Tending the Nest
by Martus

Comment by roz:

Originally posted by Martus: Originally posted by roz: this is amazing as i can imagine the wasp wasnt standing still just so you could get its photo . !! .. were you able to focus stack even so .. ?? this is the sort of image i would be over the moon to have taken .. in fact way above my pay grade .. many many congrats on the blue and first place on your profile page .. 🙂 Thanks Roz! This is very high praise, coming from you! Your macros are always amazing! Yes, this is a stack of 8. I would have liked to get a couple more photos in the stack, but the wasps didn’t like the flash and it was in an awkward spot, so I couldn’t use a tripod. As a result, I would fire a couple of shots, then move away and wait for them to settle down, then try again.

thankyou so much Martus ..
i was so impressed with this shot that i have come back a few times to look at it ..
lucky for me that i did because thats how i saw your comment addressed to me ..

and btw thankyou for putting in your camera settings .. i wish more ppl would do that .. i learn so much from that info ..

anyway .. i use an olympus mirrorless camera and a godox flash these days ..
and i have started using the bracketing feature of the camera .. its amazing .. you set it up on how many shots to take in very quick succession .. for me its 9 .. and it takes one pic after another focusing a bit further away from your starting point with each shot ..
of course if the insect moves or you move at all the stacking can be very difficult .. if the shots are similar enough i use Luminar Neo to stack .. if the shots are a bit off it usually doesnt get it right ..

does your camera have a bracketing feature .. ?? .. i found it a game changer ..

also i cant use a flash when using the bracketing .. as far as i know .. because the flash wont support the quick firing .. i could be wrong on that point though .. but was interested to read that your wasp didnt like the flash .. in all of the time i've shot insects i've found that a rare occurrence that they are bothered by the flash .. maybe it was because you were too close and it didnt like that .. shame we cant ask her .. ;)

also re the tripod .. i've never used one because it doesnt work for me .. setting up etc would take too much time and the movement would scare them away .. but i know of other insect photogs who do use them successfully ..
check out Aaron Molenkamp in instagram .. i'm pretty sure he uses a tripod .. he's amazing .. nightfall_photography .. he uses nikon but does work with other brands i think .. he's australian ..

what i was so impressed by in this pic was your focus .. just wonderful .. as well as the fact that you got it doing what wasps do and not just sitting around being uninteresting .. lol .. ;)

i found this feature so interesting that i googled it ..
"A wasp carrying a droplet of water back to the nest—often seen as a small bubble or droplet held in its mouthparts—is typically engaged in one of three critical colonial tasks: evaporative cooling, nest construction, or feeding the larva."

its a shame that dpc hasnt got up-to-date with replies and such .. as i'm sure we often miss a reply to a comment in our photos ..
anyway .. thanks again .. and have a great weekend .. :)

Tending the Nest
by Martus

Comment by Martus:

Originally posted by roz: this is amazing as i can imagine the wasp wasnt standing still just so you could get its photo . !! .. were you able to focus stack even so .. ?? this is the sort of image i would be over the moon to have taken .. in fact way above my pay grade .. many many congrats on the blue and first place on your profile page .. 🙂

Thanks Roz! This is very high praise, coming from you! Your macros are always amazing!

Yes, this is a stack of 8. I would have liked to get a couple more photos in the stack, but the wasps didn’t like the flash and it was in an awkward spot, so I couldn’t use a tripod. As a result, I would fire a couple of shots, then move away and wait for them to settle down, then try again.

Tending the Nest
by Martus

Comment by roz:
this is amazing as i can imagine the wasp wasnt standing still just so you could get its photo . !! ..
were you able to focus stack even so .. ??
this is the sort of image i would be over the moon to have taken .. in fact way above my pay grade ..
many many congrats on the blue and first place on your profile page .. 🙂

Tending the Nest
by Martus

Comment by crik:
Great capture. Congrats!

Tending the Nest
by Martus

Comment by Lydia:
Fantastic!

I was one of your 10 votes.

Did I mention that this is fantastic??

Tending the Nest
by Martus

Comment by tnun:
I think it is that translucent ball of whatever it is that tips the scale in this already great portrait.

Tending the Nest
by Martus

Comment by Barroness:
Congratulations, Outstanding work.

Tending the Nest
by Martus

Comment by lovemelvin:
Just WOW... those eyes... I'm at loss for words. Excellent!

Cape Autumn Widow (Dira Clytus)
by Martus

Comment by kanaj:
I was your 8 here. Just wanted to comment that I really responded well to the shallow DOF and high-contrast clarity in this macro.

Tending the Nest
by Martus

Comment by Neat:
Oh man I forgot to finish voting on this challenge but looks like you didn't need another ten :)

Astonishing shot. Such clarity. Not sure I've enjoyed looking at an insect so much.

A SUPER BIG congratulations on a new personal best! I am only dreaming of achieving over 8.00 one day- it somehow eludes me!

Message edited by author 2026-04-22 23:31:24.