K-30 with 35mm Limited f2.8 @0.3s. I was surprised when I got motion blur at much faster than that when the little guy was so still. Comments, critiques and compliments always appreciated.

[jcagara08]

This is sick! I will try this on later when I get home!

[lithedreamer]

Go for it and share when you do!

[LensBeginner]

Hmmm... creepy!
I like the composition of both, and the choice of color for the second aspect-ratio.
Top-notch work!

[Na Horuk]

Good photos! Closeup, lots of detail. Just maybe adjust the WB, so the spider is the same, natural colour in both photos.

I was surprised when I got motion blur at much faster than that when the little guy was so still.

Yess, macro is demanding. First of all, these little spiders are rarely still, and their web is not very stable, so even a small breeze can make them wobble. Secondly, macro is a huge magnification, so any movement changes the frame, causing blur! And macro range has a very shallow DoF, making this problem even bigger. This is why so many macro photographers use heavy tripods and ring flashes. A ring flash can let you lower the aperture while keeping a good ISO and shutter speed, but be careful, as ring flashes can make all photos look "the same", and some of the cheapo LED rings are too weak to provide significant light.
So I would say that you did well, considering the low light and near focus!

[LensBeginner]

*snip*
First of all, these little spiders are rarely still, and their web is not very stable, so even a small breeze can make them wobble.
*snip*

True... yesterday I made 4 long exposures of some berries and I've got a blurry mess in most of the pictures where a wee little spider was fidgeting around!

[starjedi]

K-30 with 35mm Limited f2.8 @0.3s. I was surprised when I got motion blur at much faster than that when the little guy was so still. Comments, critiques and compliments always appreciated.

Wonderful shot at 0.3s. The only minus point I can see is that the spider is not tackle sharp... With the help of an off-camera diffused flash, you can avoid the motion blur fully..

[lithedreamer]

Hmmm... creepy!
I like the composition of both, and the choice of color for the second aspect-ratio.
Top-notch work!

Thanks!

Good photos! Closeup, lots of detail. Just maybe adjust the WB, so the spider is the same, natural colour in both photos.

Yess, macro is demanding. First of all, these little spiders are rarely still, and their web is not very stable, so even a small breeze can make them wobble. Secondly, macro is a huge magnification, so any movement changes the frame, causing blur! And macro range has a very shallow DoF, making this problem even bigger. This is why so many macro photographers use heavy tripods and ring flashes. A ring flash can let you lower the aperture while keeping a good ISO and shutter speed, but be careful, as ring flashes can make all photos look "the same", and some of the cheapo LED rings are too weak to provide significant light.
So I would say that you did well, considering the low light and near focus!

I appreciate the critique because honestly, I have no idea what I'm doing with macro. I tried adjust the WB for the BW shot, but I couldn't quite get a feel for the 'right' temperature and tint. It's much more subtle than with colour photos.

This was shot as ISO 400 because I really don't care for the noise the K-30 makes at high ISOs, how interchangeable are ring flashes for regular ones:

Wonderful shot at 0.3s. The only minus point I can see is that the spider is not tackle sharp... With the help of an off-camera diffused flash, you can avoid the motion blur fully..

I've heard about ring flashes making all photos look "the same", what does that mean?

Thanks again for the comments!

[starjedi]

Thanks!



I appreciate the critique because honestly, I have no idea what I'm doing with macro. I tried adjust the WB for the BW shot, but I couldn't quite get a feel for the 'right' temperature and tint. It's much more subtle than with colour photos.

This was shot as ISO 400 because I really don't care for the noise the K-30 makes at high ISOs, how interchangeable are ring flashes for regular ones:



I've heard about ring flashes making all photos look "the same", what does that mean?

Thanks again for the comments!

Ring flash gives the light averagely on the subject so it looks flat. So you are not in a good position, the object will not be isolated from the environment and therefore it can be very boring for all photos using ring flash. Moreover, the power of a ring flash is also limited. That's why I decided to follow old4570, cmexonat and hangman43 here. In fact, I copied the post below:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/38-photographic-technique/228550-my-techn...o-insects.html

as hangman43 kindly listed the link of all the necessary equipments...

And another one by old4570:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/125-flashes-lighting-studio/242666-my-uni...cro-flash.html

[esrandall]

Nice shots -- especially the B&W one. Love the clarity on the spider's body.

[phoenixvision]

beautiful work....that black and white is stunning