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macro season is just starting! (dial up users beware)
Posted By: Marc Langille, 03-21-2008, 09:49 AM

And I've not photographed anything... However, here are a few from the last couple of years... let's get things going in the Northern Hemisphere...

Here's some I've dug up from seasons past (previously posted), plus a couple never posted anywhere before.

Skipper - over 3400 species of this butterfly variant exist. The order Lepidoptera consists of butterflies, moths and skippers.

*ist DS - taken at F/9.5, 1/500 sec., ISO 200, 200mm:


Leafcutter Bee... an import from Europe to pollinate alfalfa plants, since honey bees dislike alfalfa. Very small, non-agressive, and have white (as seen here) or yellow hair on their bodies. No honey is produced, and they nest in pairs - with leaf cuttings, hence their name.

*ist DS - taken at F/6.7, 1/180 sec., ISO 800 (cropped):


Hummingbird Clearwing Moth

*ist DS - taken at F/8, 1/250 sec., ISO 400:


K10D - taken at F//11, 1/180 sec., ISO 100:



K10D - taken at F//11, 1/180 sec., ISO 100:


Taken at F/16, 1.5 sec, ISO 100


Toxomerus Hover Fly... To put this little insect in perspective: it's half the length of your thumbnail...

Taken at F/16, 1/180 sec., ISO 100:


Taken at F/11, 1/90 sec., ISO 100:



Taken at F/6.7, 1/350 sec., ISO 400:


Japanese Beetles - looks like they are having... uh... hmmm...

Taken at F/16, 1/180 sec., ISO 100:


I hope you enjoy them!

Last edited by Marc Langille; 03-21-2008 at 04:58 PM. Reason: identification of certain insects people might not be familiar with...
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03-21-2008, 10:04 AM   #2
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Enjoy them I did Marc (maybe not quite as much as the subjects where enjoying themselves in that last one ) - outstanding all are very well done. The pollen shots are superb.
03-21-2008, 10:47 AM   #3
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Superb detail!

#2 is my favourite, it has such great colours, and the contrast between the big and little insect is a very nice detail! The last one is a perfect moment to say the least!
03-21-2008, 10:53 AM   #4
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Fantastic Marc! I can hardly wait for spring; should be here in a month or two. I love the shot of the fly on the yellow flower. You can see individual specks of pollen on its body. Now that's sharp!

Do you use a ring flash or ring light? I visited a couple large camera stores in Toronto this past week and neither had anything that will work on a K10D. I do like the look of the Digi-Slave models. I just wanted to talk to someone first to see if buying one would be completely necessary for exemplary macro work like yours here.

03-21-2008, 12:15 PM   #5
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I can't wait for it to get a little warmer here but weather has never stopped me from shooting. Just can't wait for meor flowers and bugs to come out. I very much enjoyed seeing your macro work! I have a real thing for it myself!
03-21-2008, 12:20 PM   #6
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Wow, thats amazing! Well done Marc, I like 5 the best but its a tuff 1 to pick. All are beautiful pictures
03-21-2008, 12:23 PM   #7
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Oh man, you're making me jealous.

I've just came from a lunch at my aunts house, lot's of flowers, bees and all kinds of insects and i forgot my camera at my other house.

man I'm mad

oh... AWSOME pics BTW

03-21-2008, 12:56 PM   #8
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very nice ...
03-21-2008, 01:18 PM   #9
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Yes it is, great shots you have there. Time to dust off the good old VIV S1!!!
03-21-2008, 01:28 PM   #10
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Good ones! Thanks for sharing #1 and #3 are great.
Love the detail in #6 too.
Yep, last one's a novelty!
Well done.
03-21-2008, 03:23 PM   #11
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Those are astounding. Breathtaking detail, perfect lighting, interesting subjects - it draws you in and down in scale.

Reminded me of a movie called microcosmos I saw years ago. Incredible cinematography in that, just like these.

Thanks!
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03-21-2008, 03:47 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by daacon Quote
Enjoy them I did Marc (maybe not quite as much as the subjects where enjoying themselves in that last one ) - outstanding all are very well done. The pollen shots are superb.
Thank you sir! Thought I'd have fun for "the end"...

QuoteOriginally posted by gawan Quote
Superb detail!

#2 is my favourite, it has such great colours, and the contrast between the big and little insect is a very nice detail! The last one is a perfect moment to say the least!
Well thank you and that's always been a favorite image of mine. Yes, perfect moment for the beetles...
03-21-2008, 04:32 PM   #13
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Close up of Mr. Fly... 8-)

QuoteOriginally posted by J.Scott Quote
Fantastic Marc! I can hardly wait for spring; should be here in a month or two. I love the shot of the fly on the yellow flower. You can see individual specks of pollen on its body. Now that's sharp!

Do you use a ring flash or ring light? I visited a couple large camera stores in Toronto this past week and neither had anything that will work on a K10D. I do like the look of the Digi-Slave models. I just wanted to talk to someone first to see if buying one would be completely necessary for exemplary macro work like yours here.
Thanks Jeff! Here's a 100% crop of the fly on the yellow flower for reference - no sharpening (other than the default of 25% in ACR):



Actually I use a 540 flash, either hot shoe mounted or cable extension (handheld, etc.)

I feel there are two (minor) downsides to ring flashes:
  1. single source of light position - around the lens (unless you handhold it)
  2. the light source tends to create a shadow-less light (similar to a lightbox), so depth perception is lessened in the image. It appears to be flatter (like a full moon, instead of a waxing/waning photo of the moon). IMHO, the contrast is as good as a result of the aforementioned.
Honestly, it's a wash as to which is best. My preference is ambient light, of course. My flash usage is dictated by fast subjects or if I want a higher DOF, or they're in a shady area, since my widest aperture is F4.

Hope that helps?

Cheers,
Marc

Last edited by Marc Langille; 03-21-2008 at 05:20 PM. Reason: typo
03-21-2008, 04:45 PM   #14
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Those macros are great and I'm amazed at the DOF and how sharp you were able to keep almost all of the bodies.

I have to ask since I just started try ing this last fall, how many pictures on average do you take of a single subject do you take and then select the best. I have trouble seeing the focus point in the view finder in macro photography.
03-21-2008, 07:30 PM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by rmtagg Quote
I can't wait for it to get a little warmer here but weather has never stopped me from shooting. Just can't wait for meor flowers and bugs to come out. I very much enjoyed seeing your macro work! I have a real thing for it myself!
Thank you Rosemary! Learning macro really helps your attention to detail...

QuoteOriginally posted by thomasjmpark Quote
Wow, thats amazing! Well done Marc, I like 5 the best but its a tuff 1 to pick. All are beautiful pictures
Thanks Tom! It was a steep learning curve photographing insects in the beginning, especially with such a long lens. However, I've turned that to my advantage - much easier to stay off a bit and not spook them...

Cheers,
Marc
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