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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
08-20-2022, 06:52 AM
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Thanks for the name of the structure, and the additional info, Walt! I thought that I had seen them on flies other than craneflies. That is one of those structures that would be interesting to see in extrememely slow motion video.
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
08-19-2022, 07:19 PM
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Nice. I've always been intrigued by the cranefly's gyroscopic control equipment that your image so clearly documents. Every cranefly I've seen has a set. If memory serves, a few other insects have them as well.
---------- Post added 08-19-22 at 09:22 PM ----------
I've not seen any. The plant on which they feasted last year died early this spring. Either they did not like the replacements I planted, or they never made it back this year. :(
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
08-09-2022, 10:12 AM
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Even with a narrower f-stop, it's hard to get around physics with that framing of the subject. For our camera club competitions, it's easy to tell the judges that don't shoot macro! Never enought DOF, or not enough detail if one backs up to get the DOF!
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
07-09-2022, 07:18 PM
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Xpost. I believe that this is a Katydid nymph. ID welcome. If it had rested in the center of the leaf, I likely would not have noticed it. It's camo patterns nicely blend in with the leaves, but its chosen position on the leaf gave it away.
Note the long antennae folded underneath the body. When I started they were under, later shots show them hanging down, and when I finished they were tucked back under.
7/9 note: I tried to find it the last two days, to no avail. If it had moved while I went to get my camera, I doubt the picture below would exist!
Katydid Nymph on Swamp Milkweed by Roger |
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
06-12-2022, 08:03 PM
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Thanks for posting it. Always fun to see something unexpected! :)
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
06-11-2022, 08:38 AM
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I find robber flies intriguing. It's fun to see the diversity. The hairs on the head of your image image would certainly make focus stacking a challenge.
While I was unable to get a clean view of the head in my image, it appears to only have six hairs in front. Does anyone know the function of the hair?
Does anyone else have robberfly pictures?
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
06-10-2022, 07:22 PM
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This is the only robber fly I've ever shot. Usually they quickly fly away. Since this one was occupied, I was able to take several dozen images with tripod. The wind was blowing, so only got a few keepers.
This robberfly caught a yellowjacket (wasp). The inset shows tiny flies taking advantage of the robber fly's meal. I would not be suprised if they piggyback on the robber fly, having a built in motel with buffet.
Robber Fly with Yellowjacket by Roger |
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
06-10-2022, 11:23 AM
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It would be interesting to see the mouth parts of your biting fly close up. I imagine it probably has additional structures beside the "mop" on the image above.
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
10-17-2021, 10:31 PM
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Mantis from a couple weeks back. Was rainy and breezy, so shot with plastic bag over lens and body.
Praying Mantis |
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
08-17-2021, 06:50 PM
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Cicada Shell. Saw the owner, but did not have time in the evening to shoot, so got this the next day.
K-3 Mark III & HD Pentax-DA 55-300mm F4-5.8 ED WR, 300mm, minimum focus distance. Pixel Shift. Actual pixels of crop below are 3200x1800.
Cicada Shell |
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
11-04-2017, 05:13 PM
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Dave, you are much steadier than I. Great job! :)
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
05-28-2017, 08:08 PM
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I immediately thought of a performance on stage by miss honeybee, Dave. Great eye and capture.
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
05-27-2017, 09:15 PM
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Nice. I haven't seen a ladybug in our area in a couple years, let alone the larva.
This is maybe my smallest insect to date...on a Forget Me Not.
I'm glad my sister was unable to find the time to mow before we arrived, as I found these little
FMNs in the lawn. I later mowed around them for her. 
While taking pictures in LV, I saw these tiny creatures zipping around the flowers. I did not expect
to capture any detail of them as I used a slow shutter speed.
It is always fun to see unexpected detail when shooting macro, especially when it is a something
I cannot see with the naked eye. It's not clear in the last photo, but they do have wings. Since I
know they are there, I've tried in vain to see them without magnification.
If it has not been done, a research paper could probably be written about the relationship of this
insect to the FMN.
Last two pictures actual pixel crops, no higher resolution available. xpost.
The Forget Me Not flowers - maybe a half centimeter across.
Forget Me Not
Crawling inside.
Crawling Inside
Better detail of insect.
Tiny insect, better view. |
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
05-09-2017, 10:57 AM
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Thanks much TER-OR. Jacamar, the link you gave looks to be the one. I'm amazed how much color variation there can be.
Appreciate the help!
Roger
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
05-08-2017, 02:44 PM
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I've used it at basketball games when light was low and lens wide open, but never thought to apply it to insects. Thanks for the tip! :)
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
05-08-2017, 02:04 PM
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I use Zerene as well. I think any stacking software will leave halos when you have bright reflecting objects or a bright area on an image. When the area that is bright goes OOF, it blooms or expands larger than the original reflected area. The stacking program tries to incorporate the halo into the image. Takes a bit of processing to get rid of it. I like Zerene because of the editing features.
If you want to get into stacking images of insects, our Sr. Moderator Nass has a website dedicated to extreme macro. Here is his review on Zerene.
At the risk of being a bit off topic, Here is an example (clock motor) of 21 Pixel Shift images combined in Zerene stacker. Editing took 4-5 hours in Zerene Stacker. You can see the ghosting Walt talked about. It's on the front edges of the two plates that hold the clock gears together.
The most successful Pixel shifts I've seen (doesn't mean there aren't others) of insects are moths and butterflies. The moth below was "hiding" so was reasonably still. I tried to stack, but the moth moved during the stack. It was late afternoon, and not cool enough to slow insects down. I've not attempted to combine images due to the time it would take to edit the checkerboard pattern of the moth.
This is a link to one of the best Pixel Shift images of a butterfly I've seen. The poster states in one of his posts that he gets up early when it's cool to get the images. There is also a link to the full size image on the page. If things are still enough for Pixel shift, you should at least try for a stack if you need the added DOF. Guess I need to get up earlier for my insect pictures! :D
I was unable to ID the moth below. Spent a couple hours going through pictures of moths quite similar, but never found an exact match. Anybody have an idea?
Moth - Pixel Shift
Serrations on trailing edge wing scales below were not visible in any non-Pixel shift image I took.
Moth - Pixel Shift - actual pixels |
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
05-07-2017, 06:46 PM
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Thanks. I was doing a focus stack and did not dare move for fear of ruining the stack. That Cicada was 1/4 up my leg when I noticed it. Very light and delicate touch.
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Forum: Mini-Challenges, Games, and Photo Stories
01-29-2017, 03:54 PM
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Was going to post a video of milkweed bugs, but Flickr resized the video to 360p, and it looks blurry/OOF now.
Might have to learn to use the 'tube.
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