you are to get that decent shot.
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