Here is a set of macro photos gathered over the last few weeks to offset the boredom arising from the less than cooperative weather in Brisbane. The neck is getting a complementary workout – looking down, not straining heavenwards!
Thanks David, Ron, Adam & Rob – I appreciate your comments.
Rob: The Praying Mantis and funky spider were taken with the Canon EF-S 60mm F2.8 macro with the remainder being captured with the Canon 100mm F2.8 macro lens.
All were at 1/250 sec, F11, ISO100. Illumination was provided by a Canon 580 EX II flashgun with a Lumiquest soft box and the light was further diffused by a 12x10cm diffuser velcro’ed to the lens hood, between the flash and the insect. The diffuser came from an old Samsung LCD monitor that died and when I took it apart, I found 2 sheets of diffuser material which I kept, just in case…
The diffuser minimises any hot spots from the flashgun and provides a softer light compared to a naked flashgun.
Great to see more macros from you Dennis.
Love the camouflaged preying mantis, how beautifully it fades into the background.
Excellent sharpness and detail in all these shots and I love the harmonic colours in the spider (shot #7).
Good work too on the diffuser on the Lumiquest soft box for the 580 EXII, would you have a few shots of the setup handy?
It’s been a 12 month journey that began with the BIMBO’s, but in the last couple of weeks the rig has finally come together and seems to be producing some nice results in terms of lighting.
As for angles, composition, habitat, field craft, etc I still have a looong way to go, but the important thing is that I’m enjoying the journey! My wife also loves me taking an interest in the garden too!
How do you convince the critters to sit still when that monstrosity of equipment is bearing down upon them????
Hi Roger
You should see the 100’s of shots that I have of empty green leaves, naked stalks, plain flowers, etc where the insect has scarpered before I was able to pull the trigger!
That is fantastic Dennis. Truly amazing. The yellow spider's got my vote. Very creative colorwise. Is it on a piece of aluminium foil?
Hi Marc
Thanks!
The spider is on a flower petal on a very prolific vine that has spread out all along our back garden fence. Here are a couple of other shots that show more detail of the flower; it has a lovely translucence and sheen in certain light.
Over the months of observing various creatures, I have come to see that they have a place in nature and so I have adopted an approach of minimal interference. I won’t move or relocate them (unless they come indoors!) although I will carefully move foliage to better reveal them for a photo opportunity.
This resolve has strengthened as when peering through my lens, I see bees harvesting pollen, spiders mending webs, etc. and as macro photography is only a hobby, I decided that it wasn’t sufficient reason for me to interfere in their life cycle.
I will however, kill any mosquitoes that try to bite me.
Lovely shots, Dennis. That's a lynx spider in case you were wondering. Very common but interesting to shoot - I like all the spikey hairs all over them.
Great collection of macro images Dennis really enjoyed looking at them. Top setup as well, I have the Nikon 60mm equivalent which I enjoy but like you I try to adopt a "tread lightly" approach and probably need 105mm to avoid snapping leafs etc Well done
Great collection of macro images Dennis really enjoyed looking at them. Top setup as well, I have the Nikon 60mm equivalent which I enjoy but like you I try to adopt a "tread lightly" approach and probably need 105mm to avoid snapping leafs etc Well done
Thanks Stuart! I got a little too close to a native bee nest the other day and quite a few of them landed on me, presumably to investigate if I was a threat.
Even though these little guys don’t sting, previously I’d have run around like a loony trying to knock them off, but this time, with increasing awareness from my macro related exposure to the insect world, my wife and I gently blew them off and we went on our way, leaving them in peace.
Neat camera setup too 
That is fantastic Dennis. Truly amazing. The yellow spider's got my vote. Very creative colorwise. Is it on a piece of aluminium foil?
Well done
