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08/03/2004 01:07:49 PM · #1 |
A great bug macro shot has some or all of the following characteristice: 1) Great focus; 2) Interesting DOF; 3) Nice shadowing to create 3 dimensionality; and ... so on.
These little buggars tend to move around a bit. The walk, fly, jump just before I can snap the shutter. Or they fail to walk, crawl, jump or fly into the frame. All this making it hard to achieve the setup required above for a fantastic shot. Unless ... the bug is DEAD!
Okay, so here's my first question ... If you shot a bug for Macro IV, was it dead or alive when the shutter clicked?
And my second question for Jacko ... Would you do a tutorial on how you approach bug macro shots? Please! |
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08/03/2004 01:20:12 PM · #2 |
1) Mine was alive at the time of the shooting.
2) I've been thinking about doing a tutorial. Some basic tips such as: insects are very territorial and come back where you originally saw them (on a branch, flower); get comfortable and wait until the bug comes back. Also basic equipment tips: I use autofocus on my macro lens, contrary to what a lot of other people recommend.
I'll try to find the time in the next week or two.
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08/03/2004 01:24:00 PM · #3 |
Originally posted by Jacko:
I'll try to find the time in the next week or two. |
THANKS. |
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08/03/2004 01:29:08 PM · #4 |
Isn't it true too that when bugs are cold they somewhat become dormant and don't move around???
Maybe if you captured the bug and put it in the fridge for a few minutes, while you tweak your backdrop, set-up, etc. Then place it back into the setting. Maybe it will move slowly or not at all until it warms up.
Don't know if this would work, but might be worth a try. |
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08/03/2004 01:33:26 PM · #5 |
Yes, I did an insect.
And it was very alive and moving fast, frequently returning to the same area.
And I would never think of killing it for a picture.
I used an old 50mm lens of my Practika SLR reversed in front of my Sony lens, held in place by the lenshood and some tape. I have a +4 close-up filter but could not get close enough with that one.
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08/03/2004 01:35:28 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by davisjl:
Isn't it true too that when bugs are cold they somewhat become dormant and don't move around???
Maybe if you captured the bug and put it in the fridge for a few minutes, while you tweak your backdrop, set-up, etc. Then place it back into the setting. Maybe it will move slowly or not at all until it warms up.
Don't know if this would work, but might be worth a try. |
Yes, that is an old trick that will buy you some time. It all depends how much you allow yourself to interfere with your subject (ethics).
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08/03/2004 01:38:59 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by willem:
Yes, I did an insect.
And it was very alive and moving fast, frequently returning to the same area.
And I would never think of killing it for a picture.
I used an old 50mm lens of my Practika SLR reversed in front of my Sony lens, held in place by the lenshood and some tape. I have a +4 close-up filter but could not get close enough with that one. |
Willem--I tried a similar setup for the first time with my Canon G2, and got very sharp results, but only in a circular area in the center of the frame. Was that your experience? And then you had to crop? Or perhaps it's a function of the distance between the two lens faces? My reverse lens was held flush against the end of the lensmate filter adapter for my canon, with a thin 58 mm adapter in front of that to match the front of the Konika lens I was using.
I will have to go back and read Mark Plonsky's tutorials on this!
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08/03/2004 01:40:17 PM · #8 |
Originally posted by Jacko:
insects are very territorial and come back where you originally saw them (on a branch, flower |
As an example, this damselfly returned to the same branch over and over again, and I could let it step onto my hand like a tame bird by slowly pushing against it. It would sit for half a minute and then fly back to the branch.
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08/03/2004 01:49:24 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by nshapiro:
Willem--I tried a similar setup for the first time with my Canon G2, and got very sharp results, but only in a circular area in the center of the frame. Was that your experience? And then you had to crop? Or perhaps it's a function of the distance between the two lens faces? My reverse lens was held flush against the end of the lensmate filter adapter for my canon, with a thin 58 mm adapter in front of that to match the front of the Konika lens I was using.
I will have to go back and read Mark Plonsky's tutorials on this! |
Yes, I had to crop because of heavy vignetting and was stuggling with sharpness.
You can buy special rings to attach the lens in reversed position, which I have for my old Practika, but not for my Sony. Also normally you would use just the lens in reversed position only, not in front of a built-in lens.
Best results I ever got was using a adjustable bellow like in this image :
(note this image is nonsense, it would get much to close to the rose, it was just for another challenge)
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08/03/2004 02:46:10 PM · #10 |
I entered a photo of a bug. The bug was very dead (at least ten years dead) at the time I took the picture.
I used a DSLR camera with a macro lens, aperture priority @ f/11 and bounce flash. Good DOF and bug sharpness! |
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08/03/2004 02:52:26 PM · #11 |
| All of my bug macros are shot in the bug's natural habitat with the bug left untouched. Eventually I'll get a but that'll cooperate and get the shot I want, it's all about patience. I've tried dead bugs, catching bugs and putting them in the freezer, etc. but they never look very natural afterwards. |
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08/03/2004 02:53:04 PM · #12 |
Yep, me too, anther bug. Very much alive. As a rule I do not greatly interfere with my subjects, I would possibly move them a small distance but never refrigerate or otherwise tamper with them. My intent is always to depict them in their natural envoronment.
I use the Canon 100mm macro USM, sometimes in combination with a reversed 50mm lens and/or teleconverter (1.4x or 2.0x) and/or extension tubes.
My Macro IV submission is a straight 1:1 magnification shot with the 100mm macro lens, hand-held and with flash + natural illumination.
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08/03/2004 03:02:52 PM · #13 |
My bug was alive. I took several hundred shots for this challenge ... 98% of them stunk. And apparently, my keeper isn't exactly a show stopper (5.85 at the moment).
:)
My biggest problem was all the friggin mosquito bites I was getting while out in the woods :( Does some damage to your patience. |
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08/03/2004 03:05:45 PM · #14 |
Originally posted by kirbic:
Yep, me too, anther bug. Very much alive. As a rule I do not greatly interfere with my subjects, I would possibly move them a small distance but never refrigerate or otherwise tamper with them. My intent is always to depict them in their natural envoronment.
I use the Canon 100mm macro USM, sometimes in combination with a reversed 50mm lens and/or teleconverter (1.4x or 2.0x) and/or extension tubes.
My Macro IV submission is a straight 1:1 magnification shot with the 100mm macro lens, hand-held and with flash + natural illumination. |
Which teleconverter do you use with the Canon 100mm macro?
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08/03/2004 03:14:19 PM · #15 |
Originally posted by hopper:
My biggest problem was all the friggin mosquito bites I was getting while out in the woods. |
Set your camera up on a tripod, put a dab of BBQ sauce on your arm in front of the lens and wait. ;-) |
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08/03/2004 03:17:26 PM · #16 |
Originally posted by Mousie:
Which teleconverter do you use with the Canon 100mm macro? |
I use a Tamron 1.4x (the cheaper one) as well as the Canon 2.0x II (with a 12mm extension tube to make it fit).
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08/03/2004 03:29:20 PM · #17 |
My first go around was with a dead bug, but you could tell he was dead, so I scrapped the shot. My 2nd bug, dead too -- didn't work.
My third bug was alive, and I like the shots better than the others. I had to wait a good 3 hours for it to calm down though.
I think the live bugs work better. |
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08/03/2004 03:44:34 PM · #18 |
Here's my question ... if you use a 2x teleconverter with a 100mm macro lens, which usually lets you get 1:1 at around 12 inches, does that mean you will get 1:1 at 24 inches, and 2:1 at 12 inches? If so, I'm getting one. I know using extension tubes cuts down on your working distance considerably.
Originally posted by kirbic:
Originally posted by Mousie:
Which teleconverter do you use with the Canon 100mm macro? |
I use a Tamron 1.4x (the cheaper one) as well as the Canon 2.0x II (with a 12mm extension tube to make it fit). |
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08/03/2004 03:44:39 PM · #19 |
1) both bug and flower in my shot where and are still alive, everything is natural no set up at all.
2) Macro mode on, closeup lens on, set the focus where I wanned it to be, and waited patiently until the bee came to collect from where my focus whas. Ofcourse I spoted a hive close to where I was so I was sure I didn't have to wait long. And I didn't. In fact they were so active that I took lots of shots of lots of them.
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08/03/2004 03:59:44 PM · #20 |
My Macro 4 bug was alive, which made it vertually impossible to shoot! I don't think my score was worth the effort, hehe.
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08/03/2004 04:03:45 PM · #21 |
I was actually looking for painted ladies when I took my submission. Not the greatest shot I've taken but it had bugs, flowers and humour, a nice fun shot to lighten things up (thanks for the comment willem :) If it stays at 5.3 it will push my challenge average over 5, then I can get serious about this hobby ;)
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08/03/2004 04:05:56 PM · #22 |
Don't find much interest in trying to shoot dead or frozen bugs.
I tend to try and avoid having any impact on the subjects, even to the point of not wanting to disturb them if possible, though that usually doesn't work out. For many animals and insects the stress/ interruption of a too close photographer is quite obvious in the pictures, which tends to make them look unnatural to someone who knows the species.
This is even worse when insects are chilled and placed on a plant they'd never normally visit - just looks glaringly bad.
I tend to even try to avoid pulling out stems of grass if they are in the frame or moving plants and stuff around too much - certainly I try to avoid damaging them if possible.
The better I get at observing and understanding the subjects I'm trying to shoot, the better I think the pictures I'm taking are - the main factor I've found that helps is being willing to just look for a while, observe and learn the behaviours - then you'll know where to be to shoot the good picture, rather than trying to chase the subject around.
Close-Up on Insects: A Photographer's Guide by Robert Thompson was quite a good read - most of the book focused on insect behaviour, rather than macro technique.
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08/03/2004 04:52:28 PM · #23 |
I remember seeing some sort of 'documentary' for the movie Arachnaphobia. Was pretty cool. They would use soapy dishwater and 'paint' it on the areas where they didn't want the spiders to go. For example you could paint a square around the spider and it most likely will just chill inside there for a while.
I sprayed lysol around my bed when I lived out in the country. I'm deathly afraid of spiders. Not sure how effective my approach was, but at the very least it made me feel better.
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08/03/2004 05:27:18 PM · #24 |
I would love to know the answer to that one too!!
Originally posted by Jacko:
Here's my question ... if you use a 2x teleconverter with a 100mm macro lens, which usually lets you get 1:1 at around 12 inches, does that mean you will get 1:1 at 24 inches, and 2:1 at 12 inches? If so, I'm getting one. I know using extension tubes cuts down on your working distance considerably.
Originally posted by kirbic:
Originally posted by Mousie:
Which teleconverter do you use with the Canon 100mm macro? |
I use a Tamron 1.4x (the cheaper one) as well as the Canon 2.0x II (with a 12mm extension tube to make it fit). |
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I also entered a bug shot (with my Sigma 105mm macro) it was cloudy so I was at f2.8 very shallow DOF. The bug was alive and constantly moving... it's the 1st shot I enter with my D70 and I'm bombing!! Hihihi. I'm still better at taking macros with my coolpix but that will change cuz I have losta bugs at the cottage!!! :-)
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08/03/2004 06:12:34 PM · #25 |
Originally posted by kosmikkreeper:
I would love to know the answer to that one too!!
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photo.net forum conversation on that very topic ... seems like a confusing answer |
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